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DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Istanbul - Old Town {TUR}

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Istanbul - Old Town {TUR}

Old Jul 3, 2013, 5:22 am
  #136  
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Bristol, UK
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Originally Posted by unknown786
Can anyone recommend any good restaurants nearby? Looking for something authentic and not too "touristy" if possible!
Sorry this is too late to help you, however, I did find the business card from a place I can recommend for any others going to Istanbul:

Palato Cafe Restaurant

Akbiyik Cad. No. 40A 34122 Sultanahmet-Istanbul

www.palatorestaurant.com

It is located about 2 Km from the hotel so not right around the corner but in a nice area just below the blue mosque area...It is touristy there and really just a street of hotels and restaurants but this one in particular really stood out when we tried it one night. The food was excellent and did have a mix to satisfy anyone, the service was brilliant and they provide a few things for free with the meal to try to get you to keep coming back (coffee, dessert for example).

It was a great place to sit and watch people go by, eat a very good meal at a reasonable price and I will be going back to eat here again.

Hope this is of use for those looking for something that is not directly in the hotel but also not too far off the beaten track.
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Old Aug 26, 2013, 9:50 am
  #137  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Washington, D.C.
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Just got back from Istanbul after staying at the DoubleTree. Great call. It is super close to Sultanahmet (area where the Blue Mosque is located) and near a tram station if you are wanting to explore more of the city.

The multi-lingual staff were top notch and getting to and from the airport can cost anywhere from 40-60TL (depending on traffic). 1TL= $.50 so Istanbul was super cheap.

Again a topnotch property that I would stay at again.
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Old Aug 31, 2013, 6:01 pm
  #138  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
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Hi folks. Possibly dumb question but I haven't dealt with this situation before:

I'm staying at this hotel with my friend. I'm flying in early in the day, she's flying in around 6pm. I'll be hanging around at the hotel when she arrives, but I need to figure out how to let her know the room number so I don't have to hang out in the foyer for hours. Neither of us has a phone that will work in Turkey, and her name isn't on the reservation.

Will they just give her my room number if she asks for it? Or can I just leave a message in her name at the reception desk?
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Old Aug 31, 2013, 9:16 pm
  #139  
 
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Originally Posted by Jorgen
Hi folks. Possibly dumb question but I haven't dealt with this situation before:

I'm staying at this hotel with my friend. I'm flying in early in the day, she's flying in around 6pm. I'll be hanging around at the hotel when she arrives, but I need to figure out how to let her know the room number so I don't have to hang out in the foyer for hours. Neither of us has a phone that will work in Turkey, and her name isn't on the reservation.

Will they just give her my room number if she asks for it? Or can I just leave a message in her name at the reception desk?
I would suggest leaving a note in an envelope for her at the front desk as one option. Also, if her name is on the reservation, she should have no trouble getting a key for the room.
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Old Aug 31, 2013, 11:28 pm
  #140  
 
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Originally Posted by Jorgen
I'm staying at this hotel with my friend. I'm flying in early in the day, she's flying in around 6pm. I'll be hanging around at the hotel when she arrives, but I need to figure out how to let her know the room number so I don't have to hang out in the foyer for hours. Neither of us has a phone that will work in Turkey, and her name isn't on the reservation.

Will they just give her my room number if she asks for it? Or can I just leave a message in her name at the reception desk?
As a general rule, a hotel won't (and shouldn't) give out a guest's room number. If she's staying in the room with you, you can have the front desk add her as a named guest on your record. You can let the front desk know that she is authorized to get a key by asking for the room under your name. Or, you can get an extra key made and leave an envelope with the front desk or concierge under her name. Hotels are used to this.

If she's not staying with you (or even if she is), you can just have her pick up a house phone or ask the front desk to be connected to your room by giving your name, then tell her the room number over the phone or go grab her in the lobby. Of course, if you know the rough time of her arrival, you can also just plan to meet her in the bar at the top of the hotel (that's how we met up with our friend); it is a pleasant place to wait.

I don't remember for sure, but I vaguely remember this hotel's elevator wanting you to swipe a room key to get to guest room floors. Not certain.

Last edited by abaheti; Sep 1, 2013 at 4:26 pm Reason: edits from Blackberry don't seem to stick... edit from PC
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Old Sep 24, 2013, 11:16 pm
  #141  
 
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Well, I solved my problem (thanks for your replies) and thought I'd come back with a brief review of the property.

Overall, a good stay. A couple of small complaints though. Firstly, the (standard king) room really was quite small. Secondly, the bathroom had a weird moldy smell -- I'm sure I could have got a different room if I'd complained, I didn't care that much, it was just a bit off. Thirdly, on one night the maids managed to take away the towels but not replace them, leaving me with no towels! Luckily they didn't take the bathmat so I dried myself with that. Still, it's a bit of a slip-up.

Best part: the breakfast buffet. Huge selection of food, with the highlight being the hanging honeycomb which you can scrape onto your bread with a knife. As a lowly Gold (thanks to a status match off another status match, thus totally undeserved) I got a fistful of breakfast vouchers plus a welcome platter of fruit and Turkish delight, plus two bottles of water a day, plus a goodbye platter of delicious cake, which is the best treatment I've seen for a non-top level status guest anywhere.

On the subject of airport transfers: I'm a cheapass and don't feel like dealing with the possibility of getting ripped off, so I just took public transport -- surprisingly good and fast, but often very crowded. The tram stops right outside the hotel and connects with the train to the airport. I think the whole journey takes about 40 minutes and costs... I dunno, a few bucks.

Overall it was good, but if I did Istanbul again I'd probably stay on the other side of the Golden Horn. The old part of town contains very little apart from tourist attractions, tourists, and people who prey on tourists. Of course you'll want to see all these things, but you can see them during the day and retreat back to the new town at night to find places for dinner that don't suck.
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Old Oct 20, 2013, 12:53 am
  #142  
 
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BotB, great pictures, thank you. Anyone that used xfers in the last few months have any updates on if they were happy/worthwhile and if they'd recommend them? thanks.
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Old Nov 18, 2013, 4:08 pm
  #143  
 
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I was just about to book a 5 night stay here, when I found a report on Tripadvisor - confirmed by the GM of the hotel - that "According to our Hotel policy and in terms of hygiene, it is not allowed to bring fast foods and hot foods from outside to the Hotel for your health & safety."

I've certainly never come across a hotel anywhere else in the world here you weren't allowed to take food into your own room. Is this standard for hotels in Turkey, or a one off?
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Old Jan 9, 2014, 5:40 am
  #144  
 
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Originally Posted by crazypalooza
BotB, great pictures, thank you. Anyone that used xfers in the last few months have any updates on if they were happy/worthwhile and if they'd recommend them? thanks.
Just came back from over New Year's so I can recommend Efendi Travel We used them for various different parties to the airports, the prices are good, the vans spacious, but the drivers really speak NO english.


Originally Posted by docbert
I was just about to book a 5 night stay here, when I found a report on Tripadvisor - confirmed by the GM of the hotel - that "According to our Hotel policy and in terms of hygiene, it is not allowed to bring fast foods and hot foods from outside to the Hotel for your health & safety."

I've certainly never come across a hotel anywhere else in the world here you weren't allowed to take food into your own room. Is this standard for hotels in Turkey, or a one off?
Honestly - I didn't notice this and they didn't seem to enforce it YMMV

IMO, great hotel, fantastic recognition of Elites, very helpful, some minor infrastructure issues (one A/C didn't work, crossed phone lines, broken printer) but nothing major.
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Old Feb 8, 2014, 9:53 pm
  #145  
 
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I took food in, they dont seem to care
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Old Feb 9, 2014, 5:37 am
  #146  
 
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Originally Posted by Mehadi66
I took food in, they dont seem to care
I guess that guy with the one complaint tried to bring in a whole doner stand or something.
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Old Feb 9, 2014, 8:07 pm
  #147  
 
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Originally Posted by Mehadi66
I took food in, they dont seem to care
yup there is a note in each room explaining that outside food is forbidden, but I had no one stop me bringing in outside food. As an FYI, there is a supermarket behind the hotel in the basement (literally the same building just walk down the alley behind the hotel) if you want to pick up some cheap snacks and beverages.
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Old Feb 28, 2014, 2:20 pm
  #148  
 
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I just stayed two nights and lived it. Location is amazing, service is great. I will surely return.
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Old Mar 5, 2014, 12:39 pm
  #149  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
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Has anyone used the Turkish bath? what's it like? I've never been to a turkish bath so don't know what to expect but figure when in Rome . . . (or Istanbul)
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Old Mar 5, 2014, 3:31 pm
  #150  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
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I just completed a stay here and it was by far the best treatment I have received as a Hilton diamond member. Was allowed early check in around 7am in the morning with an upgrade to a king bedroom suite. Received a welcome platter of nuts, candies, and fruit with a hand written welcome card from the GM. Free breakfast and internet. On the last night of the stay got the farewell chocolate cake and card thanking us for our business. Also, was my husband's birthday the day we checked out and when we returned to our room from breakfast received a birthday cake and also a happy birthday from the front desk staff when we left. Overall a really nice stay.

The location is also great for public transportation from IST as well as sightseeing in the historical area. I don't take taxis so it was nice that the hotel is directly across from the university tram stop. We used the tram/metro to and from the airport which was convenient. On the way to the hotel the tram was really crowded but when we left for the airport on a Sunday empty and much more relaxing.

We thought the breakfast spread was nice and varied enough for the 3 days we were there. You can get made to order pancakes, french toast, waffles, and eggs on top of a selection of hot buffet items, a variety of cheeses, meats, olives, breads, and a yogurt bar with various fruit/nut toppings. We especially enjoyed the honey comb.
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