не так страшно, как пишут в интернете, даже не плохо not as scary as they say on the Internet, not even bad

After reading the reviews online, I was shocked. But the choice was small. Most travel agencies in Minsk (Belarus) offered tours for 6 days to Aspen, Erden or Grand Ons hotels. Reviews for all were, to put it mildly, frightening. We ended up at the Aspen Hotel. A sign hangs at the reception, on which 4 (! ) Stars proudly flaunt (which is clearly overpriced, but by Istanbul standards, a solid three stars can still be given) and the price per day for a 2-bed room is 200 (! ) Euros. That is, if people come themselves and ask for a number, they will demand unrealistic money from them. Our tour cost $500 per person for 6 days including airfare (it cost $360). It turns out, taking into account deductions for the meeting party, somewhere around 50-60 dollars per day for a double room. Now about impressions. At the reception, they hardly speak Russian (they know a few common phrases) and even less in English. Therefore, if you need to find out information (how to get there, or book a tour), you will have to speak Russian-English and use gestures. But that's the only downside to the service. The Turks are friendly, they helped to drag things onto the bus during check-out, they are kind. There were no problems with this. We got room 603 on the 6th floor. Clean, plasma TV on the wall (there is 1 Russian-language ORT channel), two single beds, recently renovated, the toilet room is also renovated (bath with shower, washbasin and toilet bowl). Although to be honest, after taking a shower, even with the doors closed, the water flowed a little near the toilet. But we didn’t really care, because they cleaned every day. The windows of the room overlooked the wall of a neighboring building (3-4 meters). At first I didn’t like it, but then I realized that due to the peculiarities of urban architecture, all hotels have such a problem; only rooms facing the street could have any view. The location of the window facing the wall is the most important plus! This is silence, no sounds from a noisy street (and the hotel is located in the Laleli District - an area of ​ ​ u200bu200bshops, boutiques, markets and just street vendors) did not reach. A little noisy air conditioning, I even turned it off at night for the first few days to fall asleep, but then I didn’t do that either. Towels were changed regularly every day, shampoos and soap, if there were no full bottles near the washbasin, they also left regularly. The only thing is that the bed linen was not changed, but we were only 5 nights and we didn’t really care. I think that if they had asked, they would have changed. By the way, the maid knows Russian quite well. In the nightstand under the dressing table on the day of departure, they found a small refrigerator! But judging by the inscriptions in the elevator, for bringing food into the room a fine of $ 200. We somehow brought from McDonald's, but after ourselves everything was carefully cleaned up and even the garbage was taken out the next morning into a trash can 20 meters from the hotel! (I didn’t want to risk $ 200, because all the time we were in Istanbul, our passports were at the reception; they were taken at the time of check-in and given away only upon check-out, when we went downstairs with things. Apparently, they were kept in a safe. I must say right away that this was also a plus, I was not afraid that I would lose an important document, without which the return to my homeland could be delayed, and no one ever asked for documents on the streets - and no wonder! About 3 million tourists visit Istanbul every day! And this is with a population of 15 million! ) Now about breakfast. After reading the reviews, I thought I would have to eat breakfast elsewhere. . They say it's not tasty, monotonous, lentil soup is tired! But everything turned out not so scary. 2 types of sausage, fried potatoes, hot sausages, vegetables and herbs, dates, cookies, several types of cheese and cottage cheese, olives, etc. There was also a lot of jam. Coffee, tea, delicious juices that cost 1 lira (half a dollar) for 300 ml on the street. ! We ate almost the entire day. Only breakfast from 7 to 10 am. We came to 7.20-7.30 and were the first, just enough. We usually had breakfast in an open area (the restaurant is located on the roof of the hotel) overlooking the Sea of ​ ​ Marmara. Maybe breakfast was monotonous, but I didn’t get bored in 5 days! It was hearty and tasty. There was no food poisoning that I was so afraid of. We went to Istanbul not to wallow in the hotel, but to see the city and all the sights, so we went to breakfast at 7.30, and left the hotel around 9 in the morning. They returned after 21.00. Therefore, they simply did not notice all the minor minuses. In the hall on the ground floor, a large parrot lives in a cage, which can....meow! In general, the impression of the hotel is good. yes it is well located. Walk 200 meters to the tram stop - and there - 3-4 stops and we are in the center (near St. Sophia Cathedral). I wrote in such detail that people were not afraid to go to this hotel. It has clearly gone through a recent renovation and is also quite affordable. I will gladly stay there again when I return to Istanbul again in a year or two. Because the city is magical! During our stay, we visited 16 mosques, St. Anthony's Church, a Greek church, St. Sophia Cathedral, the Museum of the Ancient East, an archaeological museum, a naval one, a cistern. There were also Topkapi Palace and Dolmabahce, a ferry trip to Eyup (a magical place, I advise everyone! ), Visited the Egyptian market, the Grand Bazaar, just walked along the winding streets, were on the Asian side of Istanbul. Do not count everything! Have a nice trip to Istanbul and enjoy your stay at Aspen Hotel