Hotel Hints

In Divas Hotel’s life, space and access hacks are more as the rooms are quite small and tiny rooms have no elevator. So, if you happen to carry big or heavy luggage or have some problem with mobility, this could be quite a hassle for you. Take light luggage when booking a room on the upper floors – you may get a better view and slightly less street-level noise. Take only a couple of things with you to ease moving up the stairs and into the tiny little room.

Let your great location work smarter not harder when it comes to dealing with tourist crowds. Set an alarm to visit Blue Mosque (it’s free) or Hagia Sophia right when they open at around 8:30/9:00, you’d do these wonders in relative peace before the huge tour groups converge around 10:00. For attractions where you have to pay such as the Topkapi Palace, better purchase an Istanbul Museum Pass online before that to avail yourself of getting out of that notoriously long ticket queue that may consume hours of your time while waiting in line.

While restaurants in the neighborhood may be comfortable, for something more authentic and less inflated in price walk just a bit down the hill into the Cankurtaran neighborhood or towards Sirkeci station. The hotel’s roof terrace is a secret; if you get a room without the view, take your glass of Turkish tea up there at night and, as the sun goes down over the Marmara Sea, watch the ships. Bargaining is expected to be done graciously while shopping from the nearby Arasta Bazaar, though it's reminded that it is much lesser intense atmosphere as Grand Bazaar.

Finally, you can listen to the call to prayer from the Blue Mosque. The early morning call comes at such an uncivilized hour, just when it is barely daybreak. Instead of something irritating, it should be perceived as something special and lovely that forms part and parcel of real Istanbul that no other place can boast of. It’s better to purchase an Istanbulkart travel card on your first day–sold at a kiosk near the tram stop. It’s very simple to top up and will make all your travels by tram, metro, and ferries much cheaper than buying separate tokens.