In Istanbul, a city where different worlds meet, you can find a mix of old and new. There are neighborhoods with new restaurants and artists. Some old buildings are now hotels, some fancy, some not. You can relax in rooftop pools with music playing while looking at the city. Check out these hotels in Istanbul for your stay.
Kempinski Ciragan Palace
Some hotels look like they're from a movie set. This one has a big lobby with marble floors, tall palm trees, and bellhops in matching uniforms. It feels like a Wes Anderson film. Originally a sultan's palace from the 17th century, ΓΔ±raΔan Palace Kempinski is an old palace from the Ottoman times, looking out over the Bosphorus. Walk through twisty hallways to find rooms with big beds, fancy headboards, comfy chairs, marble bathrooms, and red-and-cream wallpaper. Other parts of the palace are also fancy: there's a riverside restaurant serving great Turkish food at TuΔra, an old Ottoman arch, and the original palace bath, hidden behind a big wooden door with lots of marble and fancy carvings. Besides being a royal home, the hotel was used for government meetings, royal events, and beauty contests, and even as a soccer field for the BeΕiktaΕ team. Overall, it's a relaxing place with a lot of history in the middle of a very old city.
Address:Β YΔ±ldΔ±z, ΓΔ±raΔan Cd. No:32, 34349 BeΕiktaΕ/Δ°stanbul, TΓΌrkiye
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The Peninsula Istanbul
The Peninsula has very few hotels, so when a new one opens, you know it's going to be special. The Istanbul hotel is their 11th property and took almost 10 years to build. It's made up of four buildings, with three being old landmarks. The hotel sits on a prime waterfront property with great views of the Golden Horn, Bosphorus, and the old city landmarks like Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and Suleymaniye Mosque. You can enjoy the views while having breakfast on the terrace, swimming in the pool, dining at the rooftop bar, or from most rooms. The hotel's interiors are designed by Zeynep FadΔ±llΔ±oΔlu with marble, tiles, and glasswork. The hotel also has a great spa and service that will make your stay memorable.Β
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Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, BeΕiktaΕ
Time passed, and an old place got fixed up in summer 2021 by the same team from the Mandarin Oriental's place in Bodrum, Turkey. It's in BeΕiktaΕ, near a forest and homes by the water. There aren't many tourists here, more locals out jogging in the morning. It's not crowded but still close to the lively old town.
There are 100 rooms designed by Tihany Design. They show off Istanbul's style with tulip tiles in the bathrooms, Ottoman symbols in the mini bar, and tree patterns on the walls. The rooms have a nautical look, matching the boats outside. 80 rooms have views of the Bosphorus, letting you sleep in Europe and wake up in Asia with minarets in view.
Local folks and hotel guests can eat at the hotel. There's Italian, Asian-Italian, and soon Cantonese food. You can dine outside by the water and sometimes see dolphins swim by. There are two pools on the terrace and another in the spa downstairs. The spa has 14 rooms for treatments, including Turkish and Indonesian massages and facials with Barbara Sturm products. There's also a gym with yoga, cycling, and pilates.
Address:Β KuruΓ§eΕme, Muallim Naci Cd. No: 62, 34345 BeΕiktaΕ/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Six Senses Kocatas Mansions, SarΔ±yer
Located by the Bosphorus, Six Senses' Istanbul spot is made from two old Ottoman houses in an area called SarΔ±yer, not far from the center. It's really nice: white inside and out. Big windows bring in lots of light, showing off the big rooms with light marble, simple walls, and fancy edges. You can see the Bosphorus from the big beds in the 45 rooms. The spa, up the hill with great views, opened last year. They offer different treatments like a Hammam and making your own products at the Alchemy Bar. The hotel mixes East and West, from the food to the activities they suggest, and they also do eco workshops.
Address:Β Merkez, Meserburnu Cd. No: 5, 34450 SarΔ±yer/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Ecole St Pierre Hotel, KarakΓΆy
A mix of different cultures comes together nicely at Ecole St Pierre Hotel, a small hotel with 17 rooms that opened in September 2021 near the Galata Tower. It used to be a French Catholic school in the gardens of an Italian monastery. The hotel was designed by an Italian architect named Gaspare Fossati, who also restored the Hagia Sofia in the 19th century. The hotel is managed by Dominican monks and had students from all over Europe. The restaurant includes parts of the old Genoese walls from the 13th century. The monks' sleeping area is now a casual cafΓ© with a cocktail bar in the garden. The hotel has French windows that open onto balconies around a central courtyard. The original building structure has been well kept, and the inside has modern trends like colonial-style furniture, blue-tiled bathrooms, light wood, bricks, and modern lighting to make the interior as nice as the outside.
Address:Β Bereketzade, Galata Kulesi Sk. No:14 D:20, 34420 BeyoΔlu/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Soho House Istanbul, BeyoΔlu
An old Italian-style building that now serves as a US Consulate fits well with the Soho House style. Soho House Istanbul is seen as their biggest project yet, keeping all the original features like painted oak walls, decorated ceilings, fancy ironwork, and marble stairs. It has a fancy but mature look with club-style decor, old-fashioned furniture, and some local touches like Turkish rugs and Turkish baths in the spa. On the top floor, there are trees providing shade for Apheleia Terrace, a new rooftop restaurant run by Chef Athinagoras Kostakis, offering a mix of Mediterranean and Mexican snacks. It's located in BeyoΔlu, a lively area with lots of restaurants, bars, galleries, and shops, famous from Orhan Pamuk's books.
Address:Β Evliya Γelebi, MeΕrutiyet Cd. No:56, 34430 BeyoΔlu/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Sumahan on the Water
In a city with many fancy hotels, Sumahan is a modern luxury place to stay. It used to be an old distillery near the water that made spirit from figs. The hotel has been in the same family for years. The owners, Nedret and Mark, turned it into a nice hotel with their daughters' help. The rooms are simple and bright, some with a private bath. They all have a view of the seaΒ where you can see dolphins in summer. In winter, there are fires in the rooms. Outside, there are chairs under palm trees where you can relax.
Address:Β ΓengelkΓΆy, Kuleli Cd. No:43, 34684 ΓskΓΌdar/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Splendid Palace Hotel, BΓΌyΓΌkada
Istanbul has its own group of islands. The Princesβ Islands were once a place where unpopular royals (and even Leon Trotsky) were sent away. In the 20th century, the islands became a summer escape for wealthy Istanbul residents looking to leave the city heat for the Ottoman palaces and grand mansions on its calm, green shores. The most impressive spot is the Splendid Palas Hotel on car-free BΓΌyΓΌkada (where the only traffic is bicycles and horse-drawn carriages). It looks like a movie set, both inside and out - a mix of Western art nouveau and Eastern design in the colors of the Turkish flag, with twin onion domes on top. Bright red accents stand out against the all-white building, giving it a vibrant look. The interiors have a vintage feel, with original details like fancy ceilings, a wooden reception desk, and a 1920s-style lamp. The hotel has 69 rooms spread across three floors around a courtyard with a fountain, grand piano, plants, and simple furniture; and red-and-white striped lounge chairs are set up by the pool.
Address:Β BΓΌyΓΌkada-nizam, YirmiΓΌΓ§ Nisan Cd. No: 39, 34970 Adalar/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Pera Palace Hotel
Pera Palace in Istanbul is like The Savoy in London - a famous old hotel where many famous people stayed since 1895. Some well-known guests were Queen Elizabeth II, Greta Garbo, Jackie Onassis, and Mata Hari. Even Ernest Hemingway stayed there. Agatha Christie wrote her book in one of the rooms. The rooms are traditional and fancy, with views of the city. You can have afternoon tea in the cute pink cafe, just like in England.
Mustafa Kemal AtatΓΌrk, founder of the modern Turkey, stayed at the hotel many times and had a room just for him. Room 101, where he often stayed, is now a museum in his honor. It keeps important Turkish history. The room displays his things and items from AtatΓΌrk's life, giving visitors a look into his past at the Pera Palace.
Address:Β Evliya Γelebi, MeΕrutiyet Caddesi, TepebaΕΔ± Cd. No:52, 34430 BeyoΔlu/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul, Sultanahmet
The Four Seasons has two big hotels in Istanbul, one on each side of the Golden Horn. You can choose either one β both are great, with amazing views. The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus is by the water, made from an old Ottoman Palace. It's very fancy and in the summer, the terrace is a beautiful spot with red and white cabanas by the pool and sea. The other one, the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, is in the old part of Istanbul. It used to be a prison for writers in the past, but now it's a luxurious hotel with a yellow front. The hotel serves modern Turkish food in a nice garden. The rooms are big and decorated with Turkish furniture. It's close to the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia.
Address:Β Sultanahmet, Tevkifhane Sk. No:1, 34122, Turkey
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Raffles Istanbul, Besiktas
A fancy Istanbul hotel with modern style, not the old Ottoman look. Raffles fits right into Istanbul β it's all about new rich vibes, shiny glass, and luxury brands in the Zorlu Center mall in Besiktas. Big crystal chandeliers, fancy restaurants, and pools inside and out. Lounge 6 has a rooftop pool with great views and fancy drinks. The Long Bar is a Turkish version of a bar from Singapore, serving special Istanbul drinks. There are 181 modern rooms and suites with butlers, some have nice city views.
Address:Β LevazΔ±m, Zorlu Center, Koru SokaΔΔ±, 34340 BeΕiktaΕ/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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The Bank Hotel Istanbul, KarakΓΆy
When House Hotels' Vault Karakoy opened, it was one of the first modern boutique hotels in Istanbul. Now part of Marriott Bonvoy, the hotel's simple and stylish rooms are still the same, with wooden desks, old radiators, and arched windows facing Karakoy street. Originally a bank from the 19th century, the building's original features like cash registers, a safe-turned-drinks cabinet, and a wine cellar in the vault have been preserved.
Address:Β AzapkapΔ±, Bankalar Cd. No:5 D:1, 34421 BeyoΔlu/Δ°stanbul, Turkey
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In central Istanbul, these hotels are luxurious, stylish, and full of history. They are in great spots for visiting the city's many attractions. They have modern facilities and well-planned rooms. These hotels show the best of Istanbul's hospitality for travelers who want comfort, luxury, and a link to the city's history and innovation.