Armada Istanbul Old City Hotel

Had a great stay at Armada Hotel recently. Great location, a short walk to Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque. Near the water (Sea of Marmara), close to Kennedy Cad. walking through old archways to the shore. You can see the seas from the windows in your room (if you're lucky to get one facing that direction), from the great rooftop terrace or the breakfast area - one side views of the water (even spotted dolphins one morning), the other, views of Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque. Nice lobby, with a small pond of turtles, memoiabillia, historical artifacts. The room (Queen size bed) was clean, comfortable, cutely decorated with nice touches (like paintings on furniture), nice colors, slippers, plenty of soaps in the bathroom, lots of storage, best bath towels (absorbent and big), teas, coffee, water bottle and another one in the mini fridge. We had room cleaning once and the lady did a great job, bringing more water, swiping the floors, making the beds, putting the bathroom back together. Nice touching gifts - like the nice bookmarks we found on the nightstand! Staff was nice and attentive, from the booking phase, to check in, they brought us lemonades till they finished cleaning our room, to every day help. At the end, they were nice to call for a taxi for the airport on our behalf and they helped with luggage and all, made sure we left early to make our flight due to road closures for May 1st holiday. Even if the hotel is lively, has a bar and a restaurant, it was quiet, no issues at night, got great night sleep. Comfy bed, pillows, comforter. The breakfast buffet is one of the best we ever had, they do put lots of hotels in US to shame! You can get your regular cereals, omelet, boiled eggs, but you have great fruits (best watermelon) and fresh vegetables, Turkish pastries, cheese-s, jellies (quince, apricot, orange), tahini, home made yogurt, local treats. Nice coffee, try the Turkish chai/tea and the Cherry juice is a must! Once again, nice service and great views all around. Great hotel to stay while visiting Istanbul. Affordable, pampering, nice experience. And since it's Istanbul, the hotel has its own cat that greets you! Wonderful location, staff, view, local touches!