A'la Sofia Hotel — Hotel in Fatih

I ended up staying at this hotel after a last-minute change in plans, booking it just a few days before my trip.

While my overall experience at A’la Sofia Hotel was reasonable, I cannot overlook multiple Google Maps reviews from guests who reported booking a room, only to be told upon arrival that the water didn’t run in their assigned room. They were then relocated to a substandard hotel as a "temporary" solution but ended up staying there for their entire trip. Given the consistency of these reports, this practice seems intentional, making me hesitant to endorse the hotel. I also find it puzzling that Agoda continues to list a hotel with such questionable practices—it’s the kind of situation that should warrant removal from the platform.

That said, there are positives. The location is excellent, allowing guests to visit Istanbul’s iconic attractions—including Hagia Sophia Mosque, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Little Hagia Sophia—on foot. However, the six-to-seven-minute walk from the nearest tram station might be tricky for travelers carrying heavy luggage. The sidewalks in the area are either in poor condition or nonexistent in parts, meaning you may need to lift your luggage rather than wheel it.

The staff was polite and helpful. A particularly convenient service was the ability to purchase a tourist SIM card at the hotel for a reasonable price, saving me the hassle of searching elsewhere.

Although many reviews criticize the breakfast for its lack of variety, I found it satisfying and a good way to start the day.

Unfortunately, the condition of the room left much to be desired. While the glass shower cabin looks appealing in photos, the reality was that one of the sliding doors was missing. The curtains and bed scarf were stained and worn, and the overall finish of the room—including the tiles and wallpaper—showed a lack of craftsmanship.

Despite strong water pressure at the ground-floor sink, the water pressure in the bathroom was disappointingly low, both for the sink and shower. The toilet also had flushing issues, requiring multiple firm and prolonged presses on the flush button.

Some of the amenity boxes—such as those for shoe polish—were empty, possibly because previous guests had taken them and housekeeping failed to check.

On two occasions, I woke up early in the morning to find that water wasn’t running in my room. Each time, I had to go to reception, where staff made a phone call and the water suddenly started flowing. This was an odd and frustrating experience.

While marketed as a budget hotel, I don’t find it particularly cheap for the quality provided.

In Japan, this hotel would likely score no higher than 6.9, but expectations for accommodations in Istanbul...

Scam Alert: Avoid A’la Sofia Hotel at All Costs!

I had a terrible experience with this hotel. First and foremost, there is a scam happening here. They advertise A’la Sofia Hotel to attract guests, but when you arrive, they intentionally redirect you to a substandard hotel called Stone Hotel, which is in terrible condition.

I had booked a stay for three days, but it was a disaster from the moment I arrived. After a long flight, I reached the hotel at midnight, only to be told there was an issue with the water in our room. Shockingly, they hadn’t informed us beforehand. Instead, they redirected us to Stone Hotel, which was absolutely awful.

The staff assured us that our original room at A’la Sofia Hotel would be ready the next day, so we reluctantly stayed at Stone Hotel for the night. The next morning, we went to A’la Sofia Hotel to check in, but the receptionist started making excuses. She even made a long call with someone, pretending to sort things out, only to then claim that the room key was with the manager. It was obvious they were lying and stalling.

That evening, we returned to ask about our room again, but we were given the same excuses and more lies. They told us we would need to stay at Stone Hotel again. To make matters worse, when we arrived at Stone Hotel, all our belongings had been dumped in the reception area. They claimed they thought we had returned to A’la Sofia, which was another blatant lie.

We had no choice but to stay at Stone Hotel again, and the conditions were appalling. The bathroom door wouldn’t close properly, the shower door was broken, and the water supply was unreliable, sometimes stopping altogether. One of the lights in the room didn’t work, and the bathroom had a horrible smell. On top of that, the rooms were not soundproofed, and there was constant noise throughout the night, making it impossible to get proper sleep.

This is clearly a scam. They advertise A’la Sofia Hotel to attract guests but then intentionally move people to Stone Hotel, which is in terrible condition. I strongly advise against staying here. Save yourself the frustration and avoid this place...

The best thing about the hotel is location. The hotel is a small boutique hotel run by family. This is the only hotel who demanded extra money for my kids ( mind you 3 and 5years old). The hotel mentions in Agoda description that children staying in same bed lives free yet they demanded 20euros. I had already checked with the hotel before booking it by calling them and one of the staff already confirmed that they have a king sized bed in a room and children are welcomed yet when we reached they first said we booked for one adult and then said 2 children are not free , although Agoda description is different and to be honest after that we lived in 5 different hotels across turkey and one more in Istanbul and none of the hotel staff did this to us. They gave us a triple room with double bed and single bed, I guess they didn't have any king sized room which we booked basically and because they only had a triple room available hence they demanded more money but I only paid for what I booked and it was not my headache they didn't have that room. So the good part they then gave the triple room free of cost. They should have conveyed this extra charge before hand once I called them befor booking but they didn't. So check-in was not a good experience, we were tired and they kept arguing. The rooms are very small, like very very small, the washroom also very small only one person can stand but everything was very neat and clean. Breakfast very basic, same everyday but good coffee .The staff attitude was most of the time rude showing as if we are staying free of cost. The point is if they had a certain rule for children ,they should not write children below 6 if sleep in same bed stay free, mention it on Agoda that only one child. And if the guests call to confirm then they should convey it rather than when the guest arrives then they start fighting and demand money. There are surely better options at...