Grand Hilarium Hotel

Never trust the photos they have online, you are not getting what’s on the photos, everything in the room smells like cigarette smoke, there is a teapot in the room but no cups, I asked for cups and water they said; you khav to fay exestra. And the worse thing is that the room have some sort of bugs it bites me really badly my legs and shoulders are very itchy the now I spend 2 nights there. Do not trust

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Where to start, it’s a long story. International city and staff doesn’t speak English at all, I mean even receptionist doesn’t understand simple words. Street vendors have better English than them, at 20 Degrees they have turned heating on. Rooms are boiling hot 🥵. Can not even breathe in room rather than sleep. Room condition is worse, breakfast terrible choices. No body understands a single word you saying. Worse Place to stay in such a beautiful city.

This is the worst hotel you can stay in. Staff were rude and totally unfriendly, the breakfast is non-existent, one day there were no plates and cups and the waiters just shrugged their shoulders, the indoor pool was freezing, the staff in the pool area complained of children making noise as there were massages taking place in other rooms, whilst the staff were laughing and on the phones talking loudly. there was smoke permeating through the rooms, the baclony, as advertised didn't exist. the disabled chair at the entrance was not working so we had to carry our disabled daughter up and down the stairs, the lifts were not level with the main floors when getting in/out, the bathrooms were mouldy, the rooms were very dark, stay away from this s*~t hotel.

Nothing at this hotel is fine. The price may seem attractive but even for that price deserves something more decent. To begin with the most important thing, hygiene is as good as non existent, which is shocking for Istanbul. Rust in the bathroom and mold in the shower me cabin, dust and stains everywhere, and the cleaning lady didn’t even bother to turn the sheets upside down. We had a kettle that had never been cleaned, asked reception to replace it, and the service lady knocked and bumped into the room without waiting for me to answer. No wonder she did - the door could not be closed properly!!! Breakfast was not better. Poor choice, terrible quality ingredients (this is probably the only place in Istanbul where food tastes like… well.. nothing!), everything boiled to save oil and spices. They didn’t even have milk and didn’t bring any, regardless of how many times we asked for it. Orange juice was not available, bread choice was baguette or simit, and when we wanted scrambled eggs, they asked us to pay for them. No description or names of dishes available, no allergens information so whatever. In this hotel, nobody speaks English or any language other than Turkish. They will say they do, and they seem to understand what you say but can’t answer. Spent my breakfasts typing on Google translate to understand what I am eating. If you want a tip or you need something-better find a way to show it instead. Last but not least, don’t get fooled by their ‚wellness area‘. Any time I wanted to go they told me it was closed , no explanation at all. For all I know it may not even exist. The only good thing is location. You are very close to Kapali (15m) and main sightseeing destinations (30m) to Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque and Taksim. Choice is yours, but for me they are no longer on Istanbul map.

Presented as a 4 star hotel my husband and I have choosen it for our 4 night stay in Ocober ( for my birthday). Even thouhg we did not spend much time in the room I just could not leave it without comment. It is not 4 star hotel , more likely 2 star. Everything is outdated. Location is more or less ok but too noisy. Breakfast was very poor, limited choice. Definately an advice not to book this hotel.