Believe it or not, I spent a little more than three months searching for a perfect place to stay in Istanbul. First of all, let me define what's perfect for me because my perfect may not be perfect for you. Heheh!
I wanted to stay in a hotel located near the sights and sounds of the Old City. But, a good night's sleep is essential, so it should be far away from the noisy streets. It should be reasonably priced, yet decent and pleasant. The one which offers little luxuries at less than 250 UAE Dirhams per night. You know, a carpeted room, cozy bed, private bathroom, breakfast buffet, and a roof deck where I can see the Blue Mosque!
Sounds impossible? I thought so too. But one fine night, I stumbled across a boutique hotel which made me finally hit the BOOK button.
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| Home in Old City Sultanahmet, Istanbul |
The "Perfect" Location and Service
Nowy Efendi Hotel, located in the heart of the Old City Sultanahmet, is my ideal choice. Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are only 400m away. Sultanahmet train station of the T1 line which runs along the city's major attractions is merely a few minutes walk. It is basically where the action is, but tucked away from the main street, secluded from all the noise of the vibrant city life.
We received warm hospitality upon checking-in until we checked-out. Everyday at the breakfast terrace, a staff would ask us how the previous day went and what are our plans for the day. Simple questions that definitely brought smiles to our faces!
The "Perfect" Room
We booked Nowy Efendi Hotel's Budget Double Room and spent less than 900 AED for four nights! Quite a steal! The room is located in the basement. No windows, but we never felt there's none because the room is too comfy for us to look for natural sunshine.
It is exquisitely designed. It has a quaint nook with stylish chairs and coffee table, with of course a coffee/tea making facility. The bed is ultra-cozy with an added bonus of pillow options. Orthopedic pillow, Aloe Vera pillow, and all the likes are offered free of charge! The private bathroom is clean, spacious, and complete with nicely wrapped toiletries.
We received warm hospitality upon checking-in until we checked-out. Everyday at the breakfast terrace, a staff would ask us how the previous day went and what are our plans for the day. Simple questions that definitely brought smiles to our faces!
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| T1 Line to Sultanahmet Station |
The "Perfect" Room
We booked Nowy Efendi Hotel's Budget Double Room and spent less than 900 AED for four nights! Quite a steal! The room is located in the basement. No windows, but we never felt there's none because the room is too comfy for us to look for natural sunshine.
It is exquisitely designed. It has a quaint nook with stylish chairs and coffee table, with of course a coffee/tea making facility. The bed is ultra-cozy with an added bonus of pillow options. Orthopedic pillow, Aloe Vera pillow, and all the likes are offered free of charge! The private bathroom is clean, spacious, and complete with nicely wrapped toiletries.
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| Budget Double Room in Nowy Efendi Hotel's basement |
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| large double bed for a good night's sleep |
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| luxury and comfort in a budget-friendly boutique hotel |
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| nicely wrapped toiletries in our private bath |
Daily breakfast buffet is served at the top-most floor of the hotel. For four consecutive days, I started my morning with the same good ol' breakfast right at the third table beside the glass window of the terrace. That spot has the perfect view of Hagia Sophia!
The buffet spread is complete with Turkish and Continental breakfast choices. Tasty, but almost the same every day to the point that Ed wanted nothing but fruits on our last day. Umay na umay na! Hahah! As for me, I could still have simit, sausage and eggs, and fresh honey from the honeycomb if we stayed for another day or two.
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| perfect view for breakfast |
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| Ed digging in the yummy breakfast on our first day. |
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| my breakfast plate |
The Almost "Perfect" Roof Deck
The best thing about our stay in Nowy Efendi Hotel is that we don't need to go too far to see Istanbul's famous attractions. All we have to do is to take the steep red ladder from the breakfast terrace to the roof deck where an ahhh-mazing panoramic view of the Old City awaits.
From there, we saw the Bosphorus strait dividing the European and the Asian side of Istanbul, the beauty of Hagia Sophia, and the magnificence of the upper half Blue Mosque. We can only see the minarets and domes of the historic mosque... almost perfect, but it was nothing short of spectacular!
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| the beautiful Hagia Sophia from Nowy Efendi Hotel's roof deck |
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| domes and minarets of the majestic Blue Mosque |
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| I thank God for ahhh-mazing mornings like this! |
How to get to Nowy Efendi Hotel from Sabiha Gokcen Airport?
* Take the Havatas Bus to Taksim* From Taksim Station, take the Funicular to Kabatas
* From Kabatas, take the tram to Sultanahmet
* At Sultanahmet Tram Stop, take the left exit and continue straight on. Turn right before Cozy Pub and Restaurant. Go straight to the end of the narrow street lined with restaurants. Turn right and in 5 meters, turn left. Nowy Efendi is down the street, on the left. Confused? Simply ask a wait staff in one of the restaurants. :)
Want to go? Read about my Turkish Visa application in the UAE.
More Turkey Travel Tales here:
#SweetEscapesInTurkey: Cappadocia
#SweetEscapesInTurkey: Pamukkale
#SweetEscapesInTurkey: Selcuk
#SweetEscapesInTurkey: Cappadocia
#SweetEscapesInTurkey: Pamukkale
#SweetEscapesInTurkey: Selcuk
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