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Istanbul Hotel's Caste System

Where: Utangac Sokak No 25, Istanbul, Sultanahmet, Turkey

Not sure where to stay in Istanbul? According to Princess Vladka (a blog not a real princess), the place to go is Hotel Uyan. From the looks of it, she's right; the views from this hotel, which overlooks the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Marmara Sea, are killer and give Istanbul a few bonus points.

The hotel's construction was started in 1928, to be an Ottoman house, but it has been updated for today with conveniences we expect like free WiFi and breakfast. According to the Princess, rooms are clean and service is great.

There's just one small catch: never have we seen such a difference in rooms within the same hotel. If you book the small double room you are basically in a closet room that looks like it would have been created for the hired help in some old world, high-class mansion. Book the deluxe suite and you are in a room fit for a king. This creates a sort of caste system within the small boutique hotel. We have to wonder if people will be eyeing your key to see what room you are staying in and judging you accordingly. (But props to the hotel website for accurately depicting the rooms. Notice the TV squeezed next to the corner of the bed.)

We'll only have to assume that the Princess herself, stayed in a deluxe room rather than one of these closet spaces so our advice is this: stay in the standard only if you are looking for a hostel in Istanbul. If it's more you are after then book the damn suite.

Related Stories:
· Istanbul [PrincessVladkaBlog]
· Hotel Uyan Reviews [TripAdvisor]