Kafkas Hotel Istanbul in Sirkeci, 0.6 km from Hagia Sophia

Kafkas Hotel Istanbul stands on Hudavendigar Caddesi in Sirkeci, postcode 34104. Sirkeci railway station is about 0.2 km away, in a straight line, which matters if you arrive or leave by train.

The old landmarks sit close in a straight line: Hagia Irene about 0.5 km, Hagia Sophia about 0.6 km, Topkapı Palace about 0.6 km and the New Mosque about 0.6 km. Sultan Ahmed Mosque is about 0.9 km and Süleymaniye Mosque about 1.2 km.

For flights, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is about 30.7 km away and Istanbul Airport (IST) about 33.8 km, both in a straight line. The hotel runs an airport shuttle for a fee.

There are four room types. The Single Room is the smallest at 17 m², with one twin bed and sleeping space for one; it is the straightforward choice for a solo traveller. The Double Room and the Twin Room are both 24 m² and differ only in bed arrangement: one double bed in the Double, two twin beds in the Twin, so a couple who prefer separate beds take the Twin at the same size.

The Triple Room is the largest at 30 m², with three twin beds and sleeping space for up to four. Combined with the hotel's family rooms and the rule that children are allowed, it is the room a family or a small group sharing would take.

This is a hotel in the conventional sense rather than a resort: the facilities that shape a stay here are room service, a paid airport shuttle, family rooms and a lift. There is no pool, spa or restaurant-scale set-up among the hotel's own facilities, so the stay is built around the room and the surrounding city rather than around amenities in the building.

The paid airport shuttle is the one service worth planning ahead: it covers airport drop-off and pick-up, which saves negotiating that transfer on arrival day.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00, giving a standard midday rhythm to the day of arrival and departure.

Children are allowed, and with family rooms and a triple that sleeps up to four, the hotel works for a family with one or two children. Pets are not allowed, so leave animals at home or choose another property.

The hotel has no parking of its own. If you are coming by car, plan for street parking in the area or arrive by train, plane or taxi instead.

It suits a solo traveller taking the 17 m² Single, a couple choosing between the 24 m² Double and Twin, and a family of up to four in the 30 m² Triple, all within a short straight-line distance of the major Sultanahmet landmarks and the railway station.

It does not suit a traveller with a pet, or one arriving by car and counting on parking at the hotel. Nor is it for anyone whose holiday depends on a pool, a spa or extensive leisure facilities; the hotel's own facilities do not include them.