Central location, cool spa – but is the Burdock Hotel really worth it? Our review shows why this city hotel in Istanbul has a few surprises in store, but also some real weaknesses. Would we recommend it? Read for yourself!
Content
Location
Burdock Hotel is located in the heart of the old city of Istanbul, the Turkish 20 million metropolis – in the immediate vicinity of the Bosphorus and the famous Galata Tower. Not far from tourist attractions such as the Golden Horn, Hagia Sofia, Dolmabahçe Palace and many others.
The location in the middle of Karaköy district is an ideal starting point for exploring the city and its surroundings. You’ll find the district’s restaurants, bars and pubs just a few minutes’ walk away. All hip and mostly beautiful. Many of them directly on or with a view of the Bosphorus.
Arrival
We arrived at the Burdock Hotel from Istanbul airport (IST) by privately booked transfer. It took us three quarters of an hour from the airport late on Thursday evening.
How to get to the hotel
The building is located on a busy main road near the harbor and to get to the hotel, you have to stop right in front of it just on the street in order to get out of the car. Unfortunately, there is no driveway or parking / drop-off area for cars in front of the hotel. In the traffic of the Turkish metropolis, this leads to one or two dislocations when getting out and unloading suitcases. Unfortunately, there also is no assistance from the hotel.
Check-in
Once you arrive in the Lobby of Burdock Hotel, you will find yourself right in front of a long marble table with the check-in desk on the left and the concierge’s desk on the right. The room is very modern, elegant and generously proportioned in hight – but also very small. It is also obstructed by an X-ray machine for baggage, which is located right next to the revolving door and through which all baggage must pass before you can check in.
More space would do the room a lot of good. It all feels quite cramped. More privacy for the check-in process and conversations with the concierge would be urgently needed here. In addition, when entering the hotel you constantly feel like being in the way and have no opportunity to discuss anything in peace at reception without lots of people around you listening.
We were checked in at the Concierge desk, as the actual check-in counter was already occupied. Unfortunately, there is only one chair per side of the entire table. This is rather inconvenient – as you don’t always travel alone! After a brief and strange moment in which one of us was sitting and the other was just standing in the Lobby, we were brought a second chair so that we could both sit during the process. As I said: it’s just too cramped in the reception area.
The process itself was quick and uncomplicated. We were offered tea, coffee or water and at the end were allowed to choose a small gift. The hotel gives an individually hand-knotted bracelet for every stay. Each is made by women from the region. If you would like to purchase more bracelets, you can buy them for €10 each. We thought that to be a really great idea!
Unfortunately, a larger group (probably from an excursion) arrived just as we did and they said their goodbyes, made appointments and talked very loudly at the Lobby. Basically not a problem at all. In this case, however, we could barely understand the employee as the other guests were standing right next to and behind us during the entire check-in process. Also there was absolutely no privacy.
Burdock Hotel at a glance
As already briefly mentioned, Burdock Hotel is located on one of the major streets that run along the Bosphorus. Unfortunately, there is not much to read about the building – but it certainly makes a historical impression and consists of one block with rooms facing to the front and rear. The lobby, reception, restaurant and bar are located on the first floor. Meeting rooms, the spa with pool and the fitness center are located in the basement.
Burdock Hotel has a total of 6 different types of rooms and Suites divided into Burdock, Deluxe and Grand Deluxe, as well as the Burdock Galata and the Burdock Deluxe Suite.
Room & Welcome
As always, we had booked the smallest room category, Burdock, and thanks to our Platinum status with Marriott Bonvoy, we were upgraded to a Deluxe room. So our room was No. 506. Let´s check it out together.
After handing over the two key cards, we were accompanied to our room by a very nice member of staff. He briefly explained a few things and the individual pillows we ordered from the pillow menu were brought a short time later. Unfortunately, the two additional waters we had also requested never found their way to us.
There was fruit and a tray of delicious Turkish sweets waiting for us on the desk as a welcome gift.
However, we were quite disillusioned by the size of the room – or rather the non-existent size! In our opinion, the deluxe room is quite small at just 25 square meters. As we entered the room, we were practically standing right in the bedroom. To the left of the entrance door is a cupboard with the obligatory amenities, such as a hairdryer and steamer (very cool!).
The washbasin is located next to it. In the middle of the room, so to speak, and in the same space as the desk and minibar.
Opposite the washbasin and just to the right of the door, we installed two cubicles, with the toilet in the front and the shower in the back.
One step further and we were already in the bedroom area. The king-size bed is equipped with a total of 4 pillows and a large blanket. The telephone was installed on the left-hand bedside table and there was also a pad with a pen. We also found the menu for the different types of pillows that the hotel offers. We used the new ones and slept very well on them.
The whole room is very compact. It had the feel of a slightly better Motel One. Basically not a problem – but we expected a different standard given the price category. The toilet was so small that you could hardly sit down with the door closed. And the shower door opened directly towards the room entrance. The shower mat is therefore basically in front of the room door.
This may all be great for fans of open room design. However, we didn’t really like the layout. A separate room for the bathroom certainly has its advantages.
The other room
As our room faced the street and was rather noisy due to the car and streetcar traffic, we asked for a quieter room at the back after the first night. After asking again in the afternoon, our luggage was moved to the new room No. 612 while we were out. On our return, we were given the keys to the new room at reception which was slightly larger – but much quieter.
There was no further upgrade to a Suite for us on this day either (although several were available) despite our status. The additional pillows we requested and the remains of our welcome gift also unfortunately did not find their way into our new room.
It has to be said about both hotel rooms that the floor in the entrance/bathroom area is tiled and the actual sleeping and living area has a really nice wooden floor. Unfortunately, a closer look reveals that the wooden floor is only a glued PVC covering, which is already coming loose at the transition – in the same place in both rooms. Firstly, this seems to be a weak point and secondly, it’s a great pity, as a real wooden floor naturally creates a much better indoor climate.
We must praise the fact that the room keys can only be used to access the floors where your room, the lobby, the spa and the gym are located. Other floors cannot be accessed via the elevator.
View
The view from the first room overlooked the street and the buildings opposite and is unfortunately not worth mentioning. We could only see parts of the beautiful Kiliç Ali Pasa Hamami to the left down the street on the other side of the road. The second room towards the back had a view up the hill into the city. Just into the backyard.
Hotel activities
Pool
The Burdock Hotel pool and spa are located in the basement of the building on level -2. Despite its location in the basement, the area invites you to relax and unwind. The rooms are very cozy, warm and open.
In the pool area you will find a large, rather long pool as well as two whirlpools, which are slightly elevated. There are plenty of loungers in the room, always arranged in pairs and each with a table. Every table has a bottle of water next to the spa menu and the menu. Real nice and well thought through touches!
Spa
In addition to the spacious changing areas with lockers just behind the spa reception, there is a relaxation area with four loungers individually separated by curtains. The spa has two beautifully designed hammam rooms. One is reserved for singles, the other for couples. There is also a sauna – very cool with a window overlooking the pool, as well as a steambath. All facilities can be used free of charge and were already in operation and fully usable early in the morning during our stay. Of course, you can also choose from a large menu of spa treatments for a fee.
Fitness Center
The gym is located one floor below, also in the basement of the building, on level -3. The room is well equipped and large enough. In addition to three treadmills, you will also find a normal and a recumbent bike. There is also a cross trainer and a multifunctional corner, as well as a free weights area. Towels were also provided for guests and water was available.
Tours
Of course, there is an incredible amount of ways to spend your time in Istanbul. The hotel staff will be happy to assist you with your planning.
Restaurant
Restaurant
The restaurant is located in the same room that is used for breakfast. We did not use the restaurant during our stay. If you would like to find out more about the facilities, please refer to the breakfast section further down in the text.
Bar
The bar is located to the right of the lobby in a passageway to the conservatory. It is quite cozy for a hotel bar, but not particularly busy and therefore not really the focus of the management. There were no promotions or anything similar that we know of. However, this is certainly also due to the fact that there are really good bars and restaurants within a 5-minute walk towards the Bosphorus.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the hotel’s Burdock Hotel. The room is located at the back of the hotel and unfortunately features no windows. It only opens onto an atrium – the winter garden – which connects the room with the bar at the front of the building. You can also sit and enjoy your breakfast in this really beautiful atrium. Despite – or perhaps because of – the confinement of the room, it feels cozy.
Everything is beautifully designed and the food is beautifully and appetizingly presented. As you would expect, the display is very Turkish and there is an almost unbelievable abundance of Mediterranean delicacies. The huge selection of olives, sheep’s cheese, tomatoes, various local breads and not forgetting the fantastic Turkish honey are particularly noteworthy.
There was no à la carte in the true sense of the word – only an omelette of your choice and the desired coffee variation was ordered and served at the table.
Check-out
We were able to make use of the free late check-out very easily due to the Bonvoy status. The possibility to use the room until 14:00 was confirmed directly on arrival and also transferred to the new room after we moved.
The check-out process was unproblematic and quick, but also rather unemotional. We were not asked if everything was okay or how we liked our stay.
Costs
In October 2023, we paid 11,500 Turkish lira for two nights. That was the equivalent of a good 350 euros at the time of our stay.
Departure and onward journey
On our departure, we were asked if we needed help organizing transport, but as we only had a short walk across the Galata Bridge and the Golden Horn, to get to our next stay at Orientbank Hotel we decided to simply walk the short distance.
Otherwise, there is of course the option of being picked up by a taxi or transfer and the hotel is only a two-minute walk from the nearest streetcar stop. The hotel staff will be happy to assist if you have any questions.
Conclusion
The hotel is rather practical and the service is robust but friendly. The rooms take some getting used to with the unusual bathroom situation. But if you like it, you’re sure to love it. The spa and pool are really beautifully designed and anything but normal for a city hotel in this category. So a big plus for that. The location is super central and you can get to a lot of sights on foot, and the streetcar stops almost on the doorstep. All in all, a solid city hotel, but unfortunately nothing really special.
Hotel Homepage
Rating
We award the Burdock Hotel Istanbul only 6 out of 10 possible points.
One point deduction is for the bathroom situation in the room, and a further point deduction is for the small room size, the rather wooden service and the not really well insulated rooms. We also deduct another point for the fact that there was no option to choose individual dishes from an à la cart menu at breakfast.
However, a bonus point for the great spa and pool, as well as the fully equipped gym.
Go there?
More like so so. You can , but it’s not really great either. Our advice would be to look for another hotel as there really is a huge selection available in Istanbul. We can also say that the hotel we moved to was absolutely great though. Take a look at the review of the Orientbank Hotel on this homepage.
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