Galata Port House

Recent Reviews: 4

• User:marvin122

  Trip type: Couples

  Excellent Rooms; Excellent Location

  19 Sept 2015

  We have stayed here twice, and we expect to stay here again when we return to Istanbul.These are literally the nicest budget class rooms I have stayed in. The rooms are new. The furniture is lovely and new. The light fixtures, blinds, and bathroom fixtures are very modern. The mattresses are new and comfortable. There's a table to work at and an inner courtyard to hang laundered clothes. The TV received Turkish channels without fuss, and the wireless was just fine. Our room was cleaned and made up every day. I found the decor -- uncluttered -- nice and calm. The AC worked well. There were two sets of blinds on the windows -- an attractive set and a more opaque one.Galata Port House is in Karakoy, a stylish, hipper part of Istanbul. The Port House is in the middle of where you want to be. Unlike Old Town, there are many European-style coffee shops and no tourist shops. There are plenty of restaurants -- a few very nice ones, some traditional, and some hole-in-the wall. One can have a pate or the omnipresent fish sandwich or a kebap without walking more than a couple blocks. There are also many restaurants on the harbor (many of these have seating upstairs with great views) and Galata Bridge.It is an easy walk to the waterfront, Galata Bridge, and to the tram which runs to the Old City. It's a short and colorful walk across Galata Bridge to the Spice Bazaar and New Mosque. It's also an easy walk to the Istanbul Modern. The public ferry to Asia is a few blocks away; the Prince's Islands public ferry is about a 15 minute walk; the public Bosphorus tours are just across Galata Bridge. There is a Sok grocery market a half block away and an Carrefour Mini (which carries inexpensive wine and beer) on the next street.Here's the caution: This is a family run place. (A quite nice family!) It is not run like a hotel. It consists of rooms and a whitewashed courtyard (with a nice Kien artwork on one wall.) There's no dining room; there's not a breakfast buffet. If you indicate you are ready for breakfast, a lovely Turkish breakfast will turn up in your room. There are electric kettles available, and bottled water is available for purchase (1 lire). English is not a strong point, though everyone tries very hard to make guests happy. We resorted to Google Translate only once.Google Maps helped us find Galata Port the first time. There's a small sign above the door. The green awning and outside tables of istikamet restaurant are right across the street.

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