HI - The Orient Hostel

I stayed in a room across the street. It was very noisy from the street and difficult to sleep although I was wearing earplugs. I'd definitely not go there again! The room was ugly and a bit dirty, it was the worst hostel I stayed at in Turkey, and also the most expensive!!

I stayed in a 4-bed dorm that was really smelly and dirty. They didn't clean it, not even once in the 5 days that I stayed there. They only emptied the full garbage basket when I showed it to them after 2 days. The carpet is so old and dirty and smelly that it doesn't need cleaning anymore — it has to be removed. Bathrooms were ok, quite clean compared to many others. Breakfast is ok and the guys in the bar are nice, while the guys at the reception desk are quite rude. The terrace on the rooftop is nice, but I saw all the hostels around with the same kind of rooftop with the same view, so maybe you should check another one without smelly carpets.

This hostel was a bit mixed. The dorms looked fine, but the private room we had was hilarious. It was tiny and smelly and dirty. The breakfast was really good, and the bathrooms were fine. The roof bar was nice and the view from the terrace was really good. The HI discount wasn't actually a discount; it was just 10 percent off and then you didn't get breakfast. The discount was the cost of breakfast, so it was actually just that HI members had the right to choose if they wanted breakfast or not. But it was not such a big deal. Maybe HI is more of a seal of approval in other countries. The Internet was free. Most of the bar staff were really friendly and nice. The main reception guy was fine but there was one who had a real attitude problem. We were told we could pay by Visa and so we didn't get any money out to pay. It turned out we couldn't use Visa because the travel agency was closed, so we scraped together the money and asked if it was ok to pay the last 10L (£4) in the morning. The staff person snapped at us and told us none of us would get our passports till he got the money. There is a bag storage place, another bar with belly dancers below and shisha. On the whole it was ok. It is probably a really great place to stay in season, but then all of the hostels in the area had roof terraces and bars so maybe they were better. Go to the little restaurant in the market next to the Blue Mosque as you get to the main road, there are whirling Dervishes and a really good Turkish atmosphere. The hostel had a travel agency, too, which was good. There wasn't that great of an atmosphere. It was pretty quiet, but maybe it was good in season. There was an ant infestation in the room.

I stayed here for almost three weeks. It has great views, and a very friendly, helpful staff. I met some incredible people there. There is free breakfast, with eggs cooked to order. The Internet is free for those staying at the hostel.

Good views from the roof terrace, good location, great for meeting other travelers. Just don't drink the "wine" in the restaurant. Bleugh!

Amazing view and nice people for a cheap price. It's the hostel to stay at when you are in Instanbul.

Great place, great location, fantastic staff! (And a free breakfast to boot.) It is really easy to get spoiled at the Orient, due to the price and how much they offer.

Good staff. Friendly, clean, nice view at the cafeteria central.