Five advices to those who is choosing a hotel in Istanbul.

1. Trust the professionals
You can hear this in any advertisement track. In a nutshell, it means something like "Do not disturb us all the time, we will find something for you." Well, this is a wrong way of trusting the professionals. The right way will be letting the travel agency select a hotel for you having informed them about ALL the things you would like to see there. Moreover, you should control the whole process to ensure that the hotel they offer will be all right for you.

2. Keep in mind your purpose of visiting Istanbul
There are 3 main purposes why people come to Istanbul. The first is visiting the whole lot of its landmarks, monuments, ancient mosques and churches. Regarding this, Istanbul is the champion among all the other cities on Earth. The second is shopping. And the third is just rest in Istanbul like in any other modern huge city. All these alternatives imply a different kind of hotel. For excursion programs it will be somewhere in Sultanahmet (inexpensive, and in the very historical centre). Shopping will mean Laleli (the commercial heart of Istanbul). The third case will most probably require Taksim, Sirkeci or Beyoglu.

3. Book your room in advance
The earlier the better, in this case. The reason is not that you will be in danger of coming to Istanbul, and coming against absolute absence of accommodation. The point is that the earlier you book, the less you pay.

4. Enquire about the age of the hotel
If you like comfort, choose a modern hotel. There are lots of them, in Istanbul, mostly 4-and 5-star. There also oldie 5-stars, but be aware that they are less comfortable and luxurious that the youngsters. Old 3-stars often mean that you will get a small room. On the other hand, if you come here just to walk or buy things, these details are barely important.

5. Enquire about what is seen from the windows
Istanbul is a huge city, but territory here is extremely expensive. Therefore, if is often so that the buildings are just attached to each other on narrow streets. This is a usual case for Sultanahmet (the historical centre of Istanbul). It will not entertain you much if the only thing you see from your room will be the windows of the opposite hotel. Therefore, while choosing your hotel, ask what view is observable from your room. Better watching Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque than a neighbouring building, is it not?