Le Safran Hotel

This hotel has character. It's definitely not for people with mobility issues (we stayed on the third floor, and the stairs were steep), but our family found it adorable. Our suite was perfect for our family with two kids, and the price was very affordable. Though the hotel is small, it has a 24h reception desk, and the service is good. They catered to all my needs. The location is superb! It is literally 5-10 minutes away on foot from most of Istanbul's famous landmarks. A tram stop and a metro station are both only a couple of minutes away, and a ferry is just a 15-minute walk. It's in the center of everything, and the life is bustling around, yet it's quiet in the hotel, and we could get a good night's sleep. I would definitely consider this hotel for any future visits and recommend it to my friends. We had a little inconvenience with the shower. The drain wasn't working at its best, or maybe the floor wasn't leveled correctly, and the water collected on the shower floor and started to pour over to the bathroom floor after about 5 minutes of taking a shower. It was manageable, just not convenient since there were four of us in the room, and we had to wipe the floor after every shower. I also wish they started serving breakfast at 8 rather than 8:30. That would help to beat the crowds while sightseeing. The breakfast was good for the adults, but our American kids could hardly find anything they'd eat. That's more of my kids' problem than that of the hotel; however, providing some international food options or even COLD milk and a few pastries for kids would be nice.

The location is great and the breakfast is tasty. It's not super clean and hotel is overall a lot more shabby than the photos led me to believe.

The only real highlight of this hotel is its location, which is very convenient for sightseeing in Istanbul. The breakfast spread was also decent in terms of variety. Unfortunately, the negatives significantly outweighed the positives during our stay: Room Condition & Hygiene: The room felt very worn out and neglected. Due to the age of the building and poor ventilation, there was a persistent, unpleasant smell and high humidity. The bathroom was exceptionally tiny, cramped, and had a very foul odor. Cleanliness Standards: I was surprised to find that housekeeping only occurs every 3 days. In 2026, this is a very low standard for a hotel. Furthermore, the lobby and stairs were visibly dirty throughout our stay. Check-in & Service: Despite the standard check-in times, our room was not ready until 4:00 PM. Additionally, unlike most hotels in Istanbul that provide daily bottled water, this property does not offer any, so be prepared to buy your own. Noise Levels: Because it is an older building, there is zero soundproofing. We could hear every footstep on the stairs and from the floors above, which made it very difficult to rest. !!!! Please check the expiration dates on the food. During breakfast, we discovered that the mini jams and honey served to guests were expired. This is a serious health and safety concern, so I recommend inspecting all packaged items before consuming them.

Everything perfect

Rooms and the fact that I haven't received a receipt

The breakfast was nice as well, there were different types of cheese, breads, cereals, etc. I enjoyed staying here.

I really like the place

Rooms could be little bit cleaner.

The location was very good. We went for the Istanbul marathon, so we stayed for 1 night only and we needed a place near all main attractions and ferryboats. The staff from the hotel were very kind - they kept our luggage before check-in and after check-out and made our short stay much comfortable.

Don’t book if you are taller than 160 cm

The hotel is in a great location and the woman running the breakfast and room service was amazing, but that is about as far as the “good” goes. Now for the “bad.” From the beginning, we were put in a room different than what was booked. The room that was supposed to be a nice and aesthetic place to sleep (based on the pictures) was not available and we were given a room with fluorescent lights, mold in the corner of the ceiling, and a tv that barely worked. For the “terrible.” One night we came back to a man from reception who sat us down to talk. He stumbled through that the room was going to be checked by rangers because of a disagreement between the mayor and the hotel and that we needed to be out from 9am - 11am the next day. We realized this was because the hotel is illegally running a set of rooms that aren’t licensed. When we put our foot down, that we were uncomfortable with this and were dissatisfied with this outcome, the man at reception proceeded to raise his voice and ultimately told us we actually needed to leave the hotel for the rest of our stay altogether. Telling us to relax and that it was no big deal and that the room they’d move us to was down the street and was nice. Well this ruined our whole entire day as we had to wait around for the rangers to show up (who never did) instead of spending the day sight seeing. For the rest of the stay we were given dirty looks and treated with disrespect that made us uncomfortable leaving our bags unattended in the room.

Very good place, nice stuff

Great location, amazing staff and cleanliness Nothing

Narrow steps

The location is excellent, breakfast was very good.

The stay was very convenient. not too close but not too far from public transport. If you want to avoid walking uphill when returning to the hotel, get off at Sultanahmet Station, and it’s a downhill walk to the hotel. When heading out from the hotel, you can simply walk downhill to the nearby Gulhane Station. The hotel staff were extremely helpful. I accidentally left my bag at the hotel and only realized it after returning to Malaysia. Thankfully, the hotel staff contacted me. I requested their help to send the bag to another hotel where my friend was staying in Istanbul. Mr. Osman, the hotel manager, was incredibly helpful.He personally delivered the bag without asking for any payment, even when I offered. Overall, the staff here are honest, trustworthy, and friendly. I highly recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a comfortable stay with sincere service.

Three minutes walk to Hagia Sophia (very easy for morning prayer) and also Gulhane Park (very beautiful jogging place across the park to the waterfront). Very close to other main attractions (Topkapi, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, etc etc). Laundry nearby. Bathroom needs renovating.

I stayed at this hotel for 7 days, and at first, I was very pleased with the location and the room, which were perfect. The only small downside was the cleaning, especially the floor, which wasn’t vacuumed during our entire stay. However, this wouldn’t have prevented me from giving a great rating. Unfortunately, everything was ruined because of a very disappointing incident: my perfume was stolen from my suitcase. When I reported it to the receptionist on the last day before leaving, his response was absolutely non-existent. He showed no empathy and didn’t even apologize. He just listened to me as if it didn’t surprise him at all, and no attempt was made to resolve the issue. This was very disappointing, especially in a setting where one would expect a minimum of professionalism and respect. For those considering staying at this hotel, be careful with your personal belongings. Don’t leave anything valuable in the room, as you can’t rely on the hotel to handle such situations. In summary, although the hotel has some advantages, the complete lack of responsiveness and respect from the staff led me to give it a rating of 1. I won’t be returning.

Exceptional

Very nice hotel. Clean. Friendly staff Recommended