We picked this place for our Istanbul stop during our week long visit to Turkey, solely on its reviews on TA and its location. Being world travelers, but never having been to Istanbul before, we could not have been happier with our selection.

We received a free upgrade when we checked in, as the hotel was not full, which is always a pleasant surprise. (Did that give us a positive bias, maybe! Haha). the rooms were large, comfortable, and well decorated. You will not have the service of, say the luxurios Four Seasons up the street, as there is usually only a single receptionist on duty. However, the receptionist is always friendly and knowledgeable (especially restaurant and bar suggestions), and we were happy with our choice.

You cannot beat the location, as you can walk to every major site, which is a huge plus. Even if you don't stay at this hotel, you should definitely stay in the area. You will see much more, and really be able appreciate the local culture. For example, we were here during Ramadan, and we walked every night to the park in front of the mosque where crowds would gather at dusk to celebrate. What a great experiences! The hotel is also located on a row with many dining options, clubs, and bars. On one hand, this can get noisy if your room faces the street. Ours did, and we were ok, but just pointing that out. However, we also liked the fact that we were able to just walk out the door and partake in the city's nightlife.

For the price and location, this hotel is hard to beat.

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!!!