City Hall Apart Hotel Sultanahmet: family rooms, sea views

City Hall Apart Hotel Sultanahmet stands on Okul Sokak in Istanbul. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is about 0.6 km away and Hagia Sophia about 0.9 km, in a straight line. The Sokollu Mehmed Pasha I Mosque is closer still, about 0.2 km, and Little Hagia Sophia about 0.4 km.

Further out, the Süleymaniye Mosque is about 1.3 km away, Topkapı Palace about 1.4 km and Sirkeci railway station about 1.2 km, all in a straight line. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is about 30.9 km away; the hotel runs an airport shuttle for a fee.

The two smallest rooms are both 22 m²: the Budget Double Room, with a double bed and a sofa bed and a city view, and the Twin Room, with two twin beds and a sofa bed, with a city view. A step up in size, the Standard Double Room and the Standard Triple Room are each 25 m² and both look onto the courtyard; the Standard Double has a twin bed, a double bed and a sofa bed, while the Standard Triple has a double bed and a sofa bed.

For space and a view of the sea, the Double Room with Balcony and Sea View offers 45 m², a queen bed and a sofa bed, and a balcony. The two largest rooms suit families: the Family Room has 50 m², three twin beds, a double bed and a sofa bed, with a city view, and the Family Suite has 55 m², four twin beds, a double bed and a sofa bed, with a sea view. The Family Suite is the only room that combines the largest floor area with a sea view.

This is an aparthotel rather than a conventional hotel, and its room types reflect that: family rooms with several separate beds sit alongside simpler doubles and twins. Children are allowed, so the Family Room and the Family Suite both work for households travelling together.

Room service runs through a mobile app. The airport shuttle is paid, as is the parking. Travellers who want a pool, a spa or a restaurant as part of the hotel's own facilities will not find them here; the hotel's facilities do not include any of these.

Check-in runs from 14:00, with a latest check-in time of 23:00, and check-out is until 11:00. Arrivals after 23:00 are not provided for, so late flights into Sabiha Gökçen, about 30.9 km away in a straight line, are worth planning around.

Children are allowed. Pets are not allowed. Parking at the hotel is paid.

It suits families and small groups who want beds for several people in one room: the Family Room and the Family Suite each carry a double bed, a sofa bed and three or four twin beds, and children are allowed. Couples and solo travellers have smaller options in the Budget Double Room, the Standard Double Room and the Twin Room, and the Double Room with Balcony and Sea View adds space, a balcony and a sea view for two sharing.

It does not suit anyone travelling with a pet, since pets are not allowed, or anyone counting on checking in after 23:00. Travellers expecting a resort-style property should note that the hotel's facilities do not include a pool or a spa.