Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul

A palace, on the edge of Europe, comes to unite the colors of the Istanbul, with the blue of the Bosphorus and the flavors of the East. Like an emerald, it stands in the royal crown and offers a magical experience to every visitor. Staying in the palace grounds is a special experience throughout the day.

I came to this hotel for tea time at the gazebo with my friend. The service was not bad. Before I was about to leave, I wanted to see the rooms. For this reason, I asked the girl named Melissa, who said they were guest relations (but didn't know how to treat a guest), to show me a room. The three girls at the desk didn't see me at first because they were talking to each other. Then they pointed to the reception and said that I have to ask the reception. (The way she pointed with her finger really didn't suit a five-star hotel.) Then I gave up on seeing the room and left the hotel. I just wanted you to see how uneducated people are employed by a hotel that offers this very expensive tea time.

Unbelievable, great team. We had a beautiful brunch on Sunday, which was rainy, but the beautiful people and team members of the hotel made our day sunny. Cengiz bey and his team including Samet bey were great…. also in the entry area river expected like Royal family congratulations and thank you very much for this impeccable service we would recommend to anybody to come anytime to this beautiful place with great team members.

The hotel itself is special, the location is excellent, the position on the Bosphorus is beautiful, and facilities are top notch. But what really seperate this hotels from others I’ve stayed at if similar caliber is the staff. There was not a second where I felt the staff weren’t 100% switched on, all the while with smiles on their faces. One of the best hotels and experiences I have had. It’s worth the hype.

This is a wonderful hotel with wonderful staff. We stayed in a suite on the palace side of the hotel, which has a marvelous team of butlers led by Necmeddin Ekinci. The suite itself was wonderful with many small touches like plenty of towels, water bottles in many areas, plenty of tea to choose from, and a dedicated water heater for tea. The butlers themselves were exceptionally dedicated. They were always available and trying to anticipate how to make the stay even more enjoyable and relaxed. For example, one of the butlers recommended an after dinner rose drink that to our delight came served on a bed of rose petals. The butlers always rushed to open our room door for us upon our return, and they were always present to welcome us at the front steps when we would arrive by car. There were many surprises throughout the visit like a soap service where you pick your own high quality natural made soap to use during your visit. They even put a Christmas stocking filled with treats on our door handle on Christmas Eve night for us to wake up and find. The staff at breakfast in the main hotel were always friendly and smiling. One of the staff even spontaneously brought me a plate of his favorite traditional Turkish breakfast. Dinner at Turga is a magical experience with that rare combination of excellent food, service, and ambience with a beautiful view.