#bunk Istanbul knows it’s good looking. It knows guests will want to tweet pictures of the clean and modern dorm rooms, Instragram selfies in the mirrored elevator, and blog about hanging out on it’s rooftop bar + eatery. The hash tag has never been used more appropriately. 

It is well aware of its great location (five minutes walk from lively Taksim Square and Metro station) and it’s prices reflect this knowledge. #bunk, at around $30 USD a night, is a little pricier than the majority of Istanbul hostels. You do get what you pay for, however. The rooms are clean, air-conditioned, and have personal charging outlets next to every bed.The rooms are so nice you almost forget you are staying in a hostel. That is, until the person sleeping on the bunk below you starts snoring like a foghorn. Ear plugs are a must if you are staying in a room with 4 or 6 people.

I did have some problems arise with the coded lockbox used for storing personal belongings. Guests are supposed to program a four-digit code into the keypad, which sounds simple enough, but somehow, my code stopped working two times. This happened to two other people in my room, both on multiple occasions. Thankfully, there are friendly people at #bunk’s front desk 24 hours a day, who are able to quickly reprogram the glitchy lockboxes.

Overall, #bunk was the perfect place to return to after long days spent lugging myself through the Istanbul humidity. There were clean showers, air-conditioning, and cold beer always waiting on the rooftop. My stay here was one to blog about. #haha

View from roof