The Local in Istanbul

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE - CANCEL IF YOU HAVE TIME

This hostel is a scam, the description they offer does not match what it is. I went with my mother to this hotel and it was a big disappointment. We were put in a dirty room with very old mattresses with no consideration whatsoever, which was also next to a mosque (which nobody had warned us about) which woke us up at 5am. The breakfast is unpresentable: a cardboard box with a hard-boiled egg, poor quality bread, two olives, a ridiculous box of cheese and jam. Nothing to do with the proposal they sell. In addition, the breakfast area is a dirty, dark and unventilated space... because of course! the terrace is non-existent! It is in another building (information that we also discovered while we were there and one of the reasons why we decided to book this hostel).
We asked the owner for a change of room and we went to the other building in better conditions, even so, it was dirty, they didn't even give us towels, the shower was mouldy and flooded with water from the shower (which was broken) and they didn't clean it for a week. Really?

To top it off, when my mother went to leave a comment about her experience the response was: ‘maybe people over 60 shouldn't stay in a hostel but in a hotel’. A lack of self-criticism, responsibility and empathy. Shameful!

Booked for 3 nights, double room in building with the roof terrace. Warm welcome from owner and then shown to room which was in the cafe building and a very basic twin room. Unfortunately we were too tired to question it and after a bad night's sleep on an old sagging mattress and a room well below our expections (it's badly in need of refurbishment) and a polystyrene tray breakfast in our room, we decided to check out. No refund given and booking in Hostel World cancelled so unable to leave a review there!
Whilst it is central, I would not recommend The Local as it really needs to improve the room and overall quality of the offering for the price being charged

Cruel, disrespectful owner. Stopped here for a coffee and everything was just great until the owner of this place showed up and spent five minutes yelling at his employee, trying to humiliate her calling her dumb girl, stupid girl, and kept on and on and on. No idea what was wrong , though nothing excuses that kind of cruelty. Once I walked in to pay, and he realized I could hear him, he smiled at me as if nothing was wrong. I paid, and on my way out I was so angry that I asked him if he spoke to his mother and sisters that way- he got REALLY angry and got in my face yelling “adieu!” as I walked out. This owner deserves nothing good!

Scam! No breakfast buffet instead it's dry bread, warm cheese and one packet of instant coffee which gets put together the night before. Cheese and meats are not in the fridge overnight. Also it's expected you do the dishes yourself. The private room is directly above the train tracks and the window doesn't properly close so it's very loud. Shower was the barely usable. They cancelled the stay as a "no show" after we left so I can't give a review on the platform I used to book.