We loved it here! We arrived exhausted from the overnight train from Sofia and were greeted with mint tea and cakes, along with a friendly chat with the proprietress and a cuddle from one of the many cats that haunt the hotel. She offered us a room that was slightly cheaper than the one we'd booked, and it was great - bursting with faded Ottoman splendour plus satellite TV!

The en suite shower was pretty cramped but we didn't care - the view from the roof terrace was spectacular and it was a short, picturesque walk from the Blue Mosque and Ayia Sofia. Our hostess was also really helpful with local advice - she recommended a nearby non-touristy restaurant where we had one of our best meals in Turkey.

My 13 year old son and I have just got back from a stay at the Turkuaz. We shared a "Sultan" room with a double and an extra single bed in it. We were both very comfortable and what seemed to be erratic supplies of hot water did not matter at all in August. This is a marvellously eccentric place in an eccentric setting - old istanbul, with the Sirkeci railway line between the hotel and its sea view, just starting to yield to the encroachment of dull corporate hotels and primped up apartments. Meanwhile the immediate area is gently decayed but has a lovely local feel with kids playing football in the streets and a local park with a fountain in which they splash. Kumkapi railway station is close by and the tram is a short puff up the hill, as is Sultanahmet. Madame Mert Erol is the most welcoming of hostesses, full of warmth, hospitality and helpful advice. Her breakfast is quite incredibly bounteous, though as happens almost everywhere, the coffee is instant. This place is not very quiet because of the trains and the muezzins; and you will not be comfortable here if you like things to be bland and immaculate; but if you like the sound of a cat with kittens and several tortoises or similar wandering round the courtyard, and of kind generous and utterly unpretentious hospitality, you will, like us, be blissfully happy here.

We stayed here for 6 nights at the end of April 2011. We had booked a standard double room on the 3rd floor (4th floor for us USA-ians). Maria -- the very pleasant concierge -- also showed us the 1st floor Harem room for an extra 10€ per night -- and we took it. The bathroom was far superior -- the rooms on the 3rd floor have cramped bathrooms, and also there were 2 wardrobes/armoirs, making it easy to unpack and hang up all our clothes. Can't comment on the Sultan's or Pasha's rooms, but we liked the Harem room a lot.

Breakfast (included in the room price, as is near-universal in Istanbul) includes eggs "as you like", a tower of bread, cereal, cut-up cucumbers and tomatoes, white cheese, and coffee or tea. Perfectly fine to fuel up for a day of charging around -- gets a little boring by the end of the week, but no problems here. I see that one previous reviewer complained about breakfast being on the ground floor in a windowless room. Not a real drawback as far as we were concerned.

Location -- do NOT rely on their map -- we took a printout of a zoomed in Google map to help in navigating the narrow streets to get back to the hotel. This was essential the first 2 days -- after that, we had it memorized. You can see the map I used at http://goo.gl/jdPSy -- it is a 10 minute walk (at most) to the Blue Mosque or the Burned Column. The location is near the suburban train tracks, so there is a fair amount of noise from this from the early morning to late evening. As usual in a Muslim country, the amplified call to prayer will get you at about 5am. We always travel with foam earplugs, and slept with them most nights in Istanbul (as in Cairo, etc.).

Tips -- ask Maria for advice. We went to the local neighborhood bath (Kadirga Hamamı) at her recommendation, and it was great. Only 50 TL (40 + tip) each, and things went really well. The massage I got was very firm, but just right for me. This bath is just across the street from the Kadirga neighborhood police station in the park 2 blocks North from the hotel. On the southwest end of the park, across the street, is a good baklava place.

Had two short stays in Sepetember. A wonderful start to our hoilday in turkey. Great breakfasat, all staff very friendly and helpful. They arranged transport to airport so we could be picked up at the hotel. Very good location in heart of old Istanbul in traditional residential area-thus very un-touristy and authentic. The hotel came to out rescue when we were let down by Hotel Vincenza in Istanbul and we spent a wonderful last night in Istanbul-Cant believe we were tempted to stay at a snobby 4 start hotel with a pool with rude staff. Lesson learnt. Never judge a book by its cover. Hotel Turkuaz is an example of true turkish hospitality.