Having never been to Istanbul I had to rely upon reviews to sort through the hundreds of hotels and this turned out to be a good pick. With only two days and nights in town, I wanted a safe, clean place near the main tourist sites and near lively (but not wild) bars and restaurants.

The Senatus was in a great location -- as others say it was less than a 10 minute walk from the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the palace, the Grand Bazaar, etc. Want to see the main sites in Istanbul in a day? -- you can do it from here.

The room was a decent size, clean, well decorated and as good as I expected it to be. The hotel is on a street lined with cafes -- one of few streets like this that I saw in this particular neighborhood -- and had a decent streetside cafe with outdoor seating and a nice place for a drink in the evenings. The staff at both the front desk and restaurant were great for telling us things to do and see. When we wanted to go to a rooftop bar to watch the sunset, they told us which one to go to across the street (sorry, I don't recall the name) and it had a great view of both the water and a stunning nighttime view of the Blue Mosque.

My room faced the rear of the hotel -- no view -- and ther was some noise outside -- but nothing more than you would expect from any city hotel.

The taxi from the airport was 20 minutes or so and not too expensive. We didn't want super budget so chose this for what appeared to be one of the nicer but not pricier independent hotels -- and this fit the bill.

We stayed two nights at the Senatus after a cruise from Athens. The hotel is in a great location on a street in the old town lined with restaurants and hotels. The ground floor is taken up mainly by a restaurant, and there is just a tiny and somewhat worn lobby. There is a desk attendand, but no bellboy, etc. although the desk attendand does help with bookings, cabs, etc. Our room faced the street and it was noisy at night - until about 2 in the morning. As mentioned, this is a street lined with restaurants and hotels, so a lot happening.
It is a short walk to the Blue Mosque and other sights, include the Four Season's Hotel, which has a wonderful restaurant.

Me and my husband spent 4 nights at Senatus Hotel in October 2012. The hotel is a walk away from all the must sees of Istanbul. The rooms are very clean and the service is splendid. The hotel managers are extremely friendly and more than willing to help. We had initially booked an economy room but due a small leak in the bathroom (which got repaired in few hours) , they upgraded us to their best room. And what a room it was..Huge and super cozy !!! We did a trip to Cappadocia for 2 days and they allowed us to leave our bigger bags in the hotel.The breakfast at the restaurant could be a little better. Would definitely stay there if i go to Istanbul again..Thanks for a wonderful experience!!!

We spent 4 nights here in mid November 2012 on a short break from the UK. The hotel was quiet with it being the low season, but the staff could not have been more helpful and attentive. The rooms were of a good size and well appointed. The food in the restaurant was also of a good standard - breakfast was part of the package, but we also had dinner in the hotel on one of the evenings. The location of the hotel was excellent, being only a short walk from the major attractions in Sultanahamet. Lots of restaurants and bars nearby and we were spoilt for choice. All in all, very happy to recommend the hotel to other travellers.

It is around 25 mins from the airport, depending on traffic, and a taxi should cost around 40 turkish lira, but beware of taxi drivers who do not use the meter and try and charge more. You can also get there relatively easily by metro and tram fromthe airport, although it is probably a 400 metre walk from the nearest tram stop (some cobbles if wheeling a suitcase!).