Swissotel The Bosphorus, Istanbul

I have been in Istanbul for business and pleasure almost 50 times from period of 3 days to 3 months. For short term travel this is the best of all the luxury hotels because it is comfortable and unpretentious. Service is excellent and the in-hotel restaurants are superb as are the sport facilities and particulary the view from the lobby lounge area. In the summer, the roof bar is the best view in the city. The first time I stayed, I returned from exhausting day long meetings and ordered a drink at the lobby lounge. The second day, I did the same thing. The waiter asked me by name whether I would like the same. Impressive, to say the least.

Directions: Quiet. Beyond Taksim.

The three modern glass towers ( image 1 ) of the Swisshotel are in stark contrast to the mosques and low rise buildings of Istanbul. Constructed in a forested park formerly part of the Dolmabahce Palace, the perceived sacrilege led to considerable local controversy. Today, the hotel sits atop a mountain directly above the palace with view from the upper floors east along the Bosphorus, straight ahead to Asia and west to Karakoy ( image 2 ) as well as to the Sultanahmet district ( image 3 ) in the far distance. Incredible views from most rooms as well as the large beautiful multilevel marble lobby. The lobby ( image 4 ) itself is several stories high, marble throughout, with several fountains and a massive glass wall overlooking the water.
The spa is world famous and famously expensive. Fitness center, Turkish style bath, ten restaurants and bars, meeting rooms, everything one could want and more. Outside, a large pool ( image 5 ) set overlooking the forest and park has a central fountain, lots of lounges, and a separate pool for children. Looking over the forest, the Dolmabahce is layed out directly below. The construction may have been contentious but the results are little short of spectacular.

The 5 star 600 bed Swisshotel Bosphorus occupies a 65 acre garden overlooking the Bosphorus, the Dolhambace Palace, and the entire city of Istanbul. The large rooms feature comfortable king size beds, large desks and shelves, chaise lounge, and loads of storage space. The bathrooms are surprisingly small but quite luxurious with an assortment of Swisshotel branded giveaways. All the modern communications conveniences are available of course, as well as TV with a decent assortment of free channels and loads of pay per view choices. The rooms offer everything one might anticipate in a 5 star hotel in a very conventional manner - nothing exceptional or unique here, just solid luxury. Turkish Delight on the pillows nightly, fruit plate on check in. All the little things that make for a great stay. These rooms could be anywhere, but they are great rooms.
The most exciting part of these hotel rooms is the views over the Bosphorus -- our room faced west so the Golden Horn and Sultanahmet district were in the background - astounding. The hotel is constructed so that most rooms face the water. There are happily relatively few "park view" rooms which in reality face a parking lot with a public park in the distance.

We were fortunate enough to score an executive floor room. The higher price included a free buffet breakfast, availability of drinks and snacks all day long, and a nice buffet with different hot dishes every night including do it yourself cocktails, beer, and wine without limit. On at least one night, after stuffing our faces at the Spice Bazaar, the dinner buffet was our dinner. The buffet area also included two unlimited free-use computers which were usually immediately available. The balcony overlooks the Dolhambace Palace and Bosphorus - magnificent. Worth the money.

In a hotel of this size, the concierge desk is of course very busy. The staff is helpful and willing to take time to answer any questions, but have little time to offer more than answers to specific inquiries. We were quick to distinguish ourselves by letting the concierge know that we had an akbil and chose to see much of Istanbul as individual travellers and not on a bus. Suddenly we had a friend behind the desk - he came out to visit us in the lobby, stunned that tourists would use trams and dolmuses. As in any large luxurious hotel, standing out without being obnoxious helps - showing a real interest in the city helps.

The aptly-named Swissôtel Istanbul-The Bosphorus has some of the finest Bosphorus views among Istanbul luxury hotels.
Besides fine indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the Swissôtel has its own Bosphorus cruise boat for excursions, nightly dinner cruises, and a Sunday brunch cruise.
Managed by Singapore-based Raffles International despite its Swiss-ô name, the 600-room Swissôtel Istanbul is set on a hill overlooking Dolmabahçe Palace and the Bosphorus.
It's a great location for views, but less so for walking anywhere. You'll probably find yourself taking taxis most of the time.
If you are a walker you can stroll 15 minutes up the hill to the Tesvikiye and Nisantas districts for shopping and restaurants.

Directions: Macka near to Inonu Football satdium

Unique Quality: Swissôtel The Bosphorus, Istanbul is located in the centre of Istanbul on the European banks of the Bosphorus within a delightful park setting. The hotel's spacious gardens were previously the gardens of the Dolmabahce Palace, the last residence of the Ottoman Sultans. Situated on a wooded hilltop, the Swissôtel The Bosphorus Istanbul commands panoramic views of the Bosphorus, the Asian coast and the old city of Istanbul. Within easy access of many Istanbul attractions, the hotel is just a 15-minute walk from Istanbul's main shopping district called "Taxim"

Directions: Next to Bosphorus