Pera Palace Hotel

Lots of old school charm, character and history . Every floor has artefacts from the hotel’s rich past with detailed explanations and they are laid out with thought. The old lift is an exciting trip if you are in the right place at the right time and I was. Barak took me for a spin and I loved it. The room was spotlessly clean. I never got that horrible dusty foot feeling in bed at night because the floors are beautifully cleaned. The bathroom and the toilet also flawless. The bed linen is beautiful and the towels are in good order. The kettle is a joy with plenty of tea bags and coffee which is so relaxing in the morning. Breakfast is excellent-lots of variety and catering for all tastes. Service is really good and subtle. The bar and salon areas are really cosy and atmospheric and again we had great service. My only complaint is that our room faced the main road which was noisy (even with the window shut!) However we were so relaxed and happy that we slept through all the beeping and shouting. We left our window open in the daytime to get lots of fresh air in and closed it at night and didn’t need air-conditioning. The temperature was perfect. Chocolate on your pillow at night and Molton Brown toiletries. Lovely little extras.

Every time I travel to Istanbul, I think about changing hotels for variety, but after 15 minutes of searching, I end up going back to Pera. It offers an excellent combination of price and quality. For me, Pera is not just a hotel, it is primarily about the people who feel like family. Delicious food, the best view of the city from the 6th floor, very comfortable pillows, crisp sheets, and fragrant quality toiletries. Everything is perfect. It is fair to note that I stay in the higher category rooms, which are 45 sqm and above, and they are always wonderful. I cannot judge the standard rooms and how comfortable they are, as room size is very important to me.

Beautiful historic hotel with a magnificent lobby area and wonderful associations with Agatha Christie and Ataturk Amongst others. Great location. We had a room with the balcony which was great and we had the lovely view out over the Bosphorus A small but lovely swimming pool and spa centre

The hotel is iconic. It’s like the building has a soul. The employees maintain the grand old era this hotel has seen with their gracious warm professional attitude. I booked this hotel and had to leave urgently the day of my arrival. The front office manager assisted me with this and when I was able to return, he remembered me. I felt as if I had been patronising the hotel for years. I used the spa and pool service, room service, the famous afternoon tea. All were excellent. The breakfast on offer is a good quality Turkish one, not the generic 5 star buffet the rest of the world offers.

The building is stunning and full of history, with an impressive effort to preserve its original charm while offering modern luxury. I really appreciated the touches of old-world elegance, like the marble stool and the fact that my shower cabin had three independent showers — a small but unique luxury. Staying here truly feels like experiencing a piece of history without sacrificing comfort.