The Elysium Taksim

This is a very honest review of our recent experience at this hotel and writing this purely for people who are considering staying in The Elysium and Taksim. The Hotel: There are 2 sections to this hotel on the right and left hand side, the left is where reception is which looks pretty, but you'll most likely have a room in the other side which is quite the opposite, very dull, unclean and smelly. We entered our hotel room and there was a used ear bud, dust, rice, dirt and false fingernails on the floor, we called the front desk immediately and barely anything was done. The Spa was closed and the pool looks amazing on the photos but in reality its dark and gross. The hotel is situated on a hill so a steep walk up everyday to get out so prepare for this. The Area: The hotel is surrounded by abandoned industrial buildings that are in a horrible state, you're about a 10 minute walk from Taksim square which is not a great place in itself, you'll be hounded on your way by people trying to sell fake aftershave and not leaving you alone. Then when you get to Taksim it's so overwhelmingly busy. The mosque looks amazing but honestly this is the only positive thing about Taksim Taksim: We spent 5 days in Taksim and honestly this is one of the worst places I've been in Turkey. As a tourist you are a target for scams and you will be hounded. We got scammed 4 times during our stay, DO NOT go into any clubs or bars, the locals all work together to scam you. They will bring you into the bar and when you receive the bill they will charge you for the table, free food they brought out, and drinks will be quadruple the price, I live in London and Taksim was far more expensive. When we first arrived in Taksim even the taxi driver scammed us, he took a long route and stopped at shops after we asked where the local supermarket is so the price on the meter would go up as much as possible, there is also no way is disputing this. The People: Unfortunately the minority ruin it for the majority, I'm sure a lot of the locals are nice people but I still wouldn't even take the risk because a lot see you as a rich tourist who doesn't know anything about the area. A guy sat next to us in a bar and pretended to be nice and friendly, he then asked whether we wanted to join him in a club and luckily we couldn't as I had an interview the next day. We looked at Google reviews of the club the next day and saw that it's a huge scam and people have been scammed out of $1000 before... a lucky escape but we could have easily fell for this - DO NOT trust the locals. Recommendations: I would not recommend this hotel or area. I would highly suggest you go to another area of Istanbul such as Kadikoy or anywhere on the asian side which is real authentic Turkey. Taksim is a tourist trap and nothing more. You are treated as western scum and we never felt welcomed. Everyone will try and scam you in every street corner and you will be constantly holding your phone and wallet in your pocket because the risk of it being taken is high. There are many reviews on here that seem to make out this hotel is the best thing going and unfortunately we fell for this, so take this review as you will because I can assure you that it is not and you will be disappointed. It's sad to see that the people in Turkey are using inflation as an excuse to rip tourists off and let down the majority of Turks who want to make an honest living.

First of all, I don't recommend anyone to go to this hotel! The first day we arrived, they gave us a room with a non-functional heating system, even though we had reserved another (bigger) room. They moved us to another room because the room was too hot at 3am. After 2 days our stuff disappeared from the room (the room cleaner threw my personal belongings as trash). Instead of being helpful or apologizing, the authorities ( Manager Elvina) responded even more aggressively. They told us there was nothing they could do and said you can check in a little later. I certainly don't recommend it, but if you do want to experience it, be careful with your belongings. We didn't take the comments seriously and left and now we regret it!