Taksim Star Hotel in Istanbul

The hotel's location is excellent, except for a couple of issues: 1.) There's a hospital nearby, and the ambulance's siren can be heard day and night. 2.) The Istiklal Promenade is nearby, and taxi drivers swear and honk their horns. 3.) There's a rooftop restaurant next door with music playing until the early hours. The rooms are beautiful, with a magnificent view, especially from the deluxe room, but there are a few drawbacks here too. 1.) The windows are drafty, and the wind from the Bosphorus is very strong. 2.) The air conditioning in the room doesn't work, even on heating, so it's very cold. No matter how much they tried to help us and give us an extra blanket, we ended up getting sick and left Istanbul with a sore throat. We couldn't even take a shower in five days; the room temperature was uninviting. 3) The wall next to the neighbors felt like cardboard, at least in the deluxe room. We had two Turkish neighbors who would come over at 3 a.m. and sing songs, and even when they weren't singing, they were discussing something very loudly, and everything could be heard. 4) The extra-cost lunch breakfast never arrived, and we were provided two glasses of water and a one-time supply of tea and coffee in the room during our stay. If the hotel improves, it could be very popular if all of the above is addressed. The location is excellent, the view from the window is magnificent. The rooms are also cozy. The bed is comfortable, and the linens are clean. If you're traveling in warm weather and don't sleep at night, this is a good choice.