If you are visiting Istanbul as a tourist, then Hotel Black Tulip might be the perfect place to book for your accommodation. Situated in the Golden Horn area, this hotel is minutes away from Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.
Being a central hotel in the heart of Istanbul, space is an issue, so you need to compromise on the room size. Read more below about our experience at this hotel and why you should consider Hotel Black Tulip for your next trip to Istanbul.
Why We Chose Hotel Black Tulip
When we started looking through hotels that fall within our budget, we realised we need to compromise on something to get a well-reviewed hotel, good location and decent breakfast. During our city breaks, we tend to sleep at the hotel, have breakfast and be out and about all day, so a natural compromise was the size of the room.
After careful consideration, we chose hotel Black Tulip for part of our stay, due to the following reasons:
- Excellent location – minutes away from Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia
- Good breakfast offer
- Very good reviews on TripAdvisor
- Fit our budget
- Free cancellation up to 72 hours before the stay
The cheapest price we got was through Agoda, so we booked Hotel Black Tulip. Overall, we had a great experience and would return to the hotel but will definitely get a bigger room next time. To see why, read more about the hotel and our experience below.
We also stood two nights at another hotel near the Grand Bazaar, read more about our stay at Almina Inn Hotel here.
How to Get to Hotel Black Tulip
Hotel Black Tulip is conveniently located in central Istanbul in the Fatih neighbourhood. Just outside the hotel is the stop for T1 tram which takes you to all the tourist attractions in Istanbul. If you rely on public transport, then tram stop “Gülhane istasyonu” is the most convenient option.
One of the unique selling points is its proximity to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Right next to the hotel is the famous Gülhane Park as well as many shops, cafes and restaurants. Great location, you won’t regret it.
We landed at Istanbul Airport (IST) and decided to take a taxi to the hotel as we found the taxi prices rather cheap. The hotel can also arrange an airport transfer and they contacted us in advance to check if we require this. Find out more about how to get around Istanbul here.
Hotel address: Hoca Paşa, Hüdavendigar Cd. No:8, 34110 Fatih/İstanbul, Turkey
Discover Hotel Black Tulip
Check-in Experience
The check-in experience was really nice. We were greeted by the receptionist who provided a great customer service and explained all we needed to know about our stay. The receptionist then handed us over to a colleague who showed us to the room and explained more about the facilities.
Note: the lift is really small, we barely fit in with the hand luggage we had.
The hotel collaborates with different agencies selling tours and tickets to the hotel guests and offering hotel pick-up. We didn’t take advantage of this but it was a nice touch to receive a map of the city as well as leaflets about different tours at the beginning of our stay.
Lobby
The lobby wasn’t huge but the armchairs were comfortable. The lobby area was between reception and the restaurant, so even if you don’t find a space in the lobby, you can sit in the restaurant.
Hotel Room
The hotel offers a variety of rooms including single, double, triple and family rooms and suites. We booked an Economy Double Room but this was clearly a mistake as this room was really small, at least for our standards.
Overall the room was clean and tidy but the interior was a bit dated. Having said this, the bed was really comfortable and perfect for a good night sleep after a long day of sightseeing.
In terms of furniture, we had a double bed and two bedside tables. There was a small dressing table with a mirror and a stool and next to it there was a small single unit wardrobe with hangers. Inside the wardrobe, we had a small fridge and a safe. Opposite the bed, we had a 32′ TV and an air-conditioner.
Disposable slippers were provided by the hotel as well as bottled water and tea and coffee making facilities. We were pleasantly surprised that the water was refilled daily, so every day we got two bottles of water in the room.
Housekeeping ensured the room was cleaned daily with fresh towels provided.
We were glad we only had hand luggage – two small suitcases and a rucksack, as we wouldn’t have been able to fit a large suitcase in the room or at least it wouldn’t have been a comfortable stay with suitcases all over.
Although we were rather disappointed from the room on the first day, we learnt to like it and didn’t mind it that much by the time we left the hotel. Thinking about it now, we will definitely return to this hotel but will get a bigger room next time.
Bathroom
Similarly to the room, we found the bathroom small as well but good enough for what it was. The bathroom was clean and fresh branded towels were provided.
There was shower cabin with a hand-held shower head, toilet and a sink with a mirror. A hair-dryer was also available.
Shower gel, shampoo and hair conditioner were available from the fixed dispensers inside the shower cabin. A shower cap and vanity kit was also provided by the hotel.
Breakfast at Hotel Black Tulip
After the initial disappointment with the room, we were pleasantly surprised by the breakfast and in reality the breakfast looked better than on the photos.
Food was fresh and everything was replenished throughout the breakfast service. No matter if you go at 8am for breakfast or decide to sleep a bit longer and go at 10am, the food at the buffet was full.
On one side, there was the hot section with a choice of four hot items e.g. eggs, sigara boregi, onion rings, potatoes. Then was the cold section with a selection of cheeses, salamis, fresh vegetables and salads.
On the other side there was a selection of breads including simits (this is what we ate every day). Muesli and cereals were offered as standard. There was a selection of fresh fruits, pastries and other delicious sweet treats which we sampled with pleasure.
There was a fresh honeycomb and a great selection of jams and marmalades. Perfect if you have a sweet tooth. I particularly enjoyed the halva and the home-made cake.
The drinks were pretty standard – selection of tea, coffee machine with a selection of coffee options and a machine with water and juice. The coffee from the breakfast machine wasn’t really good though. You could also buy additional drinks from the bar e.g. Turkish coffee, fresh juice, sparkling water and more.
The restaurant wasn’t big but was enough for the size of the hotel. The chairs and sofas were very comfortable and in nice blue and red colours.
Final Thoughts
Overall we enjoyed our stay at the hotel and received a good customer service from the staff at reception and in the restaurant. We would return to this hotel again due to its convenient location and ease to get around Istanbul.
Its central location and proximity to key points of interest coupled with the comfortable bed and good breakfast, makes it a great contender for your next trip.
Click here to check the price of Hotel Black Tulip for your stay.
We made a mistake getting the economy room, so would recommend that you get a bigger room to ensure you are not disappointed with the size.
Ready to book? Below are some recommendations to get your trip started:
- Flights – we use flight aggregators such as Skyscanner and Google flights to find the best options. You can find more information about finding cheap flights here.
- Accommodation – would recommend booking your accommodation through an aggregator such as Booking.com, Trip.com or Agoda to get the best rates. We also use TripAdvisor to read reviews.
- Transport – consider Rentalcars.com for car renting or if you rely on public transport, you can use Omio for trains, coaches, ferries, airport transfers and even flights.
- Activities – a great option is GetYourGuide, Klook or Viator for tours, excursions, experiences and tickets to many tourist attractions.
- Travel money – we have Starling Bank accounts (UK residents only) with 0% fees on FX and a good Mastercard exchange rate. Revolut is another good option.
- Internet abroad – with Airalo or Nomad you can access a wide range of eSIMs (digital SIM cards) available for different countries and regions.
- Luggage storage – if you need to store your bags whilst exploring the destination, you can use Radical Storage to find your closest luggage storage and enjoy your journey until the very end.
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