History, diversity, and culture abound in Istanbul, which lies between Europe and Asia.
The Turkish city was once one of the major stops on the ancient Silk Road, and has been influenced by a variety of great civilizations, including the Greeks, Romans, Venetians, and Ottomans.
A number of luxury hotels have sprung up in recent years in this melting pot of cultures, which is a major business and tourist destination.
Four Seasons at the Bosphorus
With 623 feet of private waterfront, the Four Seasons at the Bosphorus more than makes up for its 15-minute drive to the city center.
From May to October, relax beside the 90-foot outdoor pool and dine on Turkish kebab at Ocakbaşı, an al fresco summer pop-up. Enjoy an endless buffet of international specialties at the Aqua restaurant on Sundays. Live music adds to the festival ambience.
In the hotel’s fitness center, each machine has a touch-screen television. The hotel’s spa has 10 treatment rooms, including a private spa suite for two, hammams for men and women, and an indoor pool.
Top suite: Atik Pasha Suite
Atik Pasha Suite offers an elegant high ceiling and unmatched views of the Bosphorus Strait on the second floor of the historic palace building. With touches of Ottoman ornamentation and bespoke fabrics, the interior design combines calming beige and creams with deep blue, terracotta, and copper accents.
It features a private dining room for 10, a kitchenette, a private bar, a guest powder room, and a spectacular marble bathroom, which includes a steam room, a small Turkish bath, and rain shower.
Soho House Istanbul
The vast Soho House Istanbul occupies four gorgeous buildings in the Beyoğlu district, the creative heart of Istanbul. As of 2015, it is the 13th and most recent property in the group of private members’ clubs. In the Corpi building, built in 1873, which served as the US embassy from 1906 to 1937, there are private club spaces.
A mixture of precious antiques and custom-made designs furnishes the House’s 87 bedrooms, which are made up of small rooms, mezzanines, The Playroom, and The Apartment.
Guests can experience refined versions of classic Middle Eastern dishes at Soho House Istanbul’s Naavah restaurant. In addition to Italian food, Cecconi’s offers a range of traditional Hamam treatments and a grooming room keeps gents looking their best. The Cowshed Spa offers a variety of traditional Hamam treatments.
Top Suite: The Apartment
Long-term or short-term leases are available for this 3,035-square-foot space. There is an expansive terrace with a Jacuzzi, a BBQ, a super king-size bed, a rainforest shower and bathtub, a fully integrated kitchen and bar, and seating for ten at a table. Wi-Fi and flat-screen TV are complimentary for guests, and an adjoining Tiny Room can be added to make it a two-bedroom.
Pera Palace Hotel
Pera Palace Hotel was built in 1895 as a luxury hotel for Orient Express passengers traveling to Istanbul.
Today, Agatha Christie regularly visited the Pera Palace and was sufficiently inspired to write her bestseller, Murder on the Orient Express, which was reopened in 2010. This distinguished hotel was restored and reopened in 2010. It is possible to stay in Christie’s favorite room, 411, where her diary was found under the floorboards.
French, Italian, and Turkish cuisine are served at the Agatha Restaurant, which pays tribute to three major destinations of the former Orient Express: Paris, Venice, and Istanbul.
For relaxation, try the new Pera Spa, which offers a traditional Turkish bath of heady scented steams, silky soaps and invigorating body scrubs.
Top suite: Franz Joseph Presidential Suite
With its unsurpassed view of the Golden Horn, the suite is named after Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria-Hungary. Guests will feel like Franz Joseph himself, with a personal dressing room, spacious bathroom, living and dining areas.
Çirağan Palace Kempinski Hotel
In 1990, the Ragan Palace Kempinski opened as a hotel after serving as the residence of Ottoman Sultans. In a bustling city, the Palace offers a peaceful oasis with its extensive gardens. This palace is just as much of a destination as Istanbul because of its art gallery, garden sculpture gallery, classical music concerts, and regular book readings by world-renowned authors infused with creativity and artwork.
The summertime menu includes fresh seafood, lamb, beef, and mezze specialties. Cigar lovers will enjoy the outdoor Le Fumoir Bar, offering quality cigars in handmade humidors accompanied by premium cognacs and malts. Featuring a ballroom capacity of 1,000 guests, exhibition spaces for 300 guests, and three private dining rooms, the hotel is an ideal venue for elite events.
Top suite: Sultan Suite
Sultan Suites are located on the second floor of this historical palace, and offer a private lounge where guests can enjoy breakfast, high afternoon tea, drinks, and canapés in complete privacy. In addition to two large bedrooms with state-of-the-art TVs, there is a kitchenette, a dining area for 12 and two bathrooms.
Ask your butler to run you a bath in the grand master bathroom with its handmade marble hammam, private steam room, rain shower and gold-plated crystal faucets. Then float to sleep on the master bedroom’s air bed. The King of Spain, Juan Carlos II, and his wife Queen Sofia not to mention Bill Clinton have all stayed here.
Ritz-Carlton Istanbul
Experience luxury and style in the hotel’s Bleu Lounge, which features a retractable glass roof to allow guests to enjoy the views year-round. Enjoy lab-inspired cocktails while listening to carefully curated music.
At Atelier Real Food, you can dine in absolute privacy in the winter garden dining room, which seats up to 16 guests. Dishes highlight local, seasonal ingredients and the wine cellar boasts over 150 different bottles. The Atelier Lounge is the perfect setting for afternoon tea or an evening whiskey. The dark wooden paneling creates the ambiance of a traditional English private club. Watch the sunset over the Bosphorus and see Istanbul light up as night falls at the Bleu Lounge, where live music and lab-cocktails are served.
Top Suite: Ritz-Carlton Suite
The décor of the suite is inspired by neoclassical and Turkish style. In addition to a king-size feather bed, the suite has a separate parlor and butler’s entrance, as well as a kitchenette, dining room, and living room.
There are exquisite views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus from the jacuzzi, which is surrounded by windows. The hotel also offers twice-daily maid service and state-of-the-art entertainment facilities, including an interactive flat-screen TV. The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge on the 12th floor serves complimentary light refreshments five times a day, from continental breakfast to late night cocktails.
Four Seasons Sultanahmet
It is hard to believe that Four Seasons Sultanahmet was once a bleak Ottoman jailhouse for intellectual dissidents.
Inscribed on its main gate is Dersaadet Cinayet Tevkifhanesi, Capital City Murder Jail, which is located on Tevkifhane Sokak, or ‘Jailhouse Street’. With an elegant glass pavilion serving afternoon tea, the prison exercise yard has been transformed into an immaculate hotel courtyard.
Located in the heart of Istanbul, just steps from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, the Four Seasons Sultanahmet is an exclusive hotel with 65 guest rooms and two saunas, one for men and one for women.
Top Suite: Marmara Suite
Featuring three private terraces, the Marmara Suite offers breathtaking views of the historic city center. Its high angled ceilings offer a sense of space away from the hustle and bustle.
In addition to a beautiful fireplace and state-of-the-art TV, the living room has a writing desk. At the end of the day, enjoy a relaxing meal in the private dining area before soaking in the whirlpool tub.
W Hotel Istanbul
With 136 guest rooms and suites, the W Hotel is conveniently located in Akaretler Row Houses, a hip and trendy district.
In addition to the hotel’s fully equipped, 700-square-foot fitness center, guests can take advantage of their personal chauffeured shopping service throughout Istanbul’s boutiques and up-and-coming designer shops.
The W Lounge offers contemporary and modern cuisine. And if you’d like to relax after a long day of sightseeing, the B&G Wellness Spa boasts a tempting range of massages and facials.
Top Suite: Extreme Wow
You can entertain guests in the dining room, soak in the jacuzzi on the private terrace, or enjoy a quiet evening watching a movie from the extensive media library with a snack box in front of one of the three TVs.
Also featured is a DJ booth and a large dining area. The deluxe master bed has 350-thread-count linens and a goose-down duvet.
Bliss bathroom amenities are included in the classic Ottoman style master bathroom, which features a rainforest shower and an oversized bathtub.
St. Regis Istanbul
In the city’s most vibrant neighborhood, St. Regis Istanbul offers its usual level of exceptional service and world-class facilities.
Guests are invited to relax in the Atrium or the well-stocked library before dining in one of the two excellent on-site restaurants. Guests can choose between Wolfgang Puck’s signature Spago, which contextualizes fine Californian cuisine and offers rooftop views of Istanbul or a relaxed St. Regis Brasserie.
In the Exercise Room, you can work off your excesses, or relax in the Iridium Spa, which has private treatment rooms, three pools, a hammam and a tea bar.
Top Suite: The Bentley Suite
As its name suggests, this suite has been designed in collaboration with the luxury British car manufacturer. Although it is not as big as the hotel’s Presidential Suite, it makes up for it in character. The entire suite has nods to the iconic Continental car.
Bentley leather covers the room’s quilted diamond upholstery, while the wet bar’s doors open to reveal Breitling clocks and a humidor crafted in Bentley’s woodshop.
Offering sweeping views of the Bosphorus and Abdi Ipekci Street from its corner location, the suite is located on an exclusive corner of the hotel.
Raffles Istanbul
The Raffles Istanbul Hotel is located above the Bosphorus and offers stunning views. Its modern architecture is complemented by a range of contemporary art pieces. As it is adjacent to the Zorlu Center, a modern bazaar with upscale fashion brands, it is also the best place to shop for destination shopping. The hotel has numerous bars and restaurants ranging from casual dining to world-class gastronomy. Mediterranean classics can be found at the Rocca Restaurant, while afternoon tea can be enjoyed in the Lavinia Lounge.
Spa treatments include local traditional treatments, relaxation areas for men and women, and an outdoor pool with city views.
Top Suite: The Raffles Suite
Raffles Suite is the largest suite in the city, flooded with natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows that offer unobstructed views across the city.
Additional services include helicopter transfers to and from the airport, a private yacht tour, and in-room treatments and dining.
Park Hyatt Istanbul
Located in the Nisantasi district, Park Hyatt Istanbul is surrounded by Istanbul’s trendiest bars and restaurants as well as its best shopping streets. In addition to being close to Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, it provides a convenient location for exploring the city.
The luxurious Lounge at Park Hyatt serves Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A beautiful wine bar is also available, along with a cocktail and tapas menu, which offers over 70 different wines. Providing optimal wellness, the spa offers a wide range of treatments that combine traditional Turkish techniques with modern Western techniques.
Top Suite: Presidential Suite
In addition to an oversized king bed in the master bedroom, the Presidential Suite features separate living and dining areas, a guest bathroom, and a desk.
Floor-to-ceiling windows and a private terrace provide stunning views of the city and the Bosphorus. The private bathroom includes a steam room, deep soaking tub, Dornbracht rainfall shower, and refrigerated cosmetics cabinet.
