There is nothing ‘grand’ (or indeed ‘hilarious’) about the Grand Hilarium Hotel in Istanbul’s old city. Think no frills, and then lower your expectations even further. Myself and my travelling companion booked two single rooms here from 9th to 12th May. It is rated as 4-star, but should probably be 2-3 star at most. Following a friendly and efficient check-in, we were shown to our rooms. They were small, dark, basic, very outdated and in need of upgrading. The heating didn’t work in either of our rooms (only cold air was produced regardless of setting) and I suspect was centrally controlled despite the apparent ‘in-room’ dials. The room was so chilly I needed two duvets to keep warm at night. While tea and coffee-making facilities were promised, there was only a kettle in the room, but no cups, and no actual tea or coffee. Neither was there the advertised mini-bar, only a small fridge. The safe was faulty and couldn’t be operated so I had to just risk leaving my passport and cash in an open safe and hope for the best. There was a bath in my ensuite but no plug to keep the water in. Enquiries to hotel staff about getting a plug were fruitless. In fact, I was told that plugs in the bath would be a flood risk! The man who came to investigate suggested that I stuff the plughole with toilet paper to keep the water in. I did this the next morning, and did manage to have a bath although it was impossible to ignore the pieces of escaped loo paper drifting past me. There is no bar or restaurant in this hotel despite the fact that the website says the hotel has both. There was a bar ‘area’ that was not open, and a room that seemed to be only used at breakfast. Breakfast is unusual, with some local dishes, which is fair enough. However, there is a lot of plasticky meat and cheese, no toast, no fruit, no yogurt, and only orange squash (not even real juice from concentrate). The highlight was coffee from a dispensing machine. And a selection of breads that were fresh. The Grand Hilarium's website encourages guests to book a spa treatment in their onsite spa. Both myself and my companion did this – we booked a one-hour massage each for our last day by calling into the spa the day before and arranging this and giving our details and room numbers to the masseuse. When we turned up at the allocated time the next day (clutching our written confirmations) the place was in darkness, locked, and nobody there. We went to reception and asked for an assistance and they claimed it was nothing to do with them. They didn’t want to know, offered no apology, and blamed the people who staffed the spa. So disappointing, as we had planned our last day around this. The upside of this hotel is that there are lots of nice places to eat and drink near it, including directly opposite. That's abut the best I can say.
- Guest User
very interesting is clean the service is good
- Hichem
