Hotel Sultanhan, Istanbul Review
Hotel Sultanhan
Istanbul, Turkey
Review by Christine Charlesworth
Hotel Sultanhan in Istanbul nestles quietly in a small tree-lined avenue, with no through traffic, just off the bustling main avenue of Divanyolu in the old part of Istanbul. The hotel is on the edge of the Sultanahmet District and the Bazaar District and is, therefore, in easy walking distance of most of the key places to visit.
We arrived on a sunny afternoon in October and entered the hotel up marble steps, through the main, arched, entrance doorway into the impressive main lobby area. As the hotel has been converted from a government house it displays much of the grandeur of its previous status and the entrance lobby, with a 5 metre high ceiling, marble floors and pillars, old original historical furniture and Ottoman Empire style furnishings give the hotel a certain feeling of opulence.
The reception area, set along the left side of the lobby, has a large carved wooden reception desk with an antique wooden panel set on the wall behind. There is a framed, elaborate silk kaftan hung on the wall to the right of the desk and several of these framed garments are displayed in other areas of the hotel. We were given a welcome glass of squeezed pomegranate juice while we waited for our room confirmation and as we sipped these delicious drinks the reception manager explained where to find all the places of interest to see in the city, marking them on a map for us to use, including marking where the hotel was situated as we had found it a little difficult to find as it is quite hidden away.
Ushered to the lifts, just beside the reception, we were taken up to our room on the second floor of the hotel. Our room was a spacious triple room with king size bed and a large single bed. The furnishings were of an antique style with dark-wood floor and antique rugs. We had a wardrobe, a writing desk with easy-to-use plug for the computer and two comfortable chairs set beside a round table in front of the large window. The floor-length window had a small balcony, overlooked the tree-lined avenue and across to the smart government building opposite. The bathroom, which was marble floored, had a bath with shower and a good sized marble washbasin area. There was a good selection of toiletries including hair conditioner and body lotion. We were shown how to work the small safe, which was set inside the wardrobe, shown how to work the air conditioning which, I was grateful to note, was pleasantly quiet as I hate being kept awake by those humming machines. Use of the hotel internet service is free and we were given two special codes to enable our access. There was a mini-bar holding soft drinks but, unfortunately, no tea and coffee making facilities.
Once we had unpacked we went out to explore the immediate area. Turning right outside the hotel we walked a few steps up the avenue onto the bustling, busy main street which is also one of the main tram routes for the city. A few steps further down this street, to the right, we came to the Hippodrome which once housed the Byzantine arena and was the centre of Byzantium’s life for 1000 years, then of Ottoman life for 400 years and, with a park-like atmosphere, is now the city’s most popular meeting place. From here we had the best approach to the Blue Mosque which we wanted to visit before prayer time as visitors are not allowed in during prayers. This mosque is probably the place most tourists visit in Istanbul.
The Terrace Restaurant of Hotel Sultanhan is situated on the top floor of the hotel. It has broad windows and an outside terrace to two sides which give a wonderful view of the old city and down to the Bosphorus, Princes Islands and Marmara Sea. There is also an open, glass sided, terrace above the restaurant which is approached from steps on the left-hand restaurant terrace. The views of Sultanahmet-Blue Mosque, Saint Sophia and over to the Topkapi Palace are superb and I recommend taking photographs from this great vantage point. The restaurant serves light meals, snacks, lunch and dinner and also this was the place where we had breakfast each morning. Breakfast is buffet style with a selection of cakes, cheeses, cold meat, hot dishes, cereals, yoghurt and a large choice of fruit, jams and breads. Tea or Coffee is served by the staff. On our first morning this restaurant was fairly crowded as we had breakfast late at 9.30am, but the second morning we were earlier and able to have a window seat to ‘drink in’ the wonderful views with our morning coffee.
The hotel is well situated for visiting all the historical places of interest. The lively Grand Bazaar is very near the hotel and there are a great number of small restaurants to choose from in the area, all serving typical Turkish food. The Hagia Sophia Museum is also an easy walk away and this is certainly well worth a visit, although you may have to queue for tickets. Another short walk from the museum takes you to the Topkapi Palace, Gulhane Park and the Archaeological Museum. However, I recommend that a whole day is set aside for these visits and a ‘must see’ is the Harem at the Topkapi Palace, which is less crowded and gives a better idea of what life was like there. We were amazed when we visited the Basilica Cistern which is also in easy walking distance and a boat trip on the Bosphorus on a sunny day is a good way to relax after a hard days sightseeing the day before.
On our last evening we decided to visit the small bar in the corner of the main reception area but this only serves fruit juices and soft drinks. Wines are served in the restaurant with a meal and we were told that this is the same in most hotels in Istanbul.
After a busy day walking round Istanbul it is possible to have an Ottoman style Turkish bath and Sauna in the hotel. This includes a foam bath, body scrub and complete body relaxation massage. You will need to book this in advance and, unfortunately, on our short stay, we did not have time to enjoy this facility.
Hotel Sultanhan is a 4* ‘Boutique Hotel’ with a total of 40 guest rooms. All are now non-smoking. All have free Wi-Fi, cable TV, heating and air conditioning. Rooms are all decorated to a high standard and all bathrooms have baths.
We enjoyed our stay here and found it well positioned for visiting many of the places of interest in Istanbul.
Rating: 4/5
Hotel Sultanhan is a member of Great Hotels of the World Classic Collection. For more information or to book, please visit www.ghotw.com/hotel-sultanhan or call 020 7380 3658.
Hotel Sultanhan Istanbul. Piyerloti Cad. 15 Sultanahmet, 34122 Istanbul, Turkey
