Crowne Plaza Florya Istanbul

This hotel is really subpar. Problems started the moment we arrived. First, my wife was accosted by a security guard! He just said 'sit down,' rudely, because she had sat in a chair with her feet tucked up in her socks. Then, we found out there were no rooms in our booked category; only inferior ones with a view of barbed wire and a concrete wall. We had booked an upgraded side sea view room. Since there was no alternative, we agreed. One room faced the barbed wire, the other a rooftop. In one room, the balcony door handle was broken off from the inside, and in the other, the safe didn't work. The safe needed a new cover, and we were promised a specialist in ten minutes, but after waiting two hours, he never showed up even after four days. The plumbing in our room was so bad that the shower wouldn't drain, leaving about 2cm of standing water all the time. Breakfast was extremely poor. Besides scrambled eggs, most of the food was inedible. There was often a long queue at the coffee machines. On the positive side: The location is great. It's next to an aquarium and a shopping center, with good public transport access, parks, and a promenade. It gets crowded. Something to note: Planes fly very low (about 50m) overhead dozens of times a day. On the downside: The cleaning staff would take our glasses and not replace them. By the third day, we had to drink out of our hands in the room! I had recommended this hotel to my family, and it was quite embarrassing. In the end, we stayed in these rooms because there weren't two available rooms simultaneously, and we didn't want to spend half-days moving and waiting for a room to be cleaned.

I liked the hotel; it's a clean place to relax away from the noisy city center, eat, swim, and sleep. It's a bit far to get to the center, about 50 minutes by public transport if you're a budget traveler. Otherwise, there are plenty of transfers/taxis available at the hotel. Initially, we were given a bad room with a very noisy air conditioner, trash outside the window, and it was generally run down. The reception immediately offered to upgrade us to a room with a better view, which was appreciated. The breakfasts were good with a decent selection, but nothing really changed over our 3-day stay; it was the same every day. The pastries and desserts were a bit weak; we mostly ate pancakes and fruit. There are many cats on the property, but you're not allowed to feed them. We didn't notice any smells. The indoor pool area was too stuffy, the hammam was a bit worn out with broken tiles, and one day the sauna was cold due to a technical malfunction. Nearby there's a promenade, a mall with a food court and restaurants, and a supermarket where we bought dinner, as the prices at the hotel itself were quite high. Be sure to check the mini-bar upon check-in; some items might be missing and could later be charged to you, like condoms, which weren't in our room initially. The deposit was 200 euros/dollars.

The location is close to the airport, so you constantly hear airplanes. However, the hotel is spacious. You can sunbathe. There's a hammam.

Beautiful hotel! We were lucky with the weather, it was sunny and the pool was clean. The mini-bar prices were a bit disappointing, quite expensive.

Staying at a Crowne Plaza under the InterContinental brand again. The hotel environment is elegant and it's close to the sea, so you can even take a walk along the beach after dinner! This time, I didn't get a twin room, but the hotel added an extra bed, which saved two gentlemen from an awkward situation 😅! The breakfast was as abundant as ever! The only thing missing was noodles or fried rice, which was tough for my Chinese palate after several days of Western food! Hope they can improve on that in the future!

The hotel is right by the sea, perfect for a relaxing stroll. There's a mall next door, which is really convenient for shopping. Plus, there are a few local restaurants across the street with great value for money on food. I've been staying here for years on my business trips.