Stanpoli Hostel: dorms and doubles in Sultanahmet

The Stanpoli Hostel stands in Sultanahmet, on Yeğen Sokak in the Kucuk Ayasofya Mahallesi. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is about 0.2 km away in a straight line, the Little Hagia Sophia about 0.3 km, the Basilica Cistern about 0.6 km and Hagia Sophia about 0.7 km.

Topkapı Palace and Sirkeci railway station are each about 1.3 km away, and the Süleymaniye Mosque about 1.7 km, in a straight line. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is about 30.3 km away and Istanbul Airport about 34.7 km; the hostel runs a paid airport shuttle for the transfer.

The hostel splits into dorms and private doubles, which is the main choice to make. Of the dorms, the 4 Bed Basement Mixed Dorm is the smallest at 13 m² with a bunk bed; the 6 Bed Basement Female Dorm and the 6-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room are each 18 m², the female dorm with a twin bed and the mixed dorm with a bunk bed.

The doubles are all 18 m² and each sleeps up to 3. The Standard Double or Twin Room and the Standart Double Room with French Balcony each have one double bed, while the Deluxe Double Room with French Balcony has a super-king bed and a street view. A couple who want the largest bed should take the Deluxe; three adults sharing can use any of the three doubles.

The hostel accommodates adults only, so it does not take families with children. Within that limit it works for two kinds of traveller at once: solo adults who want a dorm bed, including a female-only dorm, and couples or small groups of friends who want a private double that sleeps up to 3.

It is a hostel first: the private rooms are 18 m² and hold one bed each, so anyone expecting a large hotel room should look elsewhere. What the doubles offer over the dorms is privacy and a door, not extra floor space.

Check-in runs from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00. Pets are not allowed. The hostel's facilities do not include parking, so arrive without a car; the paid airport shuttle covers the roughly 30 to 35 km journey from either Istanbul airport.

• Check-in from 14:00, check-out until 12:00.
• Pets are not allowed.
• No parking on site.
• Paid airport shuttle for transfers.

It suits adult travellers who want to be in Sultanahmet with the Sultan Ahmed Mosque about 0.2 km and Hagia Sophia about 0.7 km away in a straight line, and who are happy with either a dorm bed or a compact double. Solo women travellers have a female-only dorm among the options.

It does not suit families with children, since the hostel is adults only, or anyone travelling with a pet. It also does not suit travellers arriving by car, as there is no parking, or anyone who wants a spacious private room: every double is 18 m².