Hotel Tashkonak
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Kerem
Familiy with older children
May 22, 2015
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The reply for this comment :
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Staff |
10
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Service |
10
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Cleanliness |
10
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Comfort |
8
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Price |
10
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Location |
10
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Hotel Tashkonak
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Ann
Familiy with older children
April 11, 2015
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The reply for this comment :
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Staff |
10
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Service |
10
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Cleanliness |
10
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Comfort |
10
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Price |
10
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Location |
10
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Hotel Tashkonak
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Anonymous
Familiy with older children
March 22, 2015
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The reply for this comment :
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Staff |
10
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Service |
10
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Cleanliness |
10
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Comfort |
10
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Price |
10
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Location |
10
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Hotel Tashkonak
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RONSEAUX
Familiy with older children
March 09, 2015
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The reply for this comment :
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Staff |
10
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Service |
10
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Cleanliness |
10
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Comfort |
10
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Price |
10
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Location |
10
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Hotel Tashkonak
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outrequin
Familiy with older children
January 02, 2015
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The reply for this comment :
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Staff |
10
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Service |
10
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Cleanliness |
10
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Comfort |
10
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Price |
10
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Location |
10
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This hotel is a gem; personal, warm, frill-free but soul-fully Turkish. Google-map it and you will see that the location is ideal for launching out to discover Istanbul (but in a quiet enough location to have those talks and thoughts you want to be able to have). The breakfast in the mornings (that is included in your price) is quintessential Turkish (jams, white cheese, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, bread, more bread, tea) in a well naturally lit back area which makes you feel "I am ready to discover". The rooms are comfortable, quiet, clean, airy, plenty of outlets for the electronically addicted... large windows... distant call of prayers that was almost silent but yet comforting... I loved the tall ceilings... this is not the Four Seasons (and should not be... Tashkonak is simple, real, basic)... my wife and three teenage kids were happy and content.. besides, you want to be out in the humanity of Istanbul and not stationary in your room. The air conditioner is tad finicky and the mattress possibly on the hard side (ask for more pillows and they will gladly give it to you) but these are small quibbles.
You are close to restaurants (just walk down the street), the glory of the entire Sultan Ahmet area and the availability of tram and ferry to go wherever you want (we walked 22 miles in four days.. do it... walk around...be with the people...).
What is paramount, absolutely paramount is the hospitality (disclaimer: I am Turkish, been blessed to have traveled the world, been additionally blessed to realize that coming back home is intensely affirming) of Tashkonak. For me, it was like home... having long chats with the owner and staff, getting offered tea at 11 pm at night, have more chats sitting in the small but cozy lobby area surrounded by a sense of "things matter"... the hospitality is natural, comes from within and is genuine. And though I/we didn't need it, I saw the staff give excellent directions and recommendations (again and again and again) to the guests, with a smile, a laugh, with that "you are my guest and I am going to take care of you".
And all this for a price level that is fair.
At the end of any day, we go to a hotel to rest, to recollect, to plan the next day, to look at our dear friends and say "it is good to see you", to understand the city that we are in... Istanbul is a screaming convergence of beauty, insanity, ocean, sky, food and we couldn't have done it by staying at a better place than Tashkonak.
So, come here and stay. Hopefully for a little longer time. Find Istanbul and Istanbul will find you.
With my/our warmest memories.