| Hotel Rating: |   | | Satisfaction: |   | | Reviews: 8 | Photos: 4 | | Mesrutiyet Str. 98/100, Tepebasi |
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 | Pera Palace Hotel: Agatha Christie's favourite
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 pera palace by traveloturc
The management knows it, and will coax every dollar possible from the nostalgia factor.
The hotel's once-rich but now somewhat dowdy orientalist décor is strongly evocative of fin-de-siècle Constantinople, and many of its rooms have updated comforts, though they're not equal to modern luxury hotels at this price (US$250 double).
The location is not bad, a mile away from Taksim Square in the heart of Beyoglu's historic Tepebasi district right next to the US Consulate-General.
The Pera Palas's grand salons are often rented out for social events, which can make for noisy evenings. Refik Saydam Caddesi, a major traffic artery, streams right by the hotel's west side, adding to the noise.
Whether you stay here or just stroll in for a look, ask to see Atatürk's suite, kept as a museum. Dont foget to tip the bellman who shows you the suite...and feel the history
The Pera Palas, designed by the French architect Alexander Vallaury, opened October 1891. Among the visitors of Pera Palas are: Ismet Inönü, Celal Bayar, Adnan Menderes, Fahri Korutürk, Refik Koraltan, King Zogo of Albania, Shah Riza Pehlevi of Iran, King Edward VIII of England , King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Carol of Romania, president Tito of Yugoslavia and Jacqueline Kennedy, Giscard d’Estaing, Von Papen, Mata Hari Cicero, Agatha Christie, Yehudi Menuhin, Marie Bell. Pera Palas, which lived through the Ottoman decline, the founding of the Republic, two world wars and not to mention changing political, social and economic conditions has become a token of history.Taksim Istanbul
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| Pera Palace Hotel: A great history, but overpriced.
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When I decided to visit Istanbul, there was only one hotel that I wanted to stay in, the famous Pera Palas. It is an institution: Istanbul's eqivalent of Raffles, and I love staying at Raffles.
But, when I arrived at the Pera Palas, felt the cloying atmosphere and saw the small, rather dingy room, I thought what the hell am I paying this much money for? I like visiting museums, but I'm not going to spend my entire holiday budget just in order to sleep in one.
I moved to a modern hotel across the road, where I paid considerably less and had a much nicer room.
The Pera Palas has a great history and it is a tourist attraction in its own right.
It was opened in 1891, specifically to accomodate the passengers from the Orient Express.
Famous guests have included Mata Hari, Agatha Christie, King Edward VIII, King Zog of Albania, the Shah of Iran, President Tito and Jacqueline Kennedy.
This place has seen better days. Theme: HotelPrice: US$120-180 » Currency ConverterComparison: most expensivePhone: 212 251 4560
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| Pera Palace Hotel: Since 1892
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Read the tip as a "Thing to do":
Pera Palace is located in European part of old Istanbul, and Pera is the name of this part. Its architect was Alexandre Vallaury who also designed Archeological Museum and Istanbul Erkek Lisesi. The design of the building is charming with oriental touch and eclectic style. The hotel was built for the passengers of Orient Express, so it has a colorful history. Imagining this era makes me nostalgic. I remember the crime and mystery movies like “Murder on the Orient Express”. I think it was a dreamy time with elegant women, gentile men, delicate gusto…
Many public figures preferred it for their accommodation in Istanbul. Some of them are Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ismet Inonu, Alfred Hitchcock, Greta Garbo, Mata Hari, Sarah Bernhardt…
Agatha Christie, great writer of the popular genre, had a mysterious period in her life. No one knows where she was for 11 days. Her car found deserted near a lake in London. It is said that she was in Istanbul and staying in this hotel, number 411. She was a regular customer of Pera Palace. I think Istanbul was a source for her writings. Years after, Warner Bros wanted to produce a movie about famous writer and they wanted to learn what happened in these 11 days. They hired a psychic, Tamara Rand. She said that the mystery was hidden in that room. In 1979, during a renovation, a worker found a key hid under the doorstep. Warner Bros offered a huge amount of money for the key but the owner of the hotel kept it for himself. So, the mystery is still unsolved. It is believed that it is all written in Christie’s hidden diaries. They are still lost.
The hotel is under a big reconstruction and opening of Pera Palace as a museum-hotel will be in the last quarter of 2009. If I have an opportunity, I’d love to stay here.
Architecture, history and mystery
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| Pera Palace Hotel: Steeped in History, a famous hotel
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 by DianeMo
Many other famous figures from the past have stayed here over the years, including Ataturk.
The staff at the hotel could not have been nicer. They really cared for their guests. The concierge, realising that my friend & I were 2 women travelling alone, took the trouble to arrange all her taxis for us, and noted down the taxi numbers. We felt very safe knowing that the hotel staff were concerned for our safety.
The bar in the hotel is really lovely, as are the restaurants and patisserie coffee shop. Excellant service, I can't recommend this hotel highly enough.
The lift in the hotel has one of those really old fashioned metal grid doors, so everyone can see you going up & down from the lobby, so quaint.
Shop around for deals to this hotel, as different web sites quote different prices. Theme: HotelComparison: about averageDirections: Easy enough to get to from the airport by taxi.Website: http://www.perapalas.com/
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