With 54 beautifully furnished, large, high-spec rooms and a perfect position amidst Istanbul's cultural attractions, the stylish Four Seasons is a perennial favourite.
Telephone: +90 (0) 212 638 8200
Price: from EUR 370
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The most luxurious traditional hotel in Istanbul (unless you’re forking out for the palace suites in the Çiragan), the Four Seasons was a popular hit (especially with wealthy Americans) from its opening in 1994. Originally the building it occupies was an Ottoman prison built to service the nearby courts of law. Standards of service have considerably improved since those days, an irony that the original inmates would no doubt have enjoyed.
The building’s history has inadvertently bequeathed the hotel a kind of Ottoman minimalism with distinctive cultural features such as pointed arches and tall ceilings uncomplicated by the Turkish tendency towards the baroque (prisoners were not deemed worthy of baroque visual excitement). The 54 large rooms are beautiful and full of opulent furnishings, as well as TVs, CD players and so on. Service is excellent, helped by the hotel’s intimate size.
The location, between the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet, is perfect. The food’s not bad either – the Seasons Restaurant is one of the top places in town for sophisticated European cuisine. Inevitably top rates are charged for what is a top product.
