Barin Hotel 

The TripAdvisor reviews for the Barin Hotel are out of date, apparently, because the place is a lot nicer than traveller photos show. You can trust the photos on the hotel's website; the rooms are updated and clean and the AC works even in April. There are little refrigerators in every room so our drinks were always cold. The staff was really helpful and our housekeeper Guel was as friendly as you would expece in America, not Europe: ) She gave us free water bottles every single day so we never had to buy water in Istanbul. All the toilets are equipped with bumguns so now I'm spoiled and I need one at home. The breakfast buffet was one of the best we've ever had because it wasn't just breakfast food, there was hot soup, egg salad (delicious!), roasted vegetables (eggplant, broccoli, and peppers), olives, crisp fresh salad, incredibly sweet cherry tomatoes, good feta cheese, turkish cheese-filled pastries, and in addition all the other things you'd expect at a European breakfast buffet. However there were a few disappointments on the buffet: the juices (cherry, orange, lemon) were not juice, they were syrupy "fruit" drinks. However, a few drops of these syrups in regular water tasted great. Also some of the burners were not keeping the food warm, and cold menamen is no good. The scrambled eggs were watery for some reason. Despite these issues it's one of the best breakfast buffets we've had, and we've had a lot! I'd been warned that the walls in this hotel are paper thin and this is correct. Some nights it's not a problem, but then you get a couple next to you who are arguing for over and hour, having sex for just as long, and then talking at normal volume but you can hear every word-----and I had ear plugs in!! The next morning I was desperate for a quiet room and the staff immediately offered me another one, whew! This room was even larger. There is a rooftop deck with warm showers and books. The location is great - just a few blocks to the street car, but we just walked one day cuz it's not far to the tourist attractions. There are restaurants all around (I recommend DAPHNE: free entertainment, great service, amazing sizzling shrimp pots, free golden chocolate dessert). There are also two "Buefes" across the street which are tiny shops selling necessities, snacks and fresh fruit. We bought "Cup Noodles" from one for a cheap dinner, using the electric kettle in our room. I was worried for no reason, this place is great.