Travelled to Istanbul bet Sat 24 - Tue 27 May 2008 with friends. Just 2 couples needing 2 rooms for 3 nights. Booked the hol on 2 1/2 months in advance yet on arrival the hotel was overbooked. They only had one room for us and when we asked the receptionist for an explanation for the overbooking he couldn't explain why, seemed to think it was quite funny and the norm for this hotel ! 30 mins later we got our room in the hotel and our friends were offered a room in a hotel two doors up the road. This was for one night then they'd move back into a room in the Stone hotel the next day. Our friends ended up getting one of the 2 suites which in some way compensated their inconvenience for the fiasco the day before.
Rooms were nice, clean and did the job for our stay. However, the Suite was nice but needs some work. Dated decor with some painting left incomplete. Lots of lights with very few working and bulbs missing. We did tell the guy on reception but he seemed to take little notice and laughed again.
Breakfast was very poor, low quality food with a limited choice. We only ate here on our first morning and decided to eat elsewhere after that.
Top tip when booking a rtn taxi (Private taxi) via reception....book it 30 mins before you actually need it as ours was 30 mins late. However, on the plus side we paid 40 TYL and only took their speedy driver 20 mins.
Despite all the above we had a great time in Istanbul and the Stone Hotel was ideally located for us to explore the city.

We stayed at the Stone Hotel with our toddler for four days at the beginning of May 2008. After the initial meet and greet we were informed that they had (as usual!) overbooked and that we would have to stay at one of the other hotels for one night. Luckily they put us in the hotel next door (Ada Hotel) which had a huge room. After a pleasant stay at the Ada Hotel we moved back to the Stone Hotel.

Hotel
The room we stayed in was a double on the second floor and had a double bed as well as a double sofa bed which accomodated us and our toddler very well. Breakfast was adequate (just a little limited in range) and was located in a very picturesque cellar. The courtyard was a pleasant place to relax and we later learnt there was a roof top terrace with a sea view but unfortunately it was closed until the summer season. As for the staff, we were really impressed with their warmth and consideration. We had free airport pick-up, they provided hot milk for our toddler at breakfast time (without us even requesting it), they booked private hire cars for our trips which actually worked out to be cheaper than normal taxis and when we moved to another hotel (where we were attending a wedding in Ortokoy), they looked after our luggage so that on our way back we could spend more time in Sultanammet before heading to the airport. In fact our friend who had stayed at the same hotel in Ortokoy commented that he would have preferred staying at the Stone Hotel because of the location and staff attitude.

Facilities
The hotel had free wireless internet access as well as a computer in the lobby for general use.

Local Amenities
The hotel was located in the heart of Sultanammet, about 5 minutes walk from the Blue Mosque, AyaSofia and Grand Bazaar. There were some great places to eat (exit hotel, turn left, take first left and at top of the road, turn left again). On turning left, up the hill there was a mini supermarket and plenty of good restaurants. In particular, we would recommend the restaurant located opposite the mosque. Carrying on up the hill until the end of the road, if you turned left, you'd end up at the Grand Bazaar. There were also a lot of places to eat by the Blue Mosque and AyaSofia (exit hotel, turn left, first left and at top of the road, turn right) but I have to say there were really overpriced.

So to sum up, would we stay there again? Yes definately.

Small boutique hotel in a very convenient location. Rooms are ok- nothing special, but clean and bright. Beautiful courtyard for breakfast if weather is OK, otherwise breakfast room is a little tacky, in a cave like room- interesting and you know that you are in Turkey. Very nice turkish breakfast. Staff were helpful. Beds were quite firm. Make sure you request a double bed if you want one. We were given two singles when we reserved a room for 2. We got an upgrade to a double bed room for same price.
Owner agreed to provide transport for us late at night from hotel, but failed to communicate this to hotel staff. However, it is not necessary to prearrange. There were plenty of taxi's and dolmas to take us to the Hotel even with a late night arrival. They were actually cheaper than what the hotel offered.

my mother and i stayed at this hotel this past april 2008 and we both enjoyed the hotel. the location was perfect. It is within walking distance to the blue mosque, the haghia sophia, topkapi palace, and most of all, the grand bazaar. for those who enjoy shopping (and who doesn't), this would be the hotel for you. the staff was very accommodating, and, because the hotel only has 17 rooms, you can count on the personal attention.

make sure when booking your accommodations, if you're travelling with a non-spouse or non-lover situation, you request for 2 beds. our travel agent here in the u.s. booked my mom & i in a double room, which, in europe, means, 1 double-sized bed, not 2 beds. when we expressed our concern to the front desk agent - selim han, 'mr. front desk' himself - he moved us to another room as soon as it became available.

other than that, our experience at the stone hotel was wonderful, and will definitely recommend this hotel.

louanna
glendale, ca