I chose this hotel after the recommendation of a collegue and I stayed there several times. This is a real three star hotel chartered from the Turkish Tourism and Culture Ministry. I had to stay in a hotel near old town related with my business. There are sure many hotels in old town of Istanbul with much better locations, but the prices get higher. During I stayed there, I visited some other hotels nearby which may have better services. There are some hotels in Laleli, Aksaray district with swimming pools, spas, etc, but with lower service quality. There are also some similar budget hotels with cheaper prices. But I would advise this hotel to the ones for those who cares hygene in rooms, bathrooms, during breakfast. The staff seems not so professional, but they were friendly and trying their best. The only minus point for the hotel may be the district. Aksaray and Laleli is known with prostitution, so the district may not be suitable for solo travelling ladies. But I see that the places related with prostitution such as some hotels with discos, discos, some underground restaurants, etc. are being punished and closed. So, I think the district will be better in a short time. I hope a nice accomodation in Avlonya Hotel.

The hotel is at a stone's throw from Beyazit Boulevard, about 5-6 minutes brisk walk. From there you can either walk or take the tram to reach the historical centre of Istanbul.
The hotel staff is friendly enough and ready to please the customers. Whenever we had a problem it was duly taken care of. The room we stayed in was clean, average size, with TV and fully functional air conditioning; nice and clean bathroom with hair dryer, towels and toilet paper. The street noise was a bit too loud during the day and there was a persistent smell of something which I could not quite define, but once I got used to it it didn't even bother me anylonger. We ate breakfast everyday at the hotel as it was varied enough and quite tasty and if lunch time caught us near the hotel, there were plenty of small restaurants to choose from and even one McDonald's (I strongly recommend Dondurmali Tatli, which is a combination of Turkish icecream and the usual pie they sell at McDonald's). All in all, the hotel was good value for the money we paid and although it would certainly not suit the taste of a fussy traveller it remains a nice and comfortable place for one whose only requirements are cleanliness, a cosy bed to sleep on and a good shower.