Agora Life Hotel
4.0 out of 5.0
4.0
out of 5
"Good!"
See all 20 reviews
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Recent guest reviews
not bad at all first time just by looking at pictures i thought it was great but as always the pictures are overrated all in all not bad.
I usually travel with my husband, but on this occasion travel for a meeting gave me a couple of days in the old part of Istanbul as a woman alone. Feeling more vulnerable than usual in an unfamiliar city (especially one in which groups of men seem to run the restaurants and shops and be the largest presence on the streets), I particularly appreciated the courteous welcome I was given at the hotel desk. The fact that the staff quickly came to recognize me made me feel more secure. They always seemed pleased to help me -- lending me a plug adapter for my laptop when I'd forgotten mine at home, giving me an umbrella when it was raining, and so forth. Being alone intensified my appreciation, but the practical details of the room (clean, comfortable) and its location (superb as a tourist base!) were already enough to make me decide that, when I persuade my husband to come with me next time, we will want to stay there again. (The breakfasts were good, too.)
Agora Life Hotel was serviceable. If you're going to spend most of your time out in the city, it's a fine place to sleep. It's in a great location, close to the Grand Bazaar, Ayasofya, and The Blue Mosque. The view from the terrace was wonderful. The staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. There were a few issues with cleanliness: one pillow and parts of the shower had visible black mildew. Otherwise, not a bad place to stay.
Very happy with the Stay, Helpful staff, close to all the attractions and shopping/eating places
The best part about this hotel is the staff. They were all extremely helpful and friendly! I can't think of enough good things to say about how nice everyone was. This hotel has a great location within walking of distance of all the old town sites. The only problem is that cabs never seem to realize where it is, but once you know, it's a great place. The breakfast is lovely, the rooms are clean and the view from the roof was fantastic! When I go back to Istanbul, I'm staying here again.
Nice location, if probably would stay there again. One thing, staff outstanding customer service, no doubt.
If you're looking for any or all of the following in a boutique-style hotel, the Agora is definitely the place to stay in Istanbul: economy, close to the sites of the Sultanahmet and other historic locations, very helpful, friendly and efficient staff (literally everyone from the manager on down), great buffet breakfast that will hold you the whole day, and all managers with good levels of English. Everyone in this hotel makes you feel at home. Located in a quiet/secluded spot of the Old City.
Excellent location. Staff very cooperative. Breakfast good with lot of variety. Only little attention needs for room comfort. One more chair and table in the room can make it more comfortable. Overall good experience to stay in Agora life.
Excellent Location !!! Very safe neighborhood. Lots of restaurants and shopping (actually all the biggest shopping in Old Istanbul is 5 minutes walking). All the biggest Istanbul Attractions are 5-15 minutes away by walk. Excellent staff members, very helpful, cordial and friendly. The helped in arranging all our day and night trips efficiently. Provided great tips and maps etc. Rooms are small per American Standards but that is OK for European standard. Everything you can imagine you would need is provided (including a shoe shiner, sewing kit, free tea/coffee/water bottle in your room, hairdryer, shoe horn etc). The only thing missing was an iron and ironing board. The owners have made this small 16 room Boutique Hotel with exception in mind and I think they are quite successful. Great Value. The rooftop Eating arrangement is a plus with great view of the Harbor and Aya Sofia. Would definitely stay here again and recommend to anyone.
We spent 3 nights a the Agora Life and found it to easily be a 4 star hotel. The location is idea, just down the street from the Blue Mosque, etc. Very helpful and friendly staff and a great breakfast included with the room. Recommend it highly.
The staff at Agora Life Hotel made our stay in Istanbul THE BEST!!! The staff went out of their way to assist us with all our reservations and were always attentive and available when we arrived/departed the hotel. The gifts during our departure were very much appreciated! The hotel location was quiet, but perfect walking distance to all the major mosques and museums. The food and roof top deck were outstanding. I would highly recommend this hotel.
The hotel smells really bad and the location of the hotel has nothing to offer except for a poor view of the Hagia Sofia museum from a small terrace. I had problem with the AC and did nothing neither change our room. The breakfast is mediocre for the price you pay. All companies should delete this hotel from its list. Just a couple of blocks from there there are many options a lot better and cheaper.
I was incredibly pleased with the hotel. The staff was helpful and efficient throughout. For a European hotel, the room was quite spacious, with good closet space, actually two spaces to sit and eat or read, a good sized bathroom, and VERY clean. The bed was quite comfortable, the water pressure and temperature in the shower was great, and the air conditioning excellent. It is in a great location in the Old Town, very close to various sites and within very short walking distance to the tram. The breakfast in the morning was diverse, fresh, and excellent. DO NOT miss the rooftop terrace. It is amazing. The only issue I had was getting to the hotel in the first place, as the taxi driver had trouble, even with the address given to him. If you tell him to go to the Basilica Cistern, however, it will get you within just a few blocks of the place, and you should be able to get help from there! I think this hotel was an EXCELLENT value for the price, and I would go back there again easily.
Location is perfect. Close to major attractions and transportation. Staff was exceptionally helpful. Room was quiet . Views in certain rooms are amazing. If me and my partner ever return to Istanbul, we would absolutely return to the Agora hotel.
We were there for 3 nights just touring on our way to India ...lovely location, close to many must see attractions. Rooms were small but very clean and tidy . Breakfast was included and was adequate. good value for the price.
I normally would not write a review of a Hotel unless it was awful! However Agora Life Hotel is amazingly wonderful! The Hotel is ideally located in a wonderful and friendly neighborhood. It is exceptionally safe and clean. The staff is amazing! They really took care of us and made sure our trip to Istanbul was the best. I can not say enough great things about this hotel!
The room and bathroom are stylishly decorated. It is only about 4 blocks from Hagia Sophia mosque and the roof terrace views of it and the Bosphorus are fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed the terrace three times during my stay. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. They arranged my airport transfer and made a reservation for me to see the whirling dervishes. The negatives of my stay reflected in my 2 star comfort score are that the bed in my room was rock hard and my room faced a side street which was very noisy. Across the street from the hotel demolition on a building was going until almost 10pm. I really liked this hotel. But the noise and bed did effect my ability to get a good night of sleep
Well located, but rooms are smal, Internet facility provided, breakfast is where they need to improve as they serve the same stuff everyday day after day. Otherwise a good place to be in, No panoramic view from the rooms, but from the Terrace its totally different. Staff is good. AC was not cooling well maybe the capacity was inadequate or undersized.
With the hundreds of small hotels around Istanbul it's easy to imagine this one just getting lost in the shuffle. This was a great value and nicer than hotels twice the price. I stayed at three hotels over 8 days, one other in Istanbul. Although it has a modest appearance from the street, this hotel is really a great find. The manager spoke better English than anyone else I encountered in Turkey. I only stayed there one night, but the manager treated me like I owned the place, providing lots of good advice and complementary fruit and wine in the room. This was in addition to the free bottled water, coffee, tea, etc. The bathrooms were newly renovated and the shower was spacious. The bed was the most comfortable of all the hotels I visited. Other hotels which were pricier had really hard beds. This one was soft with soft pillows. The rooftop terrace was the best of the dozen or so rooftop places I visited in Turkey, with breathtaking views of the Hagia Sofia, a wonder of the world (not the Blue Mosque as described in the profile). Across the street is a 300 year old Turkish Bath (Hamam) that has been visited by famous leaders and Hollywood stars. I recommend one trip there. The bath is a bit pricey, but a unique experience, that made the NYT bestselling book list of 1000 places to visit before you die. It has great location, great staff, and nice amenities. You will not be disappointed.
very good position, but not only. the staff is really fantastic, explaning everything about Istambul, organizing transfer, dinner and trips. the room is nice and the view is amazing , especially from the terrace.
Hotel highlights
- Walking distance to Basilica Cistern and Cagaloglu Hamami
- Free buffet breakfast
- Free WiFi in rooms and public areas
- Free parking
Located in Fatih, Agora Life Hotel is adjacent to Cagaloglu Hamami and within a 5-minute walk of other popular sights like Basilica Cistern. This 16-room, 4-star hotel has free breakfast along with conveniences like free in-room WiFi and free self parking. Centrally located in Istanbul, the hotel is also a short walk from Hagia Sophia and Istanbul Archaeology Museum.
Dining
Free buffet breakfast is served each morning from 7:30 AM to 10 AM. Order from 24-hour room service to satisfy your hunger without leaving your room, sip a beverage at the bar/lounge or coffee shop/café, and mingle with other guests at the free daily manager's reception.
Rooms
Agora Life Hotel's 16 soundproofed rooms provide minibars, electric kettles, and free bottled water. Guests can expect free WiFi and LED TVs with satellite channels. Memory foam beds sport premium bedding and bathrooms offer hair dryers and designer toiletries. Laptop-compatible safes, phones, and desks are also standard.
Property features
Guests of Agora Life Hotel enjoy free WiFi in public areas, coffee in a common area, and a computer station. There's free parking, and an airport shuttle (available 24 hours) for TRY 140 per room one way. Multilingual staff at the 24-hour front desk can assist with dry cleaning/laundry, concierge services, and luggage storage. Additional amenities include a library, express check-in, and express check-out.
Guest reviews for Agora Life Hotel
fun trip
Couples
not bad at all first time just by looking at pictures i thought it was great but as always the pictures are overrated all in all not bad.
secure and welcomed in istanbul
GetawayWithFriends
I usually travel with my husband, but on this occasion travel for a meeting gave me a couple of days in the old part of Istanbul as a woman alone. Feeling more vulnerable than usual in an unfamiliar city (especially one in which groups of men seem to run the restaurants and shops and be the largest presence on the streets), I particularly appreciated the courteous welcome I was given at the hotel desk. The fact that the staff quickly came to recognize me made me feel more secure. They always seemed pleased to help me -- lending me a plug adapter for my laptop when I'd forgotten mine at home, giving me an umbrella when it was raining, and so forth. Being alone intensified my appreciation, but the practical details of the room (clean, comfortable) and its location (superb as a tourist base!) were already enough to make me decide that, when I persuade my husband to come with me next time, we will want to stay there again. (The breakfasts were good, too.)
great location & view, helpful staff
Couples
Agora Life Hotel was serviceable. If you're going to spend most of your time out in the city, it's a fine place to sleep. It's in a great location, close to the Grand Bazaar, Ayasofya, and The Blue Mosque. The view from the terrace was wonderful. The staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. There were a few issues with cleanliness: one pillow and parts of the shower had visible black mildew. Otherwise, not a bad place to stay.
excellent hospitality/location, slightly hard to locate
GetawayWithFriends
Very happy with the Stay, Helpful staff, close to all the attractions and shopping/eating places
perfect staff and great location!
Families
The best part about this hotel is the staff. They were all extremely helpful and friendly! I can't think of enough good things to say about how nice everyone was. This hotel has a great location within walking of distance of all the old town sites. The only problem is that cabs never seem to realize where it is, but once you know, it's a great place. The breakfast is lovely, the rooms are clean and the view from the roof was fantastic! When I go back to Istanbul, I'm staying here again.
hotel
Singles
Nice location, if probably would stay there again. One thing, staff outstanding customer service, no doubt.
this is the place
Couples
If you're looking for any or all of the following in a boutique-style hotel, the Agora is definitely the place to stay in Istanbul: economy, close to the sites of the Sultanahmet and other historic locations, very helpful, friendly and efficient staff (literally everyone from the manager on down), great buffet breakfast that will hold you the whole day, and all managers with good levels of English. Everyone in this hotel makes you feel at home. Located in a quiet/secluded spot of the Old City.
perfect for family
Couples
Excellent location. Staff very cooperative. Breakfast good with lot of variety. Only little attention needs for room comfort. One more chair and table in the room can make it more comfortable. Overall good experience to stay in Agora life.
excellent anniversary and eid ul adha ce;ebration
Couples
Excellent Location !!! Very safe neighborhood. Lots of restaurants and shopping (actually all the biggest shopping in Old Istanbul is 5 minutes walking). All the biggest Istanbul Attractions are 5-15 minutes away by walk. Excellent staff members, very helpful, cordial and friendly. The helped in arranging all our day and night trips efficiently. Provided great tips and maps etc. Rooms are small per American Standards but that is OK for European standard. Everything you can imagine you would need is provided (including a shoe shiner, sewing kit, free tea/coffee/water bottle in your room, hairdryer, shoe horn etc). The only thing missing was an iron and ironing board. The owners have made this small 16 room Boutique Hotel with exception in mind and I think they are quite successful. Great Value. The rooftop Eating arrangement is a plus with great view of the Harbor and Aya Sofia. Would definitely stay here again and recommend to anyone.
great location and staff
Couples
We spent 3 nights a the Agora Life and found it to easily be a 4 star hotel. The location is idea, just down the street from the Blue Mosque, etc. Very helpful and friendly staff and a great breakfast included with the room. Recommend it highly.