Tavra hotel: double rooms 1.1 km from Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Tavra hotel stands on Muhsine hatun mahallesi cemre sokak in Istanbul, postcode 34130.

Topkapı Palace is about 2 km away and Sirkeci railway station about 1.6 km, both in a straight line. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is the long leg of any journey here, at about 31.3 km.

• Little Hagia Sophia, about 0.7 km
• Sokollu Mehmed Pasha I Mosque, about 0.7 km
• Sultan Ahmed Mosque, about 1.1 km
• Süleymaniye Mosque, about 1.3 km
• Hagia Sophia, about 1.4 km
• Sirkeci railway station, about 1.6 km
• Topkapı Palace, about 2 km

Every room type in the hotel sleeps up to three, and every bed is a double; what separates the rooms is floor area, the number of beds and the view. The Comfort Room and the Economy Room are the smallest, at 15 m² each with one double bed apiece. Either is enough for a couple; for three guests sharing one double bed they are tight.

The Standard Double Room, at 19 m², is the only type with two double beds, which makes it the practical choice for three adults or a family of three, and it has a street view. The Double Room with Sea View is the same 19 m² but with one double bed, so a couple weighing it against the Standard Double is choosing between a second bed and the sea view. The Budget Double Room sits between the small rooms and the 19 m² pair, at 18 m² with one double bed.

The hotel offers room service and an airport shuttle, the latter for a fee. The shuttle is the one service that addresses the distance to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), about 31.3 km away in a straight line.

Beyond room service and the shuttle, what the hotel provides amounts to practical, everyday services rather than leisure amenities.

Check-in is from 13:00 and check-out is until 11:00. With check-out two hours before check-in opens, arrival and departure plans should account for the gap.

Children are allowed, so a family can stay. Pets are not allowed. There is no parking at the hotel, which matters to anyone arriving by car.

Tavra hotel suits couples and small parties: every room type sleeps up to three, the largest room is 19 m², and all beds are doubles. A couple with a child does best in the Standard Double Room, the only one with two double beds, and children are allowed.

It does not suit larger groups, since no room sleeps more than three; travellers with pets, since pets are not allowed; and anyone relying on a car, since the hotel has no parking. For everyone else, the choice among the rooms comes down to size, the second bed in the Standard Double, and the sea view: couples who want the view take the Double Room with Sea View, three adults sharing take the Standard Double, and anyone content with the basics takes the 15 m² Comfort Room or Economy Room.