Moon Hostel — Hotel in Beyoğlu

Okay, so this place was a cheap stay, and I don’t enjoy giving negative reviews, but based on what I experienced, I have no idea how this place has so many positive ones.

This hostel is planted right in the middle of Istanbul’s party district (something I didn’t realize when booking). If you’re there on a weekend, don’t expect to sleep—this area is alive, loud, and relentless. People party until the early hours, and you’ll hear every beat.

I wish I'd had looked around first instead of paying the full price on arrival (the first order of business when I got to the door).

The bed was comfortable and the sheets might have been changed, but that’s where the effort stopped. There were wiry hairs on the mattress—enough said. The locker assigned to me was broken, with the lock completely missing, which made me question the security of leaving anything behind.

The common areas were a mess. Laundry was strewn everywhere—piles of it in the lounge—and the kitchen was a jumble of random objects mixed with baskets of clothes. It was unusable. The owner seemed to be running the entire operation solo and was clearly overwhelmed.

The seating area was less of a lounge and more of a holding space. The relentless thud thud thud of music outside only added to the chaos. It felt worlds apart from the clean, tranquil photos I’d seen online.

The bathroom? Functional but far from clean. The floor was littered with hair and dirt. No bath mats, no effort. I ended up cleaning the floor myself with a rag and spray I found under the sink.

Even with earplugs, I only managed a couple of hours of sleep.

Maybe I caught this place at a bad time. Maybe the owner’s running on fumes, riding on goodwill from earlier days. But if you’re after something calm and organized, don’t book here.

I packed up and left at 5 a.m., forfeiting the money I’d paid, and found somewhere else to stay. It...

Overall my stay here sadly was pretty poor.

Pros: -The hostel owner greeted me on arrival and was helpful with any questions I asked -All beds had a privacy curtain and the beds were comfy and equipped with a charging point which is helpful -Towels were provided which is always a nice touch as some hostels charge for these -The location is great, just a short walk from lots of bars/restaurants and lots of nearby sights to see

Cons -There was no front desk, meaning if you need something you have to message the hostel owner (although he was responsive) -There are no house rules. Meaning people make noise all night and can freely bring other people back and have s*x in your dorm and you have to put up with it -Because of 0 house rules, a lot of people take advantage of this and don’t care about anybody else in the room -Common room was locked for long periods of the day (I think the hostel owner sleeps in there) -Bathroom cleanliness was questionable -Although there’s a code to get in the main door, all dorm rooms are open, again meaning anybody can walk in whenever if inside the hostel -Dorm rooms are a mess as people leave their things all over the floor, again, with a lack of house rules, people don’t care

Sadly I wouldn’t stay here again unless things changed...

처음에 숙박 가격이 너무 저렴해서 걱정했는데, 위치도 숙소도 서비스도 모두 최고였어요🥹✨️❣️

저는 무엇보다 이 호스텔의 위치가 정말 좋았어요. 탁심광장에서 쭉 들어오면 나오는 이스티클랄 거리에 숙소가 있는데, 명동같은 곳이라 밤새도록 불빛이 꺼지지 않고 사람들로 북적여서 밤길도 무섭지 않았어요.

저는 이스탄불 공항에서 16번 공항버스- 탁심광장 쪽 정류장- 도보(약 25분) 숙소 도착 경로였습니다. 짐이 많거나 걷는 게 힘드신 분들은 탁심광장 공항버스 정류장과 숙소 사이는 버스나 트램 타시는 게 몸이 편할 듯합니다.

갈라타타워나 갈라타다리도 걸어서 다녀올 수 있어요. 이쪽 구역 특성 상 언덕이라 돌아올 때는 가파른 오르막길이 조금 힘들지만, 한두번 다니다보면 적응이 됩니다👍🏻

대신 여성분 혼자 밤에 돌아올 때는 구글맵 빠른 경로 믿지 마시고(엄청 어둡고 외진 골목길로 안내합니다. 사람도 뜸해서 무서웠어요ㅠㅠ) 그냥 시간 조금 더 걸리더라도 갈라타 타워 쪽 큰길로 다니는 걸 추천드려요. 똑같이 언덕길이지만 밤에도 사람이 많고 밝아 안전하게 느껴졌습니다.

제가 몰랐던 건지, 원래 없는 건지 모르겠지만 조식 서비스는 없는 것 같고, 대신 걸어서 2분 거리에 한국인 유명 카이막 맛집이 있어서 저는 아침마다 행복하게 1일 1카이막 했습니다 ㅎㅎㅎ

개인 캐비넷(열쇠 있음)에 캐리어 포함 다 넣고 다닐 수 있어서 안전했고, 침대마다 커튼이 있어서 편안하게 쉬었어요. 외국이라 베드버그 걱정했는데 제 침대에는 없어서 안심하고 잘 수 있었어요.

샴푸같은 샤워용품은 개별적으로 챙겨오셔야 하는데, 헤어드라이기는 각층 화장실마다 있습니다. 수건도 한세트 제공해줘서 좋았어요. 화장실도 나름 깨끗합니다.

제가 다녀본 호스텔 중 가장 저렴한데, 깔끔하고 안전하고 좋았습니다. 저는 날이 너무 더울 때 갔는데, 숙소는 에어컨이 빵빵해서 너무 쾌적하고 시원하고 좋았습니다!!!

호스트 Yunus가 항상 웃으며 친절하게 도움을 줘서 감사했어요. Reception은 4층 꼭대기에 있고, 엘리베이터는 없습니다.

개인적으로 이 호스텔에서 좋은 기억들만 가득했습니다. 이스탄불에서 행복한 추억과 인연을 만들어줘서 고마워요, Moon Hostel! :)

이스탄불에 여행을 다시 오게 될 일이 있다면, Moon Hostel로 다시 오고 싶어요! 가성비 최고입니다.

[English] At first, I was a bit worried because the accommodation price was so cheap, but everything turned out to be excellent—the location, place, and service were all the best. 🥹✨️❣️

What I liked most was the hostel’s location. It’s on Istiklal Street, which is a vibrant area similar to Myeongdong, so it’s bustling with people and lights all night long, making it safe to walk around even late at night.

I arrived at the hostel via Istanbul Airport: I took the Airport Bus 16, got off at the Taksim Square stop, and then walked about 25 minutes to the hostel. If you have a lot of luggage or find walking difficult, it might be more comfortable to take a bus or tram between Taksim Square and the hostel.

You can also walk to Galata Tower and Galata Bridge from there. The area is hilly, so the return walk can be a bit tough with the steep incline, but you’ll get used to it after a few trips. 👍🏻

However, if you’re a woman walking alone at night, don’t trust Google Maps’ shortest route—it may lead you through very dark and secluded alleyways which can be quite frightening. Instead, take the longer route through the main road near Galata Tower; it’s brighter, busier, and feels safer.

I’m not sure if it was something I missed or if it’s always like this, but there seems to be no breakfast service. However, there’s a famous kaymak place just a 2-minute walk away, so I enjoyed kaymak every morning there.😄

The hostel provides secure personal lockers (with a key), so you can safely store your luggage, and each bed has a curtain for added privacy. I was concerned about bed bugs, but my bed was clean, and I slept well.

You need to bring your shower supplies like shampoo, but each floor has a hair dryer, and a set of towels is provided. The bathrooms are relatively clean.

Despite being the cheapest hostel I’ve stayed at, it was clean, safe, and great overall. And there is an air-conditioner, so it's always cool.

Host Yunus was always smiling and helpful, which was much appreciated. The reception is on the top floor (4th floor), and there’s no elevator.

I have only good memories of this hostel. Thank you, Moon Hostel, for the happy memories and connections in Istanbul! :) If I visit Istanbul again, I would stay at Moon Hostel. It...