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Reviews of Galata La Bella Hotel

Galata La Bella Hotel
Arapcamii Mahallesi Erguvan Sokak No:1, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Istanbul

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 118 out of 356 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 145 out of 356 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 49 out of 356 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 21 out of 356 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 23 out of 356 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel amazing view
Great location friendly reception staff
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Rachel, Coventry, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Convenient and smart.
A smart hotel in a convenient location. Next door to the Tünel Furnicular giving easy access to the Istiklal Cadesi and lots of restaurants and bars. 10mins from the tram stop on the Galata Bridge that will take you to all the sights. Breakfast is served on the 6th floor with views of the city, the breakfast itself is a generous buffet. A lack of attention to detail lost it a star. The first night there was missing towels, whilst on the second night one of the large towels was fraying and thin. The taps ran dry just as we prepared to have a shower. The response from reception made me believe they had turned the water off. The tea and coffee in the room wasn't fully replenished. There was also no complimentary bottles of water unlike the other hotel we stayed at in the city.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018

8/10 Good

TURGAY

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful view of the river and city very good
Wonderful helpful staff ...I had everything I needed .to make my stay excellent.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2017
Response from Barış Baydağ on 7 Dec 2017
Thank you so much Aslı for your very kind words. We are looking forward to you staying with us again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very good location and comfertable rooms and delicious breakfast

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
You should avoid those single rooms.
I visited Istanbul in freezing January, but view from this hotel's single room was a nice colorful tropical small island with white sandy beach and coco tree. Why? The view was a poster sticked on neighboring building external wall a meter away from window. There was hardly a fresh open air circulation in the room. I could feel stale air in the small single room immediately after walked in the room. Further more, there were two used tea bags left by someone maybe checked-out guests in water boiler for tea and coffee. So, I requested room change. Front personnel replied me that no view in single room was described in web page. Then rolled his eyes told me " you did not read that! " and offered me a deal 5 more euro for room change,saying usually he ask 15. I told him the room is virtually no window room. After minutes of exchanging hustle talk, he gave me a double room without charge. I booked for 3 nights but left this hotel the next morning. I guess these single rooms are made where storage space to be designed and build. Better avoid single room in this hotel. There are many hotels in Istanbul offer much much better single rooms. Though, there are many high score reviews listed here for good and convenient location, most west side hotels has better neighbors and close to points of interest, restaurants and public traffic.

10/10 Excellent

alaeddin, dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
friendly staff calm and comfortable clean and tidy
friendly staff calm and comfortable clean and tidy

8/10 Good

alkisti t.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Friendly and best location Hotel
Friendly little hotel Right in the midle of nearly everything a newcommer would like and must visit. Friendly -helpfull staff willing to help.

6/10 Okay

faris a.

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
room is tiny.. one card per room for 2 guests!
The thing that your policy only allows for one card per room even w two guests is just not comfortable.. our room was very tight.. wr can barely walk in it beds are good..our view was a building under construction that starts early in the morning.. very noisy.. VERY! The staff wasnt helpful in that matter like changing our room. The breakfast was good.. not great but good. Staff was mostly friendly. Was very hard telling the taxi to get to our hotel.

6/10 Okay

Michael M.

Totally fine.
Great spot for a first stay in Istanbul. At the foot of the hill up to Galata. A little disorienting to find for a first time visitor, but not too hard. Very close to Galata bridge, the tram, Karaoke dock, etc. Good deal on the off season, I only left because I found a better deal nearby.

4/10 Poor

greg, melbourne

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Start of cruise
Hotel not up to standard as advertised & the cooking area left a lot to be desired as a gas bottle was in use in the cramped area not what you would call a safe enviroment

8/10 Good

Habs, Washington, DC

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Initially underwhelmed, but grew to like it a lot
I have to admit that when I first arrived at the hotel, I was disheartened by a) the difficulty of finding the hotel on an unmarked side street and b) the underwhelming exterior and receptionist check-in once you enter the hotel. However, over the course of our 3.5 days here, I stand resoundingly behind my 4-star rating for the hotel. I can’t vouch for room service or the hotel restaurant, but fret not, just venture out for a 10-minute walk and eat at any of the restaurants along the Galata Bridge or on either ends of the bridge (Hamdi Restaurant and Karakoy Ozsut (the kaymak was delicious) are worth a visit.) Also, Galata La Bella is a stone’s throw from the cable car which took us into the heart of Sultanahmet and surrounding areas. The hotel staff also was kind enough to book a boat/bus tour for us, which was worth every Turkish Lira. The nice thing about this hotel is that it’s a convenient middle ground between the Taksim Square/retail shopping area and the mosques and bazaars on the other side of the Bosphorus River. If you are expecting the Four Seasons, then move along; this is not the hotel for you. But, if you want a great location, proximity to good restaurants, solid continental breakfast selection (the borek and pastries – yum!) helpful staff (Unal, the Galveston, TX enthusiast stands out), an amazing rooftop view, and clean rooms and showers, then look no further.

10/10 Excellent

Mohammad, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
location, location, location and customer service!
Excellent location from convenience of transportation point of view. 2 blocks from tunnel tram that takes you to Istaklal Street and Tram that you can use to go to the old part of Istanbul in 7 - 10 mins both for 2.5 Turkish Lira per person. 5 min walk to the ocean and Galata Bridge if you want to stroll across to Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar. A lot of restaurants by the bridge and under the bridge. Breakfast was adequate to start the day. Manager Farhan really hooked us up by giving us a room on the top floor with ocean and city view. Room and bathroom size was very adequate given another hotel I stayed at. The only downside was initially finding the hotel, it's 2 blocks from the tram. During the day it's a very commercial neighborhood with the hardware tools market on the main road. Overall really happy because of the location, convenience of transportation and excellent room with an amazing view.

10/10 Excellent

John, Strathalbyn Sth Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, really friendly, happy, efficient staff. Highly recommend.

8/10 Good

Nikki John, Doha

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A value-for-money hotel located strategically!
The hotel actually offers value-for-money experience. All the staff were nice and friendly, warm and kind. The hotel's location is very strategic. It's a 5 minute walk from the Karakoy tram station, which is an advantage if you plan to roam the city and take the metro to and from the Ataturk airport (only if you have light / few carry-ons. The hotel has a rooftop restaurant / bar that affords you a view of the Bosphorus. I will defintely come back to this hotel.

8/10 Good

Serhiy, Dubai

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Small cozy hotel in the center of Istanbul
Don't be fooled by the picture of the hotel exterior that makes it look like some grand 5-star one: it is not. It is small yet charming and convenient hotel and if you are not demanding towards room size you will be satisfied. Rooms are well-maintained though carpet was stained in mine; air conditioning works well, it's quiet, breakfast is not very generous but quite sufficient. Major attractions are within walking distance if you don't mind walking across the bridge: quite an experience in itself!

6/10 Okay

Talal

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lower than expected!
At the arrival the room A/C was not working and take time to be fixed. Hotel don't care that much to provide any alternative for the situation.

8/10 Good

Shadi F.

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Wonderful family trip
The location of the hotel was great, near to the sea and the Galata Bridge. Although it was a construction going on close to the hotel which was way noisy, but the hotel room itself was comfortable. I found the staff very friendly and helpful who always tried their best to provide a good service which is appreciated.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Not a 4 star hotel
We got there very late and immediately when we walked in, I was disappointed. I thought we had booked a 4 star hotel, but more like a 2 star from the lobby. It's situated in a random alley, which is a bit scary at night (fine in the day time). The lobby itself was old, small, and didn't have the best smell. The thought of eating breakfast in the lobby did not sound appetizing, which led me to miss breakfast altogether. The staff was friendly enough and greeted us. The room was pleasantly different from the lobby. Clean, comfortable, and modern enough. We had a really nice view as well. I was confused by all the location reviews, saying it was great and close to a lot of attractions. There is literally nothing within a block or so, butttt, it is very close to the Galata bridge. So, the reviews aren't completely inaccurate. It's more like in the middle of everything, but nothing is exactly close and at least a 10-15 min walk. There is a nice rooftop bar.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay for affordable price!
Centrally located easy to walk to most of Istanbul from this hotel. The breakfast was delicious and the room was spotless clean and I felt safe as solo female traveller.

8/10 Good

David, Cape Town

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The say the key is LOCATION!
Perfect location, as close to most places and easy access to transport. Hotel staff extremely helpful and friendly. Only slight issue was renovation noise from the next building, but that is probably near completion! I would definitely stay there again.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
The room was clean and newly updated. Location was central and convenient. The restaurant staff was not accommodating not friendly. The only hotel in the world I have ever stayed at that was not willing to make a second plastic key so each of us could have a key. The staff at breakfast was not accommodate simple requests.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The triple room is spacious, while the double room is a little bit compact. The hotel staff are very friendly and attentive. We called a taxi at midnight and one staff carried the luggage to the taxi for us and even waved us goodbye until we left.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A new discovery. It excellent.
I enjoyed my stay. Charming staff. Good breakfast. Quite or serene environment.

2/10 Terrible

Salam A.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Do not recommend
Hotel Exterior, Interior and lobby looks completely different than the website. The website looks awsome and reality it doesn't. The room with double bed is very small with stained carpet spots. I booked a smoking room and upon arrival I was informed that they don't have smoking rooms. I ended up not staying in the Hotel although I made a four nights reservations and paid for it. All in all I do not recommend this Hotel.

10/10 Excellent

Sandra, Amsterdam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect and enjoyable time
Hotel is in perfect place to visit all famous places: Galata Tower, square, Grand Bazaar, Spicy Bazaar, Fish Bazaar, Galata bridge, where are many good restaurants and nargile :) on the weekend at Galata hotel was life music, singer with perfect voise :) the team of this hotel very helpful and friendly :) always stay with smiles in them faces :) rooms very comfortable and clean, the main-very hot (temperature +30) :)) cause in our stay time outside was very freezing :) with my husband we enjoy very much in the time of our stay, so really recommend to everyone shoose this hotel and enjoy in Turkey, Istanbul view ;))

2/10 Terrible

Alev S.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
disgusting experienced
Don't ever go this hotel. I had a horrible experience on my arrival

10/10 Excellent

Andres, Argentina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect!
Brilliant hotel, perfect location. Great week.

2/10 Terrible

ahmed, riyadh

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
must know this
had a bad stay there when the wood cover of the Window Blinds fall down on my stuff it was Terrifying , thanks god i was alone and none of my kids with me. i called the manager (farhan) and when he saw that he said what did you do, he blame me like i did it !!!!! i left the hotel after that with broken okly sunglasses and damaged new polo ralph lauren jacket which i just paid 329 TL for it. but to be hounest there is a guy his name is (unal) nice guy and was taking care of me after what happen . many thanks to him.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
adequate hotel
Perfectly adequate for two nights before a cruise,but walking to cruise terminal on wet day was not an option, and the hotel is quite a hike from the historical sights. Breakfasts definitely for Turkish breakfast enthusiasts only!

6/10 Okay

J, London

Disliked: Staff & service
More like a 3 star hotel, not 4
Room was fine and acceptable. Though no duvets provided, just a very thin blanket. Breakfast wasn't amazing. Lack of fresh fruit and choice of beverages. It is a small hotel and quite under-staffed, meaning that when requests flood in at the same time they are very abrupt and less attentive, almost to the point of being rude and bad-mannered. The staff's level of English isn't amazing either, so sometimes had difficulty getting and understanding directions/recommendations. Also found one staff member at the rooftop bar to be inappropriately racist. We were on the sixth floor so had a good view of the city, but couldn't sleep at all on the Saturday night due to the banging music and cheering from a private party on the rooftop terrace. When we complained to reception they replied, "But it is a Saturday night" - your point being? Was unimpressed, to say the very least. Good location, conveniently situated by the tram and tunel, but don't think we'll be returning here anytime soon. Would rather not recommend to friends.

8/10 Good

Danielle, chicago

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Incredibly friendly staff, clean w/ spot-on views.
The room was extremely clean. The breakfast was excellent and the views from the rooftop restaurant were awesome. We did struggle a bit to find the hotel but what isn't difficult to find in Istanbul. The staff is amazing! They helped us navigate to find great places in the area and organized our transportation to the airport. All-in-all, a great place to relax before heading back home.

10/10 Excellent

Claudias

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Perfect location in Beyoglu and close to Galata Bridge
comfortable hotel in great location with super friendly staff, close to the Galata dinner/restaurant area and close to the Galata bridge to get you to the Sultanahmet area and bazaars

2/10 Terrible

kasimalbaldawi, Iraq

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
bad hotel
It is bad hotel ' I dont like it

10/10 Excellent

Kb, New York

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Istanbul
Great hotel, friendly staff, immediate surrounds of hotel are quiet, but close to great galata neighborhood and the old city.

8/10 Good

Fadi, Beirut

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Location is the best thing about this hotel
The hotel location ia close to the main tram line, exchange offices, main attractions... staff was great and helpful. Great experience all in all.

6/10 Okay

Laura, South America

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Excellent location. Hotel itself just ok (staff)!
It was a 5 night stay, which makes it a long stay in a hotel giving the situations explained below: I came with a group of friends (all girls), and we were very shocked to find that some of the staff were not nice,helpful, even rude, and on the other hand, some other staff were very unrespectful, trying to "hit on us", asked us out,etc to the point it was very uncomfortable and we felt somehow intimidated by them. In Istambul we learned it happens commonly with women to be "stalked" but you would never expect it to happen at your hotel, and specially a hotel like this one. Once these guys realized we were not ok with this they became rude to us. The rooms are ok. We stayed in 3 different rooms, 2 of them were VERY SMALL, no space to walk!!!! The one where I was styaing was a good size room, however the AC never worked well and even if I complained about it every single day and asked it to be fixed the response was always it was working well. Compared to the other rooms of my friends, I knew it wasn´t but they never did anything. We were there in August and it was 35°Celsius everyday! Too hot for a broken AC. The location is very good, the breakfast and the terrace on the last floor are really nice. Beautiful view from the roof top terrace to Downtonw and the mosques, a good option for food and drinks at night. I am not sure if I would recommend this hotel to somebody else. At least if it is only women, for sure not!

10/10 Excellent

Anglophiles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Excellent well-located good value hotel
We enjoyed our stay at Galata La Bella. It was exceptionally well situated for us, being only about 50m from the Tunel funicular railway and only about 200m from the ferry piers at Kadikoy. The hotel provided good value, rooms were clean and well serviced and the food/views in the rooftop restaurant were brilliant. The only slightly negative comment we would make is that breakfast could be improved a bit - by providing fresh orange juice for instance, which you can buy for 1TL just outside the front door.

10/10 Excellent

Slesley, Wellington

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly recommend
Fantastic hotel, clean and comfortable. Wonderful staff, very helpful, close to all forms of transport and within walking distance of all major attractions of Istanbul city.

6/10 Okay

jcc, new york

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
basic overnight stay in Istanbul new district
overall it was decent, average not great mostly because of the location on a couple sides streets that are run down and under construction with little sense of the city when you look around; the roof top terrace however was nice in that it had a nice view of the city, live music and retractable glass roof. probably the highlight relief. again it all depends what you're looking for, where you've been and what your needs are. the staff was friendly and they try hard indeed. very pleasant. they just may not have a lot to work with but it's a decent place and like many online photos, that don't always deliver once you're there. i enjoyed our stay not the location.

8/10 Good

David, Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel in convenient location
Hotel can be reached by Metro and Tram (T1) from the airport and is located midway between the old city and the new. The hotel is situated in a quiet side street and the area feels safe. Shops are nearby and there are many restaurants in this area. Clean and comfortable room, fairly recently refurbished and in good condition. Tap water is clean and clear but like all Istanbul water is heavily chlorinated - chilled bottled water is cheap and widely available. Nice breakfast area - not surprisingly, food is bit 'Turkish' but if you can handle this, you will be OK. Pleasant and helpful staff who all spoke English.

8/10 Good

Sara F, Brooklyn, NY

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
We stayed here in May 2014 for 3 nights while exploring Istanbul for the first time. This was a great location to either walk or take public transportation to both the historic sites and the restaurant/bat district. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the roof deck was gorgeous. The music on the roof deck on Saturday night was amplified unnecessarily, which was somewhat annoying - was too loud for us to stay at the bar and we could hear it clearly from our room. The car service they arranged for us from Ataturk airport was convenient and relatively affordable, though the car service they arranged from the hotel to the other airport was somewhat overpriced. The breakfast was tasty and had a good variety, and the constant availability of tea was wonderful for us.

10/10 Excellent

Sophie11

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Fantastic small hotel
This hotel is small but very clean and staff very friendly and helpful. Roof top restaurant has a great view and excellent food. Great place to have a meal or just relax with a drink

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location and value
Nice hotel and a good deal at 74 USD. Room small, but mattress super comfortable.

10/10 Excellent

Jack B, Louisville KY USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Place To Stay
The staff at this Hotel was very friendly and helpful! The room was cleaned everyday. The location is perfect if you want to see Glata and Istiklal Avenue (and you should) as well as the Sultanahmet area. The roof restaurant/bar has fantastic views. The internet was not up to my standards because I am used to 20 mps, but I did a speed test and it was 6 mps, so it is adequate for emailing and looking at most web sites. It can be a little hard to find, but remember that if you are facing the building where the 'Tunel" station is that it is two short blocks up the hill on the left side of that building.

8/10 Good

Amanda, near Melbourne Australia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Close to tourist spots, galata la belle
Comfortable room, friendly staff, good breakfast. Access to hotel difficult becsuse of nearby building renovation.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A nice hotel and great price. Given the proximity to the historic Sultenahmet and Galata Districts, the Taksim pedestrian area, and access to public transportation this hotel is really a good find. Perfect for those that want a quality place to stay at a decent price, but spend most of your time out and about.

8/10 Good

Susswein, New york

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Difficult to find and access in small alley/ street on steep hill Construction nearby annoying and dirty One of our rooms very small " upgrade" room was what both should have been

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

8/10 Good

Conor, Dublin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect Location
Not the most luxurious of hotels but the staff were really friendly and it was great value for money. The biggest plus for me was the location which was perfect for getting over Galata bridge to see all the sights but also very convenient to Istiklal and all the nice restaurants and nightlife.