Virtually all hotels in this 5-star category have the usual deluxe facilities: a variety of guest rooms with one or two double, queen or king-size beds, luxury bathrooms, mini-bar, satellite TV and broadband Internet connection.
Public areas always include several restaurants andbars, health club/exercise room, shops, and meeting and/or convention facilities.
Many (but not all) of Istanbul's deluxe hotels have swimming pools, as well as that ultimate local status symbol: rooms with views of the Bosphorus. If they don't have these desirable features, I mention the lack in my description of the hotel.
Location is an important consideration, particularly because of transport concerns. More...
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| The surprising 5-star boutique Sirkeci Mansion Hotel. |
If you stay in Sultanahmet, you'll be only steps from Istanbul's major sights, including Ayasofya, the Hippodrome, and Topkapı Palace, but you may not get a swimming pool or Bosphorus views.
If you stay in Beyoğlu, especially Taksim Square, you're close to shopping and nightlife, and only a 15-minute taxi ride from Sultanahmet. Your hotel will probably offer a swimming pool and Bosphorus views.
If you stay on the Bosphorus shore, you may have both these features, but there may be few shops or attractions near your hotel and you'll probably spend an hour or more each day getting around by taxi. Here's more onhotel districts.
Here's Istanbul's luxury line-up, the Top Deluxe Hotels in Istanbul.
—by Tom Brosnahan
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