Victory Hotel & Spa Istanbul: indoor pool, spa and hammam

The hotel stands in the Beyazit area of Istanbul, and the distances to the major landmarks are short. Bayezid II Mosque is about 0.2 km away, in a straight line. The two airports are another matter: both are more than 30 km away, and the hotel runs a paid airport shuttle for that leg.

• Bayezid II Mosque: about 0.2 km, in a straight line
• Nuruosmaniye Mosque: about 0.5 km
• Süleymaniye Mosque: about 0.8 km
• Sultan Ahmed Mosque: about 1.1 km
• Sirkeci railway station: about 1.2 km
• Hagia Sophia: about 1.3 km
• Topkapı Palace: about 1.7 km
• Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW): about 31.5 km; Istanbul Airport (IST): about 33.6 km, both in a straight line

The hotel has fourteen room types, and the spread between them is wide. At the small end sit the 12 m² rooms: the Economy Room with a queen bed. The Economy Single Room has one twin bed and looks onto the courtyard. The Single Room, Corner has a queen bed, a city view and sleeps up to 1. At the large end are the two corner doubles, each 35 m² and sleeping up to 3: one with a super-king bed, one with a queen bed and a city view. These are the rooms for a couple who want space, or three people sharing.

In between, the Family Room is the one that takes a party of five: 21 m² with one double bed and four twin beds. The two triples differ in size and outlook: the Budget Triple Room is 20 m² with a courtyard view, while the Standard Triple Room is 24 m² with a sea view. The Standard Single Room, 16 m² with a sea view and one twin bed, suits a solo traveller who wants more than the economy singles offer; the Economy Double Room is 16 m² with a double bed and sleeps up to 3; and the Standard Double or Twin Room, at 18 m², comes with either a double bed or a twin bed.

There is an indoor heated pool, a spa, a hammam and a sauna, plus fitness facilities, so a swim or a Turkish bath does not depend on the weather or on leaving the building. The hotel also has a restaurant and evening entertainment, which gives the day an end point without going out again.

Among the room types are family rooms, and children are allowed, so the pool and the evening entertainment are not just for adults travelling alone. A paid airport shuttle connects the hotel with the airports.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00, a fairly standard window that still leaves the morning for a late breakfast or a last swim. Children are allowed throughout. Pets are not allowed, in the hotel or in its rooms, so anyone travelling with an animal needs a different property.

Families fit well: the Family Room sleeps up to 5, children are allowed, and the indoor heated pool and evening entertainment give children something to do on site. Couples who want space have the two 35 m² corner doubles, one with a super-king bed.

It does not suit anyone travelling with a pet, since pets are not allowed. Nor is it the choice for a group that wants to share one large room: nothing sleeps more than 5, and the rooms that do are compact for their headcount.