MENALO HOTEL PREMIUM ISTANBUL AIRPORT

We stayed here on a long layover. Menalo hotel is convenient to the airport (unusual for Istanbul) and has shuttle service. The drive is approximately 10 minutes. The staff is very friendly and the included breakfast was delicious. I highly recommend this hotel if you need to rest a night before heading to other destinations or if you plan to stay in the area.

After our flight got canceled, we booked a night at this fantastic hotel near the airport, and it turned out to be a great choice. The taxi ride is short and costs around 400 TRY. The reception staff were incredibly friendly, well-spoken, and fluent in English, which made everything so much easier. We had dinner at the restaurant, and the food was excellent. The garden and view added such a relaxing touch. I should mention, though, that the fridge in our room wasn’t working. Thankfully, with the weather being chilly, we got creative and used nature’s ‘cooling system’ to keep our drinks cold! 😊 As for breakfast, we haven’t had it yet, but we’re looking forward to it

If you are at Istanbul Airport and are going to have short stay such as one night, I strongly recommend this hotel. By 250-300 TL taxi you can reach the hotel within 10 minutes. The staff are so polite and atmosphere is great. You will enjoy Turkish tray breakfast and finally there is shuttle service to airport. It’s way cheaper than airport hotels.

Nice hotel. Very friendly and helpful staff. It was raining and snowing when we arrived and we were met out front with an umbrella to walk to check in. They then walked us to our room carrying the bags and then parked the car. We thought we were lost the few min before we arrived. You drive through somewhat of a run-down neighborhood and have to squeeze between some concrete barriers (to keep large trucks out?). Don’t let that discourage you though, the hotel and grounds are very nice. And it’s a quick and easy 15 min to the airport. There is a restaurant on site (no alcohol). But nothing walkable from the site. We drove another 10-15 min to get dinner.

We recently stayed at Menalo Hotel near Istanbul Airport for a quick layover, and honestly—it was… an experience. Here’s our full breakdown: Location: The hotel is very remote. Apart from being close to the airport (which is the only convenience), there’s absolutely nothing around. No shops, no places to walk, nothing to do. If you need food or supplies, you’re 100% dependent on the hotel. The surroundings feel empty and almost… forbidden. Food & Service: The hotel restaurant is pricey. For breakfast, only Turkish breakfast was offered — which was tasty, yes — but getting anything extra like bread or a cappuccino required asking multiple times. We had to ask at least three times for a cappuccino, and tea options were limited to Turkish tea only. Not great if you’re used to more variety or efficient service. The staff during check-in was polite—not super warm, but professional. However, overall interaction with staff during the stay felt distant and disinterested. Not a single smile, and that left a cold impression. Rooms & Amenities: The room was quiet, clean, and actually well equipped. We had enough towels, shampoo, body lotion (as seen in the pictures), a kettle with some tea and instant coffee, and two small (0.5L) bottles of water provided for free. Only issue: the Wi-Fi kept logging us out and was quite slow, which was annoying when trying to plan the next leg of our trip. Getting to the city: Reaching Istanbul is a hassle. It takes about 90 minutes by taxi, and the prices taxi drivers ask are insane. The more budget-friendly (but longer) way is going back to the airport and taking the metro from there. Weird bonus story – what even was this?! One very uncomfortable moment happened at breakfast: I brought a clear bottle with apple juice from my own stash. A waiter rushed over and immediately asked “It’s no alcohol?” I answered “No, it’s apple juice.” Without asking anything more, he grabbed the bottle, opened it, sniffed it, and left. I was genuinely shocked. That kind of intrusion is way over the line and made us feel super uncomfortable. Overall: If you must stay somewhere near the airport for a layover, this hotel is an option. But it’s not a place we’d return to. The isolation, overpriced food, strange service behavior, and overall vibe just didn’t work for us.