Suggestions on Istanbul Hotels

[sophiek]

We stayed at the Sirkeci Konek post-cruise in May. It is truly a special hotel, deserving of all the praise it has been given. Although the hotel was full, we felt like we were the only guests in the hotel. This is a very small boutique hotel with very modern rooms. They even managed to find a bathroom scale for me so I could weigh our luggage before leaving, then 2 employees waited with us for our taxi at 5 am, then gave us a parting gift bag as we jumped in the cab.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We stayed at the Sirkeci Konek post-cruise in May. It is truly a special hotel, deserving of all the praise it has been given.

 

That sounds like an excellent recommendation, and one that's very recent. The advantage of this hotel is that it's near Topkapi.

 

Some years back I loved the Dersaadet, which gets good marks in Tripadvisor still, but I was there in 2004 so my personal recommendation is fairly worthless. This hotel is closer to the Blue Mosque, and there are others in that area too that are highly-rated.

 

So although the Sultanahmet looks very small, there's actually a good deal of walking to be done, and some of it's a bit up and down. So do think about where you want to be.

[Travelcat2]

Wendy brings up a good point -- you may want to check how close the hotel you select is to the tram. It is excellent transportation and saves you some walking.

[wishIweretravelling]

It's been a number of years, but I stayed at the Hotel Empress Zoe, which is inexpensive, well-located in the Sultanahmet area, and quite charming. The owners and staff can't do enough to help you, and can direct you to some great restaurants. The garden where breakfast (included) is served is lovely. It's not the Four Seasons (which is practically around the corner), but it does the job. The only downside is that the early morning call to prayer sounds like it's in the room with you.

[jv_nyc]

We stayed at the Ottoman Hotel Imperial prior to an Oceania cruise and had a wonderful stay. It's a great location for walking the city, the staff was great, and we had a lovely room looking out at Hagia Sofia.

 

Here's a link to the reviews on TripAdvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293974-d629391-Reviews-Ottoman_Hotel_Imperial-Istanbul.html

 

Istanbul, despite the incredible dirtiness, is one of my favorite cities in the world. Hope you enjoy yourself.

 

We also stayed at the Ottoman Hotel Imperial in May of this year before our Regent cruise, it was amazing! The location is perfect.

[west23hill]

Thank you all for your suggestions and I will look into them today.

Four Seasons $800 night...WOW.

 

 

Aloha

We love Istanbuhl!!!!!!!!!!

We stayed at The HOtel Nena. It was great. It is in the Old Town. Centally located. Roof top restaurant for breakfast and the restaurant serves dinner at night where we had a great fish dinner. Right near the Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Reasonable rates. Picked us up at the airport. Staff was great!!:)

enjoy

 

did not find the city dirty. Loved being able to walk everywhere. Tram accessible down 2 blocks.