Hotel Sokullu Pasa

The first obstacle you have to confront is to find this hotel. From the Easyjet arrival airport, Sabiha Gokcen, we took the E3 bus to its Istanbul terminal for 1.3TKL (about 60p) and then a taxi to the hotel. However the driver, like all the others we used during our stay, knew only how to get to Sultana met (the general area) but then got lost.
Ours asked eight different shopkeepers in the area before I actually spied it down a side road. The taxi ride cost 25TKL (about £12). It would have been much easier to have arranged a private transfer through Istanbul Airport Service (Tel +90(212)4582209) for 76TKL, as we did for our return to the airport, because this airport is about a 55 minute drive from the hotel and the driver knew where the hotel was as the hotel actually book this firm if you ask them to arrange a transfer.
The hotel is a Best Western. It is actually a typically Turkish building which once was a beautiful home to a wealthy person. There is no lift and there are stairs everywhere so it would not be suitable for the disabled or those unable to manage stairs. The staff were all most accommodating and friendly, and we never had to ask for our key once. It was ready as soon as we were seen coming down the stairs into the reception.
The hotel seems dated, but perhaps that is its charm. Our room was adequate in size but the bathroom was quite small. Our room was clean apart from the old razor and soap with a hair on it which had been left, I hoped, by the last guest in the shower soap tray! New towels and bedding were provided each day. The air conditioning, which you controlled yourself, was welcomed but of limited use as one of the windows , just above street level at the front, was jammed fully open and could not be closed. A wooden trellis like affair filled all three lower window areas to give privacy.
Breakfast could be had either in the garden or inside. It was typically continental with Turkish tea in an urn, teabags, instant coffee only , yogurt, cold fruit juices, boiled eggs, cold meat, cheese and tomatoes, cornflakes, and Turkish cheese filled 'cigarette pastries'. The bread was delicious. There was a limited meal menu for the rest of the day but we never tried it and never saw anyone else do so either. Our bedroom lock was faulty and we once could not get out of our room. Staff 'rescued' us but the lock was never attended to.
There was a small lounge with Turkish TV playing and an small aquarium with a few fish.
The hotel is set on a hill. Walking straight from the front door and uphill you arrive within about five to ten minutes at Blue Mosque Square. There you will find the Blue Mosque and a little further, the Sophia Hagya Mosque. Behind the latter is the Topkapi Palace. Trams ran from the main street at the far end of the square down to the port areas. We were there during Ramadan and therefore there was a tremendous market on the square where one could get meals, drinks, and Turkish delicacies. This disappeared as soon as Ramadan ended, and we missed it tremendously as it added so much to the interest.
Although my description of this hotel might well put you off, it is a charming and friendly place right where you need to be for the main sights. Others we met staying in other hotels in the area were unhappy with their accommodation. Thus I would recommend it for the price Easyjet charged and for its location and charm. You might be surprised though to discover that Istanbul is fairly pricey.
Good cheap eating could however be had on the main road at the end of Blue Mosque Square where two eateries had displays of their food in the window. Each dish cost 5.50TKL (about £2) and the rice was 2TKL. The food there was delicious and constantly replenished afresh. It was where the Turks went to eat themselves - try the Chicken Pancake, packed full of white chicken breast meat with some vegetables. Enjoy!