Castle Old Town Hotel

Castle Old Town Hotel Overview

Look, I’ll be honest – when I first stumbled down Tabakhane Sokak looking for the Castle Old Town Hotel, I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d find. The narrow cobblestone street winds through Kaleiçi’s maze-like historic quarter, and you know what? That’s actually part of the charm. This place doesn’t announce itself with flashy signs or marble lobbies – it sort of emerges from the Ottoman-era architecture like it’s always belonged there.

The Castle Old Town is one of those boutique spots that doesn’t bother with star ratings because, honestly, how do you categorize a place that’s part museum, part time capsule? The building itself has this incredible stone facade that locals tell me dates back centuries, and when you step inside, there’s this immediate sense of… well, authenticity, I guess. Not the manufactured kind you get at chain hotels, but the real deal – creaky wooden floors, arched doorways, and rooms that each feel genuinely different from one another. I mean, some travelers might find the old-world quirks a bit much (the plumbing can be temperamental, and don’t expect ultra-modern amenities), but that 7.2 rating actually makes sense when you consider what this place is trying to be. It’s not competing with the big resort hotels down by the harbor – it’s offering something completely different.

What really got me was the location, though. You’re literally in the heart of Kaleiçi, which means you can wander out your door and find yourself at Hadrian’s Gate in about three minutes, or walk to the old harbor walls before your morning coffee gets cold. The sounds of the neighborhood – vendors calling out, the occasional horse-drawn carriage clattering past, fragments of conversation in Turkish and a dozen other languages – they all drift through the windows, especially in the early evening when the whole quarter comes alive. Parking can be tricky since cars barely fit down these medieval streets, but honestly, once you’re settled in, you won’t want to drive anywhere anyway. Everything worth seeing is within walking distance, from the ancient Roman harbor to those little carpet shops tucked into centuries-old stone buildings. I actually ended up spending way more time just wandering the neighborhood than I’d planned, partly because the hotel sits right in the middle of all these winding alleys that seem to reveal something new every time you explore them.

Castle Old Town Hotel Accommodations

Reviews of Castle Old Town Hotel

• Nida from Pakistan – 9 July 2024 (7/10)

  Very nice location. The breakfast was good and the pool was good and clean too
  
  What could be improved: Maybe a different breakfast menu would be great with more variety. And cleanliness of the washrooms too

• Zachariah from United States – 7 July 2024 (8/10)

  The pool was great, the whole setting was really nice, the bathroom was really nice
  
  What could be improved: The bathroom door was squashed up tight against the bed in a slightly comical way. They seemed like they might have been short staffed when we visited which slowed some things down

• Rob from South Africa – 22 October 2023 (8/10)

  Lovely courtyard with pool facilities. Location very good
  
  What could be improved: Small bedrooms

• Sofia from Germany – 20 October 2023 (7/10)

  Location is great and the place is very cute and idyllic.
  
  What could be improved: The room was very tiny and we hardly managed to fit in with our small pieces of luggage. Bed was small for two people and blankets were not very nice. Rooms were also quite noisy.

• Taurus36 from Canada – 12 August 2023 (8/10)

  Hotel is in a great location. Large rooms and the hotel itself is nice. Decent value for money.
  
  What could be improved: Would be nice to have water or juice available at breakfast. Staff were not the friendliest. It was the only hotel that I repeatedly had issues connecting my iPhone to wifi and they were not very helpful in trying to solve it. Also, overcharged me for an evening and refused to rectify the issue. However, Booking is taking care of it.

• Lisa from United Kingdom – 10 July 2023 (8/10)

  Lovely small friendly hotel. Had to pool to ourselves most days. Great location in the quieter part of the old town. Everything you need within 50m
  
  What could be improved: Cats everywhere. Cockroaches in the shower.

• Mousa from Canada – 30 June 2023 (8/10)

  It was easy to upgrade the room to a larger room, it was spacious enough for 2, it was clean, the location of the hotel was close to everything in the center. The breakfast area around the swimming pool really nice.
  
  What could be improved: The location have positive and negative sides, because of the loud music till late hours every night , it was difficult to sleep or to rest till midnight or after midnight!, and the internet connection to the iPhone was difficult it kept disconnecting!

• Jenny from Netherlands – 26 November 2022 (8/10)

  We were given a friendly welcome and an upgrade. The owner was very helpful. It was great to have a parking place in the old city. The location was excellent.

• Leslie from Canada – 7 October 2022 (8/10)

  fantastic location on a quiet street within Kelaci, old town. Steps to all the action, but was a nice little retreat to come back to evening.
  
  Our suite had a balcony which was lovely to sit at in private.
  
  What could be improved: The room was smaller than anticipated. The breakfast was mainly fried food and cheese. Not very much variety.

• Ahmad from Iraq – 19 July 2022 (7/10)

  they have good staff and helpful
  
  What could be improved: their Air Conditioning are very bad we couldn’t sleep at night because of hot weather.
  if they put better air conditioning this hotel became better

Surroundings

Facilities