Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul

The Ciragan Palace hotel is unique, with a privileged location overlooking the Bosphorus. The palace is a dream; the staff is exceptional, always ready to answer any questions, especially the concierge, and the food is proof of the delicious Turkish cuisine.

Five Star experience. This was our first time in Istanbul and what a place to stay for a first impression. Lovely grounds and facilities. The extensive breakfast buffet was impressive and prepared us for a long day of sightseeing. We will remember the fantastic service from everyone at the hotel. I want to say a special thank you to Rafet Karakus of the bell-team. He was so helpful throughout our stay and we appreciate his positive greetings and attitude. Fantastic time at Ciragan Palace. We will be back soon.

Unfortunately we did not book since the Reservation office did send us 3 different prices in 6 days (2 during same day). The reason why I had to contact the Reservation office was because online a part of the overall package was not clear so unfortunately we ended up with this back and forth. Moreover when i called over the weekend they told me that they see the correspondence and that the room will be booked and wait for Monday to complete the reservation. Monday of course I had a bad surprise since they decided to change the price. Eventually I refused to book since it was a matter of principle.

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!