Amy Adejokun
Section editor
Located near to the old town, the Centrum is a small comfortable hotel suitable for a couple spending a weekend or short stay there.
Centrum - © EASYVOYAGE
Centrum - © EASYVOYAGE
Located in the Sirkeci district, the Centrum hotel is on the corner of two small streets and a 5-minute walk from the train station (2,297 ft). It is best to use this mode of transport to save time and explore the whole city. The Grand Bazaar is 2,297 ft away, the St. Sophia Basilica and the Topkapi Palace 656 ft away and the Blue Mosque 984 ft away. You can also take a taxi, which is cheap, although this option is less practical due to traffic jams.
The hotel has 48 bedrooms. The standard ones are basic but quite well equipped. The spotted fitted carpet is rather dated but all the wooden furniture is recent and the area is generally pleasant. The golden colour of the bedspreads and curtains is quite pretty and matches the rest of the room well, as this is done out in shades of white. The downside of the bedrooms is that they do not offer very good views. The bathroom is clean but very basic and particularly narrow. Finally, as far as facilities are concerned, the safe deposit box is not in the bedroom but in the reception, there is a television, and the telephone line is direct and international.
Built in 1993 and renovated in 2004, the Centrum is a small hotel, the entrance to which is spacious enough for you not to feel cramped. This area is done out in shades of off-white and wood and is adorned with various green plants everywhere you look. The lounge area, which is particularly elegant, has wooden coffee tables with glass tops and impressive armchairs in a beige material. Other leisure facilities consist of a single computer available for those wishing to connect to the Internet and the "Amerikan Bar" (which incurs an additional charge), which is located on the first floor and overlooks the lobby. With a plasma television screen, black leather armchairs and glass tables, this place can be very pleasant for a private evening. The only problem is that you have to pay for access to the sauna and Turkish bath. This well-being area is on the 2nd floor and is open from 10.30am to 10pm every day and also contains a massage room (available at extra cost). It is clean, but not very inviting.
One of its strong points is the Terrace restaurant on the 6th and top floor of the hotel. This restaurant offering panoramic views is stylishly decorated but rather plain. Beams with a wooden finish and lovely wooden chairs and tables and wooden flooring make the place pleasant, and from here you can appreciate the view of the Topkapi Palace, the St. Sophia Basilica and the left (Europe) and right (Asia) banks of the Bosphorus.The cuisine served is local and international and rich in flavours. The most common package at the hotel being "bed and breakfast", you can have breakfast, which is served in the form of a buffet, between 7am and 10am. Lunch and dinner are served à la carte or as set menus, between 12pm and 2.30pm and between 7pm and 11pm.However, you should be aware that gulls can pay you a visit and keep you company during meals whatever the time of day!
It is an ideal base for exploring the city's main historical monuments. You can also see them from the hotel restaurant, which has a panoramic view.
sauna, Turkish bath, massage, beauty salon
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