Hotel Istanbuhl

Try the Side Hotel. ( pronounced sid' e, with a short I, not like in English with the long I)) You can't get closer to the Aya Sofia unless you book the Four Season in Istanbul, the old prison of Midnight Express fame. The room was small, extremely clean and quiet. Breakfast on the roof with views of both Aya Sofia and Blue Mosque. I think the price was 50 Euros per night for the two of us, break fast included. wayne iNWI

old city viva hotel. 2 blocks behind the train station. search it on trip advisor website. modern rooms with good breakfast, you can walk to just about anything in the old town, and the bridge connecting to the new town. not expensive, free pc with internet.

Check out Hotel Sultan Hill, located just below the Blue Mosque in a very quiet street. Beautiful Ottoman architecture, excellent location, and good price.

Thanks so much everyone. I will start looking tonite. Any special tips on things you loved would be appreciated. I am taking a 10 year old boy with me...who loves to travel and loves history.

Make sure to take him into the Cistern. He can even have his photo taken dressed as a Sultan! He should also enjoy the Topkapi Palace with its displays of medieval weapons and jewels and a walk through the Harem.

for kids like swords and guns you can visit the military museum. they have a chain on display supposedly the one byzantines used to block the golden horn against the turks, pretty cool.

With your son ... do the walking tour of the Grand Bazaar in RS Istanbul book. You get to see a guy melting down gold ... other cool stuff off the tourist track. Also, are you heading to Cappadocia?
I look forward to taking my kids there someday. Underground cities ... real life Tom Sawyer island experience. Also, if you're heading to the coast between Antalya and Bodrum, Saklikent Gorge is a place I think kids would love.

Laura...don't know about Cappadocia...I am thinking of cutting the time in Turkey a little short to take him to Greece. That was actually his first choice of places to go
but I didn't think I could make that work, but now I think I can do both. He would definitely rather do two countries, so I have a dilema... need more time!

Check out the Bilinc. The hotel is conveniently located about 5 min from a tram stop and the entrance to the Grand Bazaar, maybe a 15 min walk (or 2 tram stops) from the Blue Mosque. Rooms are small but clean, breakfasts are very good and they offer deals on transfers from the airport. Nice people and the hotel is a real bargain. Location in Istanbul isn't all that important as long as you're in Old Town. The area isn't all that large so you can walk and absorb the ambience or take a very inexpensive tram. Make sure you catch the action around the Galata Bridge.