Lovely stay, however on the first night they didn't find our booking and they made us stay in the hotel next to them. Accomodating for sure, but please do not book through expedia as i don't think they read the bookings..

Good location, good breakfast, very helpful service.

The staff were very nice and helpful and the location is easy walking distance to many top attractions.

Other than its perfect location, this hotel has the friendliest staff in Istanbul. I loved the terrace, as well.

It’s fair experience i would come back again Close to everything

Decent enough hotel

The major advantage of this hotel is the location, with the main attractions of Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar all being within walking distance from the hotel. The Gülhane tram station is also just a minute walk from the hotel. Another plus is the staff who are kind and friendly. A special mention for the receptionist Mevlut who was extremely helpful and generous with his time in sharing tips for how to navigate the city and also explaining to me and my wife the various options available in terms of sightseeing. On the down side, the breakfast is very basic and bland and the TV in our room was not working. Overall though, the hotel was more than adequate and provided for our main needs bearing in mind the relatively reasonable price paid.

Nice hotel close Sultanahmet mosque

Hotel is a little small but the stuff I helpful and the location is great. 10 min walk to Sultanahmet mosque and Bule mosque. Close to shopping bazaar. Great place for the price they are offering

Rocking Raymond

Amazing hotel with amazing staff, always ready to help or assist in any way needed

Very good, as usual

A very nice hotel for the price. I have no complaints at all. Good room. Good breakfast. Friendly and helpful staff.

Excellent hotel goo location

Excellent hotel excellent manager very good location very good staff advice everyone to stay on it

pleasant hotel in an excellent location

We booked a superior room and were given one on the first floor overlooking busy road, so we asked for a quieter one and were offered a dark hole of a room that had posters of Istanbul sights instead of proper windows. The manager in charge of reservations told us that you can only choose between two rooms, although the hotel was far from fully booked. After some negotiations he agreed to give us the room that was acceptable. I was in Istanbul several times and that kind of behavior in hotels is quite unusual. The hotel is recently renovated, it is quite clean, with wooden floor in the rooms. Breakfast is tasty but it consists mainly of vegetable dishes, pastries could be better and more varied. The hotel is in excellent location, and is quite good value for money. My advice is to book only superior rooms in this hotel and avoid the budget ones.

Great stay. Good location, clean.

The good: Friendly frontdesk. Free early check-in when available. Good and stable WiFi. Clean room and bathroom. Slippers and toiletries provided. Very good location. Near to all major attractions and many public transport possibilities. Ferry, tram, metro and busses are all <300m away. Good bed and pillows. Good curtains. Very dark in the room. Breakfast included. Complimentary two bottles of water. Good value. (early Dec 2015) The bad: Breakfast wasn't worth waking up for. The quilt was too small for a queen bed. The fridge didn't work well. Luckily there was a window ledge and it was cold outside. Not a great view - some 20 AC units. Mysterious unfriendly lady using a laptop at the desk at the bar area. Is she the owner? Not for people with large luggage. Come to Istanbul with bags only. Would stay again!

Raymond Hotel

The room was lovely but very small. It had a small fridge /safe /TV -but no place to put suitcases except on the floor where they were always in the way. Breakfast was not my favourite but there was enough of a selection that you could put something together.The staff were excellent. We arrived at 7 in the morning. We were told that a room was available and that breakfast was on the house as soon as we were settled.

Nice hotel, great location. Close to the old town and Sirkeci train station.

location

this is my 4th visit to istanbul I chose Raymond because of its lovely location rooms are clean staff are helpful elevator is very very small

The rooms are very small and no place for the clothes. But very clean, close to the Historical places.

Stay in old istanbul

Close to all the sites Small but clean. Staff very helpful. Includes Restaurant below with complimentary breakfast

Nice hotel in center of tourist attractions

The staff welcomed me even though I was early for check-in. They assisted me in getting an afternoon tour and immediately helped store my luggage. Throughout the stay the staff helped in arranging tours and also a return shuttle to airport. The room was small but very clean. WiFi was available for free in the room. Breakfast was very good and served in a pleasing atmosphere.

Very well located, clean and friendly

Very friendly and helpful staff. Room was impeccably clean. Food at breakfast buffet was great - although a little cold if you did not get there as the buffet opened. Beautiful, modern room. Lovely, busy area. Within walking distance of just about everything - Basilica Cistern, Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Bosporus, Archaeological museum, tourist shops, fast food, local food, little markets and more. Overall very well located, very friendly and pleasant stay. The only negative is the overpriced airport shuttle. I was charged 120Euro for a return trip to the Sabiha Gokcen airport, when in the hotel at the concierge desk there is an advert for a shuttle to the same airport for 12Euro one way, so perhaps advantage taken of first-time inquiring tourists?

First visit to Istanbul, and not the last.

Excellent value for money,staff very friendly and attentive and the breakfast was well above expectations. The location we found was very central and within walking distance to all the major sightseeing attractions. We would recommend this hotel to anyone.

Value for money at a convenient place

The hotel is located near all the major tourist attractions and provides value for money. The rooms are clean but small and the ceilings are very low. The shower and toilet are very neat and reliable. The beds sleep very comfortable and the rooms are very warm. ( During my stay it was snowing and below zero ). Breakfast is average.

good hotel

It's a good hotel, clean and convenience. The only problem is that it was difficult to find it at first since the hotel doesn't look like the picture, and the sign is very small. We passed it 3 times and couldn't find it.

OK Hotel

Staff is nice even though they barely speak English. A little overbearring and inappropriate at times, but overall an OK stay.

Good location

Good location, nice and clean room, hotel is in quiet street,

Nice hotel close to many points of interest.

Clean room Friendly and helpful staff Location closes to many points of interest $8 dollar shuttle to IST airport Cheap rate

Ask for an upper floor room.

Great staff, but rooms near the lobby are much to noisy. We could hear everyone passing by as well as the TV in the room next door.

The Raymond Hotel is in walking distance of most of the Istanbul attractions and close to public transport as well. The room was clean and in good condition although a little on the small side. First time i have used the mini bar in a hotel as the prices we actually the same as getting from the local supermarkets. The service of the staff was great and could not fault them. Only negative was the noise that comes from other guests heading to the roof for the view.

Good location

Hotel location is very convenient . Helpful staff. Rooms much older than photos on their website!!! Slightly dated. Clean bathroom. A little bit noisy, thin walls. Generally good value for money.

Friendly boutique hotel in fantastic location

Staff were genuinely friendly, welcoming, helpful and not pushy. Hotel is a beautiful little boutique hotel in the perfect location in the Old City within 5-10 mins walking to all the major tourist sites including the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia Church, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and the ferry docks. Room was slightly on the small size, but immaculately clean and tastefully decorated. Free wifi. Buffet breakfasts (included in the price) were superb, and served til 10.30am so no morning rush. Check in and check out hours were generous. I can hardly fault this hotel and very highly recommend it.

Great location

We stayed for about a week and we enjoyed ourselves. After a long flight, we were very tired and when we arrived our check-in was fast and our room was very clean. The front staff were very polite (Ehmet, guest relations, kitchen staff, and more). We were expecting our room to be small (based on other reviews) and it was small. Other than that, the breakfast was great (not much fruit), nonetheless, everything else was great. Will stay here again in the future and will recommend this hotel to others.

great!

Exceent service. very hellpful.. close to tram station and accesible to tourist points

affordable, clean and friendly, helpful staff

This was a pleasant surprise. Facilities were clean and of a high standard. Staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is located very close to the Tramway (Gulhani station) , walking distance from the Blue Mosque and in an area where there are great, cheap eating places. The hotel also has a very reasonably priced airport shuttle service which is convenient if you have an early flight. Overall a great experience.

Good location

Small hotel ideally situated close to main tourist spots. The room was small but quite adequate and the bathroom was good. Some of the bedrooms may not have a window! Very good breakfast.

Definitely not a 4 star hotel and nor a boutique

I do not know in which rating category they are 4 star. It is rather a 2 star motel even for Turkey standards. Small rooms with very low ceilings, no place to put luggage. Shower that is not working. Except that the staff was very friendly the hotel was VERY disappointing.

Great hotel but crap room

The room was a little on the small side but had all the facilities. The worst thing was the only window looked out onto four large fans and a brick wall. We had to close the window at night because of the noise but it then made the room very hot.

Great hotel in Sultanahmet Istanbul

Perfect location, nicely equipped room,modern bath and very helpful staff. Would definately return to this property.

close to all must-see sights

We enjoy our stay at raymond hotel.We celebrate my wife birthday and 10 years of marriage.The personal was great and on my wife birthday,in the evening,when we come back from town,we found a birthday greating and a box of turkish delight.The room wasn't big,but it was confortable.The personal cleaning the room every day.The location of the hotel was great:2 minutes from Topkapi and 5 minutes of Blue Moschee.

Good location, small room, helpful staff

Positives: good location close to Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, Blue Mosque, good restaurants in the neighborhood, 100m to the tram stop; good view from a top floor room, good sized and clean bathrooms, recently renovated, helpful staff, good housekeeping, robes on request. Negatives: sound proofing could be better, initially was given a room on 1xx level facing the wall, literally no daylight and could hear noise from the lobby level, but was moved to a much nicer room on the top floor next day. Heavy construction at the hotel next door, drilling starts at around 9am every morning, but should be complete by summer. Advise: ask for a room at a higher, preferably top floor. If something does not satisfy you, talk to the staff, they are very helpful.

In the centre of old city

Very good locatio but very poor hotel. The room was small and in a bad condition. The tv didn't work, one of the plugs smashed and I don't want to remember the bathroom. I will not go there again...

Good location

A hotel with a extremely good location with very polite staff, however the rooms were small.

The hotel has a very good location, a very short walk from the tram that will take you to the other side of the bridges (Taksim area). Also, a short walk from the Spice Bazzar, Mosques, nice restaurants, etc. The room was nice but very small, smaller than what we saw in the pictures. It was filled with dust everywhere. In the bathroom, my husband opened the toilet, which had the "has been sanitised" paper lock and guess what...It was dirty..the worst kind of it! It was very disgusting. The shower gel dispenser was broke and the cover for the toilet flush button fell down numerous times. The whole bathroom had a lot of ugly fixes that in my opinion, a 4 star hotel shouldn't have. The breakfast was very diverse, the only problem we had was that my husband is lactose intolerant and everything had milk.. For me, the hotel should be 3.5 stars, which is still good! But with 4 stars, I was expecting a little bit more greatness on their behalf.

Good location just 2 minutes from Gulhane Park tram stop and 10 minutes to the major sites.

Raymond Hotel, Sirkeci, Istanbul

Our first trip to Istanbul and it turned out to be a very enjoyable trip in large part due to our stay. The staff were friendly and courteous and I need to make special mention of the folks at the Reception desk, Murat Katran & Erdal Giftci the Room Service staff - Can Kilincer & Gapan Deniz. The breakfast provided is excellent. Maybe one day when they do expand it the rooms will be bigger and more spacious.

Small hotel, great location, good value

Uneventful, but pleasant. The restaurant serves great dinners.

Good location but small rooms

Rooms are very small, otherwise ok.

On of the best

Excellent location,Great Staff, Good breakfast and tiny room

Great location for exploring Istanbul.

The hotel is super conveniently located for exploring the major historic sites of Istanbul. The place was affordable and clean albeit small. The rooftop patio was a great place to relax at the end of a long day of exploring and the breakfast which was included was quite complete and was a good start to the day.

Close to all the attractions

The hotel staff was very friendly. The room was small. The hotel restaurant was great but a little pricey.

Jewel of a hotel

Wonderful staff, hotel is within walking distance to most sights, tram station close by, hotel restaurant has very tasty food. Double glazing on windows keep street noises out, room 206 is the best room-overlooking the street so great for people watching and quiet when balcony doors closed. Very clean room, service excellent, small, modern elevator, great gift store across the street. Front desk staff speak very good English. Would definitely stay here again and recommend it to all our friends.

the best

The hotel is in good location near by all interesting places as mosque, transportation to asian or europian parts of Istanbul. Staff was very helpfull, the breakfast was super and the wether condition was super to.

Very close ot Tram and spots

It was good. very friendly staff!

Convenient location...

I spent 2 nights at this hotel. Overall, it was good, but can still improve in many areas. Front desk people are very helpful. I booked a single standard room. It was different from the picture advertised as I got a room without balcony. The toilet brush needs to be changed on a regular basis. The room was small as compared to the picture advertised. The TV and air con were not working. I recommend that each room is inspected before check-in. Apart from that, the room was clean. Face wash could be provided in the room. Convenient location, many shops and restaurants around. It is within walking distance to many places of interests. The hotel has its own restaurant. Food was okay but could improve. Restaurant staff courteous and helpful. The inconvenience was that my friend staying in another nearby hotel, was not allowed to visit me in the room. Overall, it was good. I appreciated that I was allowed to check in at around 12.45 pm without extra charge.

Solid 3 star Hotel in Old town Istanbul

Solid 3 star Hotel in Old town Istanbul. Nice location

Excellent location in the old city, staff was extremely friendly and helpful, room was small but neat and clean, breakfast was o.k. Very much recommended all in all.

Must see Istanbul in 2 days

Excellent hotel location and service.

Great location.

Staff was more than helpful, no complaints whatsoever!

A good choice

The room is very clean, location near perfect. Staff are great and helpful. Although the room is relatively small, I think it's ok since it is located in the city center. For this price, it is a very good deal.

Excellent value

Great value for what you pay! Amazing location, close to all the major sites and the tram. The rooms are very clean and wifi is available for free in the rooms. The breakfast was also good!

Great location, very nice and clean room, superb value

Nice hotel, but small room

We spent four nights at this very convenient located hotel. Friendly reception and quiet hotel. The roof terrace is very nice with a great view. Due to location we spent a lot of time in the bazaar and Hagia Sofia/Blue Mosque - so size of room was not a big problem. But it was small with barely no room for luggage.

Location is excellent

The location couldn't be much better for tourists. Lots of solid restaurants (nothing you'll rave about) nearby, easy walk to pier and all the attractions in the old city. Very close to Tram so you can take subway-tram to/ from airport. My room was very small and the shower stall was too cramped that you couldn't move around without bumping into something. Breakfast was weak, but enough to get you by. The internal A/C smelled like urine when you had it blasting. It's not as bad as it sounds if you don't need it if weather cooperates and you're not there too often.

Location

This hotel was great on service and the location is ideal. We enjoyed the breakfasts and thought the hotel presented nicely. The only major downside is the lack of space one feels. From the tiny lifts and narrow staircase, to the cramped rooms. If your like us, however and spend most of your time checking out the many sights the city has to offer, then this well positioned hotel will suit.

Exactly what you need.

Small room but honestly, all you need to visit Istanbul. Perfect location - everything is within walking distance. Hotel has shuttles to the airport available and a ton of restaurants nearby. Solid Wifi connection and super friendly front desk. Breakfast is solid. You wont even be spending much time at the hotel because there is too much to see.

Goog choice

This was a good choice. Right in the red light district but just far away so there wasn't noise from the street like other places. Very friendly staff who were helpful. Room small, but for 1 or 2 nights what the hey. I'd stay there again.

A great boutique hotel, smack downtown

I chose this hotel for its proximity to all the historical places in Istanbul, Most within a walking distance. A 3 minute walk would take you to the tram station, providing easy access to everywhere in the city. Raymond Hotel has wonderful staff. They are extremely polite & hospitable. Although the rooms are very small, they are recently renovated and extremely clean. your bed sheets are changed on a daily basis, without asking!! Don't forget to tip the maids generously upon your departure. The included breakfast carried more variety than any four star hotel in the States, but skip the dinner in the restaurant. Although, the menu is the same in every Turkish restaurant, preparation makes the difference. I recommend this hotel to everyone with a limited budget.

Best location

Free WiFi was a great extra. Pleasant, friendly and helpful staff. We will return and also recommend it to friends.

HOTEL WAS TRİBLE

Cute, cozy and very Friendly hotel

Me and friend stayed at the Raymond Hotel for about 5 days and we were very pleased by the service and staff at this hotel. The rooms are a little small but cozy, however its location is amazing!!!!! Very close to the Grand Bazar (15mins walk), spice Bazar & Aya Sophia (6-7 mins walk), the Tram is just at the end of the street (2mins walk), Topkapi palace is also just at the end of the street! We really did enjoy our stay and next time we will definitely go back.

Cozy and friendly

We had a delightful stay. The Raymond staff were just downright hospitable and gave clear directions and pointers to the best attractions. The rooms were small but always clean and the food terrific. When we left I felt we were saying good by to friends that we will see again. We will return.

Good Value

Rooms in the front can be a little noise from street noises even with double glass windows, but its a city so if you are from one you will be fine in any room. Very fast service for anything you need. Puts the chains to shame on how fast.

Great stay except for the very expensive laundry charges!

Great relation value price

Very nice Hotel with very good location.

small, cute, cheap, elegant

Parking 25TL per day Very cheap mini bar Great location No wifi in room

great location for everything

the hotel location was great and easy to find. it was clean but the room was very small, but we expected this as it was mentioned in other reviews. The staff were friendly and very helpful.

Find Better for Similar Price

Overrated hotel and not fantastic by any means. Noisy room on the ground floor next to the lift. Avoid at all costs. Weak wifi in areas of the hotel. Shop around for better deals.

other than the small room, it was a wonderful place to stay. The morning food was "the best" Absolutely yummy. Turkish in origin

Great little hotel right in the heart of the city

Nice little hotel with very friendly staff.Rooms are small and some look out onto a stairwell,but are clean with good shower rooms and unending hot water! There are dozens of restaurants nearby including the Pasazade just next door--not to be missed--fantastic food and service for an unbelievable low price.The hotels roof terrace was lovely ,tables and chairs in one portion and a lovely swinging couch in the other.All the best sights are nearby in walking distance--plus a tram stop if you want to venture further afield.

The Hotel Raymond in Istanbul

A very nice hotel in a good location. Bedrooms are small but then you don't stay in your room all day. All very nice and clean. Hotel has a good restaurant with excellent service. Would stay here again and would recommend.

Hotel good for light traveller

The hotel location and service are good, but the hotel Rooms are very small, it is only good for light travelers.

Raymond Hotel , Istanbul

We were very pleased with the Raymond Hotel. The location is ideal for visits to the main sites, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace etc. The room was clean and warm (great in January), all staff were very helpful and anxious to please. We also thought the breakfasts were very good. We would recommend this hotel to anyone.

very small rooms

nice staff, perfect location BUT very small rooms. There is no enough space to put your lugages. Low celler make you feel beeing in a small cage.

good location, but very disappointing service

functional hotel, location is the biggest (and only) positive. Service is very slow and staff struggle with English (even the front desk), though pleasant mannered and always willing to help ( with in there constraints). Dont expect any extraordinary service. On last day , we checked out in morning at 7:00, in hope to catch breakfast which is served from 07:00 to 10:30 ( as per info given in our rooms). but when we reached the restaurant were told that it will not be ready before 07:30, no exceptions were made, even though we were on time.

Nice, clean place

Nice, clean hotel, fairly plain vanilla kind of place, not very fancy but a good place.

Location is great, room is small

Location is great. Close to Topaki, Tram station ( Guhane). Room is clean, but small. Breakfast is good The staff is very nice. There is a laptop in common area, which we used to check email

The Raymond Hotel in Istanbul

The staff was exceptional. The friendliest and most helpful service I've seen. The room was adequate and clean. The breakfast was another huge plus. The hotel is located right in the center of all the sights. It is a short walk to the tram. Stores and cafes abound. I will certainly stay at the Raymond when I return to Istanbul again.

No where near 4 Stars

Good location for tourism, but this hotel does mot qualify for Four Stars . Small rooms, no space for luggage, not even a chair and table. The breakfast was so-so at Best, rubbish coffee.

Raymond Hotel

The room was small but clean. The staff was more than helpful on every request. The breakfast was adequate but not ample. The location was great. If you are a walker, you were 15 minutes from the Blue Mosque, Spice Bazaar, and Saint Sophia's.

Good location and service but paper thin walls

Great location, top service, clean and modern rooms. Breakfast was good. Spoilt by paper thin walls and tiles on all floors which made it very noisy.

Raymond Hotel Istanbul close to Blue Mosque, etc

Clean hotel, heplful staff, close to Blue Mosque, Haghia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar. Priced fairly for the location.

SUPER FRIENDLY!

The concierge was super friendly! They offered us tea at the beginning and allowed us to check in three hours early! This was a fantastic hotel with easy access to all the historical sites of Istanbul. This hotel is located in the Old part of the city. We walked to the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar! All within 5-20 minute walk! Super nice people there! Would return soon! They even taught us some Turkish and showed us where to go!

Raymond Hotel

This hotel is located in Sultanahmet, the Old City of Istanbul. It is within easy walking distance of Topkapi Palace, Ayasofia, the Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar and the Golden Horn! The staff was most welcoming. We would stay there again.

Never again

We paid a lot per night for B&B. The room was very small and looked out onto a wall with about 10 air conditioner machines. Apart from being unsightly, they hummed to our great irritation. On the friday afternoon there was construction noise/drilling somewhere upstairs and was very disturbing. On saturday morning there was a big bulldozer parked in front of the open fronted cafe part and 4 workers took up the best seats and stopped other people having breakfast al fresco, as the machine blocked other tables. When they had finished, the bulldozer started up and filled the cafe with diesel fumes. We put pleass 'make up room' on the door at 9.00 am and we came back about 4 pm and they had just started making it up. Breakfast was very modest with nothing particularly nice. The management made helpful noises but did nothing. Never again!

Would definitely reccmmend!

This hotel is perfect for exploring Istanbul. The rooms are small but perfectly adequate for a short stay. The staff are extremely nice and very helpful with recommendations of where to go and what to see. Located really close to the Blue Mosque and the Palace. The spice market and bazaar are only a short walk away which is also really convenient.

Brilliant and Helpful Staff

Arrived very early in the morning after a delayed flight. Receptionist very helpful on arrival and sorted rooms out very promptly. Size of rooms varied between members of ou party, but were at least adequate, extremely functional, very clean and well maintained by chamber maids. Stayed for breakfast was a Turkish take on the continental style (remember this is a largely Muslin country) which was self serve. Waiter service was exeptional and always helpful. Reception staff always helpful and willing to give advise and help plan days out. Overall, this is a relatively cheap, and very much 'cost effective' hotel, in the main tourist district which all members of my party would recommend.

Raymond hotel is awesome

We arrived early from our flight at the hotel. While they didn't have the room ready yet, they directed us to their breakfast buffet and took our luggage to the storage room. The room was very nice, as was the bathroom, and the rooftop area had a great view.

A nice small hotel

A small hotel with very small rooms. Everything else was very good.

Great value for price

Clean hotel, friendly and helpful staff, and well-priced hotel in an excellent location within close proximity to tram station and landmarks. Would definitely stay there again.

hotel raymond convenient to everything

The Raymond is situated ideally to get anywhere around Istanbul. It is close to the tramline and railway station. The hotel is everything one could wnat and had an excellent breakfast - fresh fruits, vegetables and several cheeses.

Can't wait to go back

The most impressive thing about the hotel was the staff. They were pleasant, polite, and extremely helpful. They would go out of their way to help you with anything you asked. They made you feel at home in every way. Highly recommended. The breakfast buffet was plentiful, high quality and many varieties. The young lady that served at the tables, was particularly great. The location of the hotel could not be better. It was close to all the things and places we wanted to see.

Best Istanbul hotel!

I've stayed at 3 other hotels in Istanbul. Some are OK and some are terrible. Raymond hotel is the best within the similar price range. It's clean, comfort, and close to the all the important spots in Istanbul. 1 minute to the tram line. 5 Euro for the airport shuttle service. The best!!!!!