The Armada Hotel was a very good experience for me. I have seldom stayed at a hotel with such an excellent service and with such friendliness towards the customers. The hotel is situated nearly perfect within a 10 minute walk from all major attractions in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi and the Grand Bazar. The view from the restaurant on the top floor was amazing, the Bosphorus in one direction and the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque in the other. The food was also excellent. On top of it all, the price was very modest.
My stay in December was a business trip, but I intend to go back already the first week of January on a private trip.

The Armada is a wonderful value for the money. The hotel staff is very friendly and accommodating. After the first night I noted that one of flyers in the room said that a softer mattress would be provided if the one supplied was too hard. Although I like hard mattresses I thought the one on the bed was a little too spartan and the mattress was replaced at my request. The breakfast buffet (included in the price of the room) was a great value.
The dining area is on top of the hotel providing great views of Santa Sophia and the Blue Mosque. My one problem with the hotel is its location. It is not handy to public transportation and about the only way to get around is by tax. To be truthful the hotel is at the bottom of a very steep hill on top of which are the aforesaid Santa Sophia and Blue Mosque. But since I do not have mountain goat genes I found climbing the hill and even descending was too much of a chore.

Staying in a good but reasonably priced hotel was very important to me on my recent trip to Istanbul. I did a good amount of research, and it paid off, as I chose the Armada Hotel and couldn't be happier with the result. The room was clean and comfortable; the queen-sized bed was firm and had 4 fluffy pillows! Breakfast at the rooftop restaurant was spectacular; the food was great, the view top-notch, and the hotel made sure I had an English language newspaper waiting for me at breakfast.

I went in the off-season, but I was pleased that the hotel is tucked away in a quieter section down the hill from Sultanahmet. It's also right across the street from the Bosporus, which made for relaxing evening walks out to the fish restaurants at Kumkapi. It is a rather steep uphill climb back to Sultanahmet, though, but taken slow, the walk is pleasant enough.

That whole area behind the Blue Mosque and down to the Bosporus contains some great restaurants and good hotel bars. The staff at the Armada is very helpful and the whole place exudes a nice sense of calm and comfort that's quite welcome after a busy day in a boisterous city.

The bathrooms were spotless (another important consideration for me), the TV worked (but was a bit small) and the fridge comes stocked with food and drink. The rooms contain copies of Cornucopia, a great magazine, as well as other reading material. I would certainly stay again at the Armada.

This was the second visit to Turkey on business and also the second stay at the Armada Hotel. On both occasions I experienced most friendly staff who have a good understanding of English. The room was very clean and well decorated. The general surroundings inside the hotel are very pleasant and there are several interesting features in the foyer including a fountain,complete with a family of turtles! The only slight downside was that the wi-fi coverage was not great and only worked in certain areas of the room. Colleagues who were also staying at the hotel found similar problems. That said, it was always possible to get connectivity, so no great problem there. The breakfast buffet, served in the terrace restaurant was exceptional with a huge selecton of cheese, fruit and savory dishes to choose from, with the added advantage of stunning views from the windows. I would definitely stay ther again on future visits.