Sultan Hostel Istanbul

Sultan Hostel Review

When I arrived in Istanbul a few days ago, it was very late at night. My Turkish Airlines flight landed at 10 pm, but it took another hour to get through customs and baggage claim. When I finally came through at 11 pm, there was a lovely young man waiting to meet me to escort me to my taxi which had been arranged by Sultan Hostel Istanbul.

Driving through Istanbul was amazing and my first sighting of the Blue Mosque was all a lit up at night time. I had waited a lifetime to see the Blue Mosque, and what an amazing introduction to Istanbul this was.
When I arrived at Sultan Hostel Istanbul, another lovely young man called Ennis met me to help with my luggage and show me to the reception. Checking in was easy, I just had to be quiet arriving in my dorm room at midnight!

Staying at Sultan Hostel Istanbul

Sultan Hostel is a fantastic place to stay in Istanbul. The atmosphere is laid back and friendly. They have plenty of maps and tours to help you with your sightseeing.

The location is so central that you probably won’t need to book any day tours. You can walk to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia within five minutes. The road that the hostel is located on is full of restaurants and cafes. You will not go hungry in Istanbul!

We have seen quite a few families and mother-daughter duos. Another great thing about Sultan Hostel is that it is child-friendly.

Facilities at Sultan Hostel Istanbul

Sultan Hostel has great facilities and staff.
Facilities include free Wi-Fi, breakfast included, laundry and a computer room with the Internet. There is also a small library if you need something to read.

The breakfast alone is probably worth 10EURO – you get cornflakes, olives, and bread with honey, butter and salad. To drink, there is juice and tea or coffee.
The bar is a great place to chill out at night. Drinks are very reasonably priced. You can get a small bottle of water for 1TL and a small beer for 10TL.

The Restaurant at Sultan Hostel Istanbul

We have had great Turkish food all week, with fantastic service at the Sultan Hostel Restaurant. You have to try the Chicken Sheesh Kebab and the Chefs special pasta (if you like seafood).
I highly recommend the chocolate and banana crepes for dessert!
Expect to pay around 20-30TL for a main such as kebab, salad or pasta.

Tours and Trips around Turkey

If you want to see more of Turkey, book a few nights at Sultan Hostel and then let them help you out with the rest of your trip. It will work out much cheaper than booking a tour through a travel agent in the UK.
Tours that Sultan Hostel can arrange include Gallipoli, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Cappadocia, and Kusadasi. My roommate booked 8 days including Ephasus and Cappadocia for just 350EURO including transport, accommodation and most meals.

Dorm Life at Sultan Hostel

The dorms at Sultan Hostel are kept extremely clean and have lovely private bathrooms for around 10 EURO a night. It’s nice to stay in a hostel with a really good private bathroom, most of the hostels I stay in have shared bathrooms,
If you don’t fancy a dorm, there are also private rooms.

But, as usually seems to be the case, the most amazing thing about Sultan Hostel is, of course, the people. The owner, Onur, has been extremely welcoming (many thanks to him for sponsoring my trip).

And it’s not just a friendly waiter and helpful reception staff. Girls in our dorm were fabulous to get along with. We had a six-bed dorm with an amazing mix of female solo travelers from Australia, Europe, and South America.

My Best Dorm Buddy!

Tatiana, a Psychologist from Columbia became a great friend and we spent many days together exploring the city. Here we are on bikes on Princes Island!

We also spent a great day shopping in the Grand Bazaar Istanbul.
Tatiana even taught me a hilarious Columbian expression – ‘Paquete Chileno’ which means a guy who is hot, but when you talk to him, he’s a complete and utter bore! I don’t properly speak Spanish, and I get the impression that it could be a little rude or racist! You guessed it – she had a bad date. It’s times like this when I am really grateful that I have such a nice boyfriend back at home and don’t have to worry about the dating game!

It will be sad when we have to leave after finding an amazing friendship, but something tells me that our paths are going to cross again – maybe in Columbia! 😉
Thank you to Sultan Hostel Istanbul for such an amazing week!

This is a sponsored post, but as always, opinions are my own.

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