We stayed for 5 nights and were very happy with the hotel. The room was spacious (but we asked for a larger room when booking). Everything was clean with daily room service and the bathroom was fairly new.
The staff were very helpful and happy to book restaurants etc. The breakfast room on the top floor has stunning views of the Bosphorus and the breakfast itself is simple but generous with bread, meat, cheese, olives, eggs, cake, fruit, cereal and yogurt, tea, coffee, juice etc.
The rear rooms face the back of the Blue Mosque which means you might get an early morning call but on the other hand you are very close to many of the main visitor sites.
If you want to eat Turkish we would suggest Kanaats on the Asian sde, but take a phrase book. Oh and try the juice man on the way to the Blue Mosque.

Rooms and facilities
Considering the really good deal we got from booking online through eBookers.com, the hotel was a dream.

The Tashkonak is classed as a boutique hotel, which, in Turkey means plenty of original features and a personal feel to each room, a welcome change from the usual choice of chain hotels on offer.

Our room was on the lower ground, quite small but with enough room for a double bed, small cupboard, safe, TV, fridge (bit on the large side and the buzzing at night was irritating) and clean bathroom. The room also had access to a shared patio with the next door room, which was a nice feature.

The TV in the room had more than 40 channels, most of them Turkish but with some English channels.

Location
We, like most Brits in Istanbul travelled by easyJet to Sabiha Gokçem airport, which is quite far from central Istanbul as it is on the Asian side. When we arrived we took the Havas airport bus (go straight outside the airport terminal and the bus should be waiting there), which costs 9.5 YTL (£3) each and goes to Taksim and takes around an hour, where we took a taxi to the hotel for 15 YTL (£5) and took around 30 minutes.

We took some YTL currency with us and some GBP as we were unsure of what currency the locals used. We found that YTL is the most commonly used currency and the exchange rates do not differ much at all from UK rates so you can either take cash or withdraw from the many ATMs in the city.

The weather when we went (mid Feb) was a little chilly with rain (take warm clothes!) this didn’t spoil our stay.

We got around the city using the excellent Metro (tram) service, it costs 1.5 YTL (50p) per journey no matter how far you go and you can easily get to most of the top sites. Sultanhamet square is a ten minute walk away and from there you can take the Metro.

Istanbul is such a safe city, not once did we feel threatened when walking at night or in the crowded shopping areas. The locals are friendly and will always help you if you get lost.

Guests
As the hotel is quite small, rooms are close to each other, one night we did get woken by a loud TV next door and slamming doors but it was fine other than that.

Food
The hotel only offers breakfast, which was of the continental variety and perfectly acceptable. The best part was the view of the Marmara Sea with the ships going in and out.

We lived off kebabs while we were there and they're nothing like the poor imitations you get here and so cheap aswell! Living costs work out at about a third of the price of UK.

Staff
The day manager, Savaş in particular was very helpful. He spoke English perfectly and provided some sound advice.

Although the Tashkonak is just around the corner (literally) from the Dersaadat Hotel, the top rated hotel in Istanbul on this website and we know why! We went in just to have a nose around but the guy on the front desk could not have been more helpful, bringing out maps and tour books of Istanbul and showing us where to go. He also showed us around the hotel (which in terms of size and décor didn’t really differ much from the Tashonak) but the roof top terrace offers a better view of the Blue Mosque. This may be typical of these boutique hotels, the difference in price is according to the levels of service.

Istanbul is a truly magical city with so much to see and do, I’d recommend it to anyone. We only stayed for five days, which is enough to see the main sites but we would like to have stayed longer. Here are the top things to see and do while you’re there:

1.Topkapi Palace: the sheer opulence and grandeur of this place is something to behold and for Muslims, the best bit is the room full of sacred relics of the Prophet Muhammed (saw).
2.Sultanhamet (Blue) Mosque: absolutely awe-inspiring architecture.
3. Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) museum: once a mosque now a museum, beautiful architecture.
3.Dolmabahce Palace: again, pure indulgence, the Sultans were in a league of their own.
4.Grand Bazaar: the covered market, which is absolutely huge – you can find anything and everything here but make sure you haggle!
5.Istanbul Modern: art museum with some brilliant Turkish art and it’s free entry on Thursdays.
6.Smoke a nargileh (water pipe) in Tophane district (right next to Istanbul Modern).
7.Eat fried mackerel sandwich on the banks of the Bosphorus.
8.Take a ferry to the Asian side: costs 1.5 YTL from Beşiktaş and you get to see another side of Istanbul minus the tourists.

7 of us stayed at this wonderful Tashkonak hotel, 4 adults and 3 kids.
The Hotel is a 19th Century Ottoman building, and is quite pretty!

The hotel is perfectly located, just behind the Grand Sultan Ahmet Mosque, and a short walk to all the major attractions and eateries.
The breakfast room offers panoramic views of the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. The adjoining terrace gardens offer views of the Galata bridge, the Topkapi palace and the aya Safya.
I'd recommend this hotel to singles, couples AND to those with children!

There were other pretty gardens located near the ground floor which would be cool and pleasant in the hot summer!

The staff were welcoming and friendly, especially Ismail at reception and Khalid, the young lad usually to be found with the other pleasant chap in the breakfast diner area.

The reception area was beautifully furnished and comfortable and chilled out - we enjoyed getting into the hotel in the evenings and chilling on the sofas, watching TV and chatting to the staff and other visitors.

Our two rooms, which were unfortunately on opposite wings were nonetheless nice and clean and nicely furnished - the large family room (306) was fantastic, and the balcony looked across the Sea of Marmara and was awe inspiring! (see photos)

Directly below was a 16th century mosque built by Mimar Sinan himself and a small 16th Century islamic cemetary which gave the whole place an 'Arabia Nights' vibe - Fatima and Taz seemed to think the balcony was a beautiful place which seemed to offer a feeling of tranquility and inner peace, they also seemed to think it was haunted by 'good jinns'! :)

The staff were cool with us coming up and down and visiting each others rooms!

There were scores of channels on the TV and there was internet access at reception - which I didn't use (nothing like getting away from internet and everything else).

The muezzin call to prayer was evident in the early morning, but wasn't loud as you find in other countries - in fact it sounded quite beautiful!

the location was perfect, slap bang next to all the major sites, safe and secure in its location day or night, right beside a general store and the Arasta Bazaar which is a great place to get presents from!

Breakfast was good - cold meats, bread, pastries, boiled eggs and cereal. - except that the Tea wasn't all that, and in my opinion should be offered as Tea Bags. there was also no option for toast so I suppose a small improvement needed there.

If I was to be really fussy there were a couple of complaints;

the Heating in room 202 stopped working and we had to use the AC as a heater which I hated doing - but the staff were helpful!

The hot water seemed to have ran out in the shower and i was forced to shower in cold water - this only happened once in the mid morning so it was possibly down to overload as a load of French tourists arrived who swamped the breakfast room and I presume they all used the showers at once.

The hair dryer wasn't working in room 202.

There was no Tea or coffee facilities in rooms - even though there was a decent mini fridge with a selection of drinks.

there were no problems with room 306!

All in all a fantastic experience, nothing like staying in such a perfect location, in a classic Ottoman hotel, with friendly staff, clean environs, and beautiful views.

We're planning another trip and we'd rather stay here than in any other larger and soulless hotel - if you wish for a more true Istanbulu experience, i can't think of anywhere else!

We stayed five nights at the Tashkonak Hotel and loved every minute of it . the staff was very courteous and well informed . the hotel itself was clean and our room was probally the best cared for room we have ever stayed in and we have stayed in a lot of hotel rooms. They had a enjoyable breakfast buffet which suited our needs nicely . Also they had free computer access in the lobby but in a private corner which made checking email a breeze. All in all this hotel was a highlight of trip to istanbul