Lets start by the pros : Location, near the historical centre ! Room get good bathroom Breakfast is not too bad Good value Cons consider as 4* hotel I don't know if it's for all rooms but the ones in basement are a bit small There is a tv and a fridge in the room but not working, cable for tv is too short to plug it No service room Breakfast time is pretty late , from 9am and even at 9am wasn't ready Should be 1 star hotel according European system, but for the price it's okay if you just need to stay couple nights

I have experienced the worst night in my life in this hotel yesterday. We have arrived in the hotel at night, and the room was horrible dust everywhere, pillows without covers, the smell of the room was unbearable, and insects everywhere. In addition to this the guy in the reception was irresponsible and did not care, he did not help at all. We found ourselves in the street at 3am because we could not stay and sleep in those horrible conditions. Moreover, he ignored us and disappeared when we asked for a refund. Stay away from this hotel because you will regret it if you really care about property.

Not a kinda antique, but good hotel in real antique building and antique city. Bosphorus, major landmarks are in walking distance. I arrived at 2AM, the host was so kind - he offered and cooked delicious tea for us while handling check-in procedure. Later host gave us bottled water for free. The hotel inside and the number left us speechless - the interior is like eastern mystery. Breakfast was delicious. It was really pleasant experience to stay there. If you like something out of ordinary - this hotel will impress you.

LOVED The Local! They really make you feel comfortable and at home. Super helpful with finding the best food and booking you in activities. It is also super close to all the main attractions, we could walk everywhere super easily. The included breaky, aircon in the rooms and the rad playlists can’t be missed. Will be staying again next time I visit Istanbul. :)

We stayed in the standard double room for 9 nights for 500€. The location was very nice, close to all main tourist attractions and trams & ferries. Here are some insights after staying for a bit longer than a week in The Local. Room Condition & Cleaning: Well, it has all basic stuff we needed like a double bed in a ok condition, functioning toilet, functioning air conditioning, towels, shampoo& shower gel, etc. You get what are listed on the booking webpage. HOWEVER, the room was a bit dirty. When we walked in, the room smelled a bit funny. And the bed sheet was only covering 2/3 of the bed.😅 We found a bed cover in the closet but there were holes in it. We stayed for 9 nights and the cleaning staff only came once to do her “cleaning”. By “cleaning” I meant making the bed but not changing our sheets & taking out the bathroom trash but not washing the toilet or sink, taking out trash on the table but not mapping or even sweeping the floor. To be frank, it was not surprising since 500€ for 9 nights… not exactly the budget for much. Breakfast: It was nice. We had bread, cheese, meat slices, olives, fruits, tea, coffee, lemonade, different jams, etc. The dinning area was actually located on the top roof in another building called Mini Nova, where people like us who were not staying in dorms were arranged to stay. All in all, quite nice breakfast. It was offered every morning from 9-11. At night, it becomes a bar, you can see the sea with pretty night view. Staffs: The front desk staff Emir was super friendly and helpful! 👍When we checked in, he went through some info about this neighborhood with a map and even helped carrying my suitcase upstairs since it was a bit heavy. The lady making us breakfast was really nice also. She made us great cocktails at night. ⭐️ HOWEVER, the lady cleaning the rooms was a bit tricky… on our fourth day around 10am, she came knocking on our door asking if we needed our room cleaned. I asked if she could come back a bit after since my husband was in the toilet at that time. She looked at me and said “Istemiyourum”. ( it means “I don’t want to”in Turkish). I actually knew some Turkish myself and was stunned by her attitude. So I said “ Istemiyor musun?”. ( it means “Do you not want to?”) Then she was surprised and asked me if I could speak Turkish with a smile. I guess she was not expecting me to talk back to her. She then promised to come clean our room after we leave. In the end, her cleaning was just as lousy as her attitude. 😅 We later checked the room and found the cleaning conditions as mentioned above. On our 8th nights, the air conditioning was leaking water all the way down to the floor. We cleaned up the water and found the floor under the bed was very very dirty with trash. Maybe it is time for The Local to check on their cleaning staffs if they are actually doing their jobs that they are paid for. All in all, not a bad place to stay if you would like to be close to all main attractions. The only problems was the cleanness. Most of the staffs were so great and welcoming. 👍

Top Hostel/ Hotel in the heart of Sultanahmet. One room with bunk beds and several rooms double/rooms. Extraordinary view from the top floor room. Emre is a super friendly owner, cozy beds, quite, clean, not far away from The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Lovely and delicious breakfast. I stayed here several times and it’s always hard to leave. Highly recommendable and worth all the 5 stars!

A very nice Hostal in the old Istanbul! I definitively recommend you to go there. It became very rare to have the chance to meet the hostels’ owners in general. Here, it won’t be the case, the owners is a passionate, he loves to meet his new guests and help/advise them in any situation. He speak perfectly English allowing you to have great exchanges on Turkish cultures, habits, history and so on. Thank you for your hospitality!

Really cozy hostel. Comfy beds and great views across the sea. Has a friendly cat too

Do Not Trust! We booked rooms and got confirmation email from the hotel and when we arrived there they told us the booking had been canceled! What they do is: they will book you but if other customers offer them more money, they would cancel your booking and give it to the new customers! No explanation will be given to you by the receptionist who will say to "I see your booking but it got canceled. I don't know why the boss is not here"

We felt like home at The Local. It’s a super hostel, clean, with Really good guys - only good vibes there! I recommand ++++

I usually don't leave my review unless I really like a place. I felt at home on the moment I stepped into the hostel. Staff is super friendly and the beds are comfortable. It is very easy to meet people at this please and feel like a local. Looking forward to come back here!

Excellent hostel in the heart of Sultanahmet area. Great location where you can visit so much on foot. 800 - 1000m. Tram station is close from which you can go anywhere. The staff was very friendly, genuine and caring. Emre is such an amazing host. The room was also excellent. It was spacious and comfortable. Very clean as well, with no issues found at all. Breakfast was very tasty and fresh every morning. Overall I highly recommend this hostel if you want to feel the city and live as a local.

Just got back home from Turkey a day ago... had to give the review... One of the best hostels to stay in Istanbul... 5min walking distance from Hagia Sophia, GrandBazar, Blue mosque and all.... Clean beds and washroom (clean washroom is a must for me)... Very helpful, very genuine and really nice hosts... We had booked Cabs via a cabbie we met... But the drivers did not understand English... The hosts helped talk with them to make sure all was good... One of them was so sweet, he helped us carry our big bag for about 10mins uphill as we were moving to a different location... Would definitely book it again!!!! Absolutely recommended!!!!!

The hostel is located at a very nice area very close (walking distance) to a few od Istanbul landmarks, such as Aghia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Nevertheless, the rooms are not well maintained, same as the breakfast/lounge area. We stayed 2 nights at their most expensive room and one night at the budget room. The top room had a big balcony with a nice view but the interior wasn’t in its best state; one could spot a towel covering a hole on a wall. The bathroom was ok and extremely big but a tall person wouldn’t be able to take a proper shower due to the height of the ceiling. The budget room was in worse condition with humidity being evident everywhere and the air inside being stuffy. Out of the 3 windows we could only manage to slightly open one to get some fresh air. In The toilet one could Spot mold. The breakfast/lounge air was cute but also not well maintained; it was a surprise to see that once people had finished their breakfast the tables had not been cleaned on a timely manner. All in all, what makes the difference is Emre (the owner), who is pleasant and polite and eager to accommodate people’s requests instantly; he has given us great tips where to eat, hang out and places to visit.

Very good places to stay in center of Istanbul that too at a very budget friendly place they serve good breakfast too.. many tourist attractions are just at walkable distance.. Service is very good and specially to mention Melisa was so Kind ... Thankyou:) We will visit again

This place reminded me of the houses from Harry Potter movies. I found it charming how they have blended the old school decor with new ones. A good place to meet like minded fellow travellers and share your experience. I liked the friendly hospitality.

the worst experience for me, was the attitude was so bad, they asked us to leave the hotel after they get the money. They are laying about booking, they have 2 separate buildings for the hotel, with 2 different names, the breakfast is in another place, they are very racist, I do not recommend this hotel at all. It was the worst night in my all life

Extremely friendly and helpful staff, great location, rich breakfast. Rooms could be a bit cleaner. Overall great experience!

mattress and duvet and cleanliness and location and helpful Emir and lovely Deka very good .

Feeling like home from the first second on. Absolutely great. Would definitely come back again!

Emre and Elena make this accomodation awesome. Very delicious breakfast deliver power for all the day. Good locations, few minutes to center by walk. During next Istanbul visit we will repeat this journey to The Local :)

You pay what you get, nevertheless the host/owner was super nice and helpful. We felt home and will definitely come back again when we visit Istanbul !

Amazing place with an amazing company! Would 100% recommend and I will be coming back again.

This place is amazing! The location could not be better. The rooms are beautifully furnished and classy, and you can get an amazing view. Everything was clean and neat and the breakfast was lovely. I felt like a guest/ friend rather than a customer. I could ask questions at any time and got helpful advises and for the time I was there I literally felt like it was my home. Thank you for making me feel welcome and comfortable in Istanbul.

100% recommend anyone looking for quality, clean, super friendly and well-located accommodation in Istanbul to stay at the Local with Emre. We were instantly made to feel at home and shown how to get everywhere we needed in Istanbul, given guidance on the best places to go for what we were after and even lent a travel card to help us get around. Very cool vibe and to top it off there were even kittens when we stayed there! 10/10 recommend.

We had a good time there, it is a very historic and beautiful place and a good chance to get a deeper feeling for Istanbul as staying in a "normal hotel". The room was newly renovated, nice and very clean. The staff was very kind!! Especially Celine & Sam, but we also had the chance to talk to the man who runs the place as a family business. He was very sympathetic and he told us that he offers guided "local tours" to his guests if they want, as he is a local and he knows lots of good spots abroad of normal tourist places. Next time we'll definitely plan some extra time for that! Breakfast was also very good & local and there was free tea and coffee anytime! Wasn't sure before we went there but we would definitely book again!! By the way, walking distance to Hagia Sophia and other places are just five minutes and the environment is very nice and safe!

Beautiful and original hostel in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmed district. The owner is incredibly friendly and helpful, the breakfast is great and the rooms are tasteful and very comfortable. Definitely a very good choice to stay!

Location is excellent but the smell from the bathroom really ruins this one, stayed for a week but will find another option for my next visit to Istanbul.

Really nice and friendly host in a prime location for sightseeing!

Awesome hostel, awesome location, and amazing hospitality from owner and staff. Highly recommend. Nice view from the dorm balcony as well.

I just can have good words from the LOCAL❤️ I felt like at home, I had the opportunity to meet wonderful people and I got to know the most local places of Istanbul! Thank you so so much Fatih for being that welcoming and staff members and guests with whom I shared lots of moments. See you really soon ;)

Amazing hostel for backpackers. The Hosts are very helpful and make you feel comfortable. Though the dorms are small, but are very clean and maintained and have a good sea view balcony to chill. The location is well within reach of main monuments and tourist attractions of Istanbul.

Great hostel! Location is perfect, the host is brilliant. Ready to help with everything. Amazing experience. I recommend this place for every traveller and if I ever go back to Istanbul I would stay here.

We stayed at the Local for three nights in a mixed dorm room. The rooms were tidy but slightly cosy, with comfortable mattresses. Bathrooms are inside the rooms. Staff were friendly but not overly helpful when we asked for recommendations, giving some very vague answers to our questions (which is odd for a backpackers). We also wanted to do the food tour but it was not running due to lack of staff. Brrakfast is quite food, and you get to sit on the rooftop terrace. Overall, it is a budget friendly option in a very central location.

I cannot recommend this place enough. The service—amazing! The workers there are so friendly and welcoming. My time here was absolutely peaceful and calming. This hostel is close to everything, walking distance, the train is right there. Should I keep going? The owner is so welcoming and did everything to make sure I was comfortable. Very accommodating. The room was perfect—looks out to the ocean. Also- there’s a cat!!!!!! I mean I know they’re everywhere but this one stays on the balcony. I loved every minute. I will be returning! Also, if you are travelling by yourself and worried about safety. Don’t. There’s a keypad to enter the door. Also, an employee sits out by the doors greeting you, conversing with you. If you have any concerns, voice them and they will help you in any way they can. This location is safe. I hope for you to have the same experience as me. Thank you to The Local!!! Take care.

Really good experience 👍👍 Room was pretty good. But air conditioning worked quite slow. Staff is perfect. There was a guy, Ali, he was very helpful and friendly. Gives honest advises. Location is also great. It's in the middle of the most famous buildings and the sea. 10 mins of walk to both. But Turkish coffee is not free in the morning. Beware of this before having a breakfast 😅😉

Hostel: absolutely terrible: dirty room, doors don't lock. Photos is what the room looked like upon check-in. Got overcharged on arrival. Left before midnight and booked elsewhere. Stayed in 10+ places in Istanbul and this was by far the absolute worst. Avoid like the plague. 0 stars