Candy Boutique: family rooms and evening entertainment

Candy Boutique is a hotel at Binbirdirek Mahallesi Katip Sinan Cami Sokak No:23, postcode 34122, in Istanbul. Its position puts it within a kilometre, in a straight line, of most of the major sights of this district: the Sokollu Mehmed Pasha I Mosque is about 0.1 km away, the Little Hagia Sophia about 0.3 km, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque about 0.4 km and Hagia Sophia about 0.7 km. Topkapı Palace and the Süleymaniye Mosque are each about 1.3 km away, and Sirkeci railway station about 1.1 km.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is about 30.7 km away, in a straight line. The hotel runs an airport shuttle for a fee.

The six room types span a wide range of size and bed arrangements. The Budget Double Room is the smallest at 11 m², with one double bed and a city view; it sleeps up to 3, though three adults in 11 m² is a tight fit, and it works best for a couple watching cost or space. The Standard Double Room, at 23 m² with a super-king bed and a sea view, also sleeps up to 3 and gives a couple considerably more room.

For families and small groups, the two largest rooms are the natural picks. The Comfort Quadruple Room, at 36 m², has one king bed and two twin beds; the Standard Family Room, at 35 m², has one queen bed and two twin beds. Both give four people a bed each without anyone on a fold-out.

Between these sit the Comfort Room, at 25 m² with a king bed and sleeping up to 3, and the Comfort Double Room Single Use, at 20 m² with one twin bed for one guest travelling alone.

The hotel's facilities lean towards families with children and towards evenings in. It has family rooms, babysitting and evening entertainment, so parents can put children to bed or go out knowing the hotel itself provides the evening's amusement. Room service rounds this out for nights when nobody wants to leave the room.

Solo travellers and couples get less from the family-oriented side but still benefit from the room service and the range of room sizes, from the 11 m² budget double up to the 25 m² Comfort Room. The airport shuttle, for a fee, serves anyone arriving at or leaving for Sabiha Gökçen.

Check-in runs from 14:00, with a latest check-in time of 23:30; check-out is until 12:00. Anyone arriving after 23:30 should not assume they can check in, as the hotel states a cut-off.

Children are allowed at the hotel, and with family rooms and babysitting among its provisions it is set up for them. Pets are not allowed, so travellers with animals need a different hotel.

Groups of four should look first at the Comfort Quadruple Room and the Standard Family Room.

It suits a solo traveller less well in one respect: the single-use room has a twin bed rather than a double, though at 20 m² it is not cramped. It does not suit pet owners at all, since pets are not allowed. Travellers who want a large room on a budget should note that the smallest category is 11 m², so the step up to the 23 m² Standard Double or the 25 m² Comfort Room is worth it for anything beyond a short stay.