iflyuaaa

Heading to Istanbul for a few days. Any hotel recommendations Spg preferred but marriott good also. Would like to be near the good clubs and saunas wherever those are...appreciate any and all recommendations.

Orion

I was in Istanbul twice last year. I first stayed with a friend at the Doubletree Hotel in Old Town. We liked it. Nice rooms. Good restaurant on the top floor.
I returned by myself and stayed near the airport at a Marriott Courtyard. Great lodging at a bargain rate. Close to nothing but the terminal with frequent scheduled service.
You might want to stay in the Taxim Square area. I think of it as the international zone of the city. Lots to see.

palermo

I find hotels in IST, poor value for money. I agree that Taksim is the place to stay but I will be concerned with noise. I would just find a good local hotel with good reviews rather than one of the big chain hotels

Dieuwer

Disagree with staying in Taxim. Too noisy and not many quality restaurants.

RandomBaritone

I can strongly recommend the Marmara Pera in the Beyoğlu neighborhood. Authentically Turkish yet modern, with spectacular views of the old city, rain showerheads, and a nice breakfast buffet. Spring for a water view room.

JVPhoto

Not too old of a thread but wanted to bump it up.
I'm in the process of figuring out and booking my hotel for IST for the first few days of October.

Similar to what I posted about Bangkok a while back.
30, single, male. Not there to cruise lol but will be traveling solo and spending about 4 nights. Have no specific association with any hotel groups except for Ritz/Marriot but it bears no real weight in decision making.

I prefer to walk…if it is 20-25 min in a decent area even in the evening/night that is not a problem for me. So something where I can check out some of the sights (Grand Bazaar, HS, etc) but that also isn't dead in the evening/night.
I'd rather walk/travel/commute to sights during the day but then in the evening be around a nice area to stroll around, grab some food, maybe a drink…if that happens to be where the boys are then all the better, but not a must!

Budget is pretty flexible.

peteropny

You're looking in the Old Town area. There aren't a lot of larger hotels there. The Doubletree is mentioned above which I don't know even existed. But alternatively the old Four Seasons is in that area (not the newer one overlooking the Bosphorus). Most of the larger chain hotels are in the "new" area of the city nearer to Taksim Square.

JVPhoto

I don't mind small, local, non-chain hotels…I looked up the Marmara Pera someone post above it seems nice.

MK19791980

My partner and I stayed at the Old Town Doubletree earlier this year, the location was great and the staff were very friendly

MDWCommuter

We stayed at The Witt Suites in Beyoglu last November. It was a special trip and so we booked the Penthouse room for EUR429. The wrap around terrace had a full view of the Bosporus and the Golden Horn. It was quite possibly the best view I've ever had in a hotel. Full breakfast was served every morning on the terrace. Lord I could have sat there all day, it was that nice. The front desk staff was really helpful, very friendly, and quite good looking

They run a nice blog that I found to be pretty helpful:

http://www.wittistanbul.com/magazine/

Can book online at http://www.wittistanbul.com

Can't say enough about the place - would definitely stay again.

Phoenixian

I traveled throughout Turkey last summer with a friend who's very well traveled and insisted on a hotel with a view of the Bosphorus. At the time we were booking protests were taking place in Istanbul so the Hilton was taken out of contention.

An old friend, from Turkey, suggested this hotel, Sumahan.

It's on the Asia side of the Bosphorus and sits right on the water. An old brewery that was converted to a small hotel. A husband/wife couple (both architects) redesigned the building and their daughter (an interior designer) decorated.

Best of all, they operate their own launch to get you back and forth across the water.

If I were returning I don't think I'd stay anywhere else!

http://www.sumahan.com/

qmiro

I have stayed twice at the Eklektik Galata http://www.eklektikgalata.com/ on the newer side of town. It's just off Istiklal street and about 2 minutes walk from the Tunel that takes you down to the shore. Very reasonably priced. The rooms are decorated in different ways. One has a big marble tub which was really nice. Breakfast is delicious. Highly recommend it. You can walk to Taksim along Istiqlal St. and there's many great restaurants and even a Starbucks close by.

djjaguar64

2 words: Quatre Saisons aka 4 Seasons

peteropny

There are 2 in Istanbul - the old converted prison and new-ish one on the Bosphorus.

bhrubin

We will be at the Park Hyatt in Oct for 4 nights. Friends went last year and stayed at the TomTom Suites and loved it--don't think it is too far from the PH. In Feb 2015, the new St. Regis opens up a block away from the PH, too. There are a number of hotels that are wonderful in Istanbul depending on your budget.