Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul

We had a lovely stay at the hotel which is very well located and on the Bosporus the sunrise and sunset from the room balcony was a pleasant site The weather did not permit us to go on the boat although we had arranged for the same to pick us from the hotel The palace banquets next door with all the history attached was a nice place to party The food etc was nice as the host had arranged a lot of outside food to be catered for the guests

The Cliff Notes version is this - best hotel I've ever been in let alone stay in! I really don't know how to adequately describe our experience here other than to say my wife and I have stayed in all sorts of places throughout the world and never came across a place like this. The service was impeccable and we were treated like royalty. The staff was literally falling over each other to be of help. Our room was stunning and quiet. Beautiful views of the Bosphorus. Excellent dining opportunities. All this and at an affordable price. Unreal value! Couldn't recommend enough. Only one caveat. Most of the famous attractions (Hagia Sophia, Tokapi Palace) are in "Old Town". The Ciragan in in "New Town". This is a 20 minute drive in the AM but could be up to an hour on the way out. IMHO, well worth it anyway if just for the experience of staying at this place!

The service was perfect, Dilek yildiz waiters and waiter Kadir tunay did a wonderful job, always trying to give us the best. The environment was perfect as well. The suites are very very well designed, the food also is one of the best points for this hotel.

The warmth of this place goes beyond the beautiful interiors - it's in the genuine smiles of the staff and their willingness to go above and beyond. Our room was a perfect sanctuary after long days of exploration, with incredibly comfortable beds and soundproof windows. The hotel's location made everything accessible, and the in-house restaurant served some of the best meals we've had. The attention to sustaina

The service was fabulous from the bellman to the concierge - who really did a lot of work for me, to the lovely high tea and the dinner at their Bellini restaurant. Our room had a very private balcony and wonderful view over looking the Bosphorus and the "first bridge." The room was exceptionally comfortable. Room service was very prompt. They arranged 3 guided tours for me Tours in Istanbul thru Travel Refinery were excellent, esp Reggie, who was very knowledgeable about history, politics and art, and architecture. Very helpful in finding the right store to buy quartz tiles and negotiating a price. And we looked at many, so I knew you wanted to look for 84% to 86% quartz in the tiles. Makes them unbreakable and very heat resistant. Istanbul is not a European city but it is very sophisticated, and people are very friendly and helpful; even to clueless American strangers like me holding a Fodors and staring at Google maps to figure which direction to walk to Hagia Sofia.