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Istanbul hotels
Istanbul's hotels have come a long way since the days of the hippie trail, when budget travelers were looking for a slice of the Orient, an exotic smoke, and a cheap bed. The major luxury chains, including Four Seasons (with two properties), Ritz-Carlton, Kempinski, W, and Park Hyatt have opened for business. More and more independent boutiques like Ansen Suites, the House Hotel, and Witt Istanbul Suites have sprouted up in the center of town. Even the crusty old Pera Palace, which housed Agatha Christie and other Orient Express passengers back in the day, has gotten a facelift. Those with an urge to stay in the Old City, Sultanahmet, should be aware that the proximity to the main historic sights has its downsides: a poor selection of nightlife and eating options, generally shoddy hotels (exceptions listed here), and ceaseless haranguing from touts. Most of the luxury options are in the more "modern" part of Istanbul north of the Golden Horn, or across the Bosphorus.
To understand the lay of the land in Istanbul, visit our Fact Sheet.
An advantage of staying at the Witt Istanbul Suites, besides its location in the literati-filled neighborhood of Cihangir, is that everything in it is something...more
Istanbul is fast becoming Europe's capital of cool, and its hip-o-meter certainly clocked up a couple more notches with the April 2008 opening of the W in the...more
This "classy and secluded" hotel overlooks the Bosphorus on the former garden of Dolmabahçe Palace. Guest rooms are warm and modern, with rich woods,...more
One of Istanbul's most talked-about boutique hotels, the recently refurbished Sumahan on the Water hugs the Asian shore of the Bosphorus in the village of...more
If you can forgive the rather humdrum name and slightly away-from-center location (trendy Nişantaşı, about a five-minute cab ride from Taksim...more
The Ritz-Carlton occupies 15 floors of one of the city's most controversial buildings: Süzer Plaza, a dreary monolith that stands obnoxiously at the heart...more
Once the stomping ground of the 1920s glitterati (this is where Agatha Christies=, Ernest Hemingway, and Greta Garbo came to stay), the Pera Palace fell into...more
Opened in fall 2008, the Park Hyatt is a sophisticated, stylish hotel with all the modest self-assuredness that is the mark of a solid high-end brand. Architect...more
The lively nightlife and shopping area around Beyoğlu is generally neglected by hotel entrepreneurs, leaving a choice between brass-knobbed chains and...more
This four-story hundred-year-old town house is named after the palace of Ibrahim Pasha opposite—whose divine Islamic Arts museum can be easily checked off...more
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