Kondoskali Hotel in Istanbul

AVOID THIS HOTEL AT ALL COSTS, COMPLETE SCAM!
This place is an absolute disgrace and nothing short of a scam. The photos online are completely misleading, what you see is not what you get. The room I was given looked like it hadn’t been touched in years: dirty floors, a bed that was literally falling apart, and a mattress that was so old and thin it felt like sleeping on wooden planks.
To make things worse, the bathroom was disgusting. The drain was blocked and the entire room smelled terrible. I complained and was moved to another room, but it wasn’t any better, just another version of the same nightmare.
No staff members spoke any English, making it impossible to get any kind of help or service. On top of that, the cleaning lady used chlorine everywhere, in the rooms, the stairwell, the lobby, and the smell was overpowering and nauseating. It felt more like a chemical warehouse than a hotel.
This place isn’t worth even 1 lira. I genuinely hope this hotel shuts down so no other travelers are scammed like I was. Do yourself a favor: spend a little more elsewhere and get a decent, honest place to stay. This was a terrible experience I wouldn't wish on anyone.

The guy Ali at the reception was very polite and helpful.

WARNING : BEDBUGS
If the hotel's name was written in the airbnb decription, I could have googled it to read the reviews so it wouldn't ruin our family holiday in Istanbul.

I booked through Airbnb and the cost for 3 nights was over 180euro with comission, the pictures were nice and the location seemed nice as well - near the places of interest and the metro station.
When we got out at Yeni Kapi we were quite surprised by the neighbourhood, as we walked through the squalid streets we passed some dubious characters - most of whom were men. Some of the buildings were ruined and some within 50 metres of the hotel were burnt and abandoned.
We arrived 2 hours before check-in, after making sure we could leave our backpacks and go to explore the city. The hotel itself was descibed as butique, but it turned out to be just an old building adapted to a hotel at the lowest cost.

The vicinity didn't seem right for a family stay, the place made a bad impression by day and coming back in the evening seemed risky. We talked to the owner and he tried to convince us that the place was safe.
We decided to have a look at the room - I had read the airbnb reviews before booking and I was aware that the apartment is on the 5th floor without lift. But we were surprised by how steep the stairs were and the staircase narrow. If we had suitcases it would be a huge challenge to take the things upstairs. When we got to the 4th floor it turned out that it was the last floor - the apartment we'd rented was built, probably illegally, on the roof.
The room wasn't ready yet as the previous guests left it just when we arrived so I don't comment on the cleanless itself - I haven't seen it after cleaning. The rooms were tiny (the pictures were taken with wide lens), the flooring panels were warped and the place was very hot even though it was a cloudy day. I had already read the google reviews at that time, so I checked the beds. I lifted the bedsheet and found a huge BEDBUG. That was too much. We left hurriedly towards the reception desk, unfortunatelly not taking pictures other than the one of the bedbug.

We informed the owner that our stay there was out of the quiestion. He shrugged and informed us that our stay was unrefundable so we don't need to stay but our payment won't be given back.

I called airbnb for support and even though they expressed their saddness with our experience, they accepted the explanation from the owner that the room hadn't been cleaned yet so we should check-in after 2pm and wait with children for bed bugs to come back from the corners of the beds - and then take the pictures - it would be the only way to make use of their customer care. That's not a solution I could accept.

To sum up - this place is not worth even considering. What you get has nothing to do with what you see in the pictures. Check google street view and see the neighbourhood, read reviews, avoid. Don't expect support from Airbnb, that was probably our last booking with them.

+ -
- There were no water to take shower and even to brush teeth. Extremely dissapointing.

We stayed in this hotel for 3 nights, and after the 2nd one staff asked us to move to another room for no reason. That night we saw some bedbugs in the room, and its toilet was hella smelly and we asked what we can do. We were given another room, where we saw the same bedbugs. After all, the staff told us they never had them and maybe it us who brought them?! It left horrible impression.

But I gotta say that receptionist Ali is really nice and did his best, shared tea all the time. If he saw those bugs himself, he would do smth about it I hope. But this nice impression you get once being well welcomed is unmatchable to the condition of rooms.

Few more things to say. Breakfast had really small variety of options, but good variety of teas. Neighborhood itself is okay, its' good side is closeness to touristic places. There is also terrace, and it's in such a state that you don't wanna know they have it. Totally horrible. Also wifi in the rooms and lobby sucks.

Overall, it's not acceptable to have such a good staff, well-equipped rooms and such a dirty space, sometimes not safe! The price is good, but I don't advice this place to anyone even though, once again, staff is really nice and welcoming.