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Four Seasons Istanbul at Bosphorus Review
Hi,
Had a fantastic 4 day stay at the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus. We stayed in the Palace Bosphorus Room which had a floor to ceiling view of the the Bosphorus River. Apparently there are only 4 rooms of this type in the Palace building and probably explains the premium charged for this room type.
What I best like about the hotel:
1) Spectacular view of the river - at night the river bridges are lighted in different colors making them a fantastic view from the hotel room
2) Stunning pool
3) Best Spa/ Gym in all of the FS chain - there are two large pools - one indoor and the other outdoor. The locker rooms are fantastic - Large Steam/Saunas. The gym is the largest hotel run - all state of the art Techno Gym equipment.
4) Acqua restaurant is very good - breakfast is extensive (best part is the parma ham served in the morning), dinner menu offers tasting menu with options for Turkish dinner. Restaurant is located next to the Bosphorus River providing excellent view.
5) We hired the hotel boat for a personal 2 hour tour of the Bosphorus - well worth it!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DownUnderFlyer
Thanks! Makes a difficult decision whether I should stay there or at the W on my next visit.
There's no comparison. As Kagehitokiri says, you could have a legitimate debate between the Four Seasons and the Park Hyatt (which has gotten rave reviews on the Hyatt forum, including by me).
I was just at the Four Seasons two weeks ago, and share ACfly's excellent impression. They were also serving breakfast outside on the terrace, which is a really stunning spot. I think that I slightly prefer the pool area at the Kempinski Cirigan Palace next door, but the Four Seasons is much bigger and newer. And, of course, the rooms at the Four Seasons are nicer (with the possible exception of the top suites at the Kempinski, which I have never enjoyed), although the standard room that I had -- which featured sloping ceilings and a small window -- was a bit underwhelming.
If you're going in the summer and are interested in pool time, then I would choose the Four Seasons. If you're interested in more of a city experience, or if it's winter, then the Park Hyatt might suit your needs better.
If you are going in summer, then FS Bosphorus cannot be beaten. In winter, FS at Sultanahmet is my favourite, but best wait until they have finished the refurbishment and extension.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kagehitokiri
ACfly, great info/pics.
DownUnderFlyer, youre not considering PH? spa rooms have rainsky showers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mecabq
There's no comparison. As Kagehitokiri says, you could have a legitimate debate between the Four Seasons and the Park Hyatt (which has gotten rave reviews on the Hyatt forum, including by me).
I might have a look at the PH then. Thanks for the suggetion!
For you a W might not compare, but I do like modern design and prefer those rooms over most FS/RC/PH etc. But of course the service is nowhere near.
The other thing is that we are traveling with Micro DUF. Because of this the quality of our stay is much better when we have a 1BR suite. And at Starwood Hotels I often get those as an upgrade.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DownUnderFlyer
I might have a look at the PH then. Thanks for the suggetion!
For you a W might not compare, but I do like modern design and prefer those rooms over most FS/RC/PH etc. But of course the service is nowhere near.
The other thing is that we are traveling with Micro DUF. Because of this the quality of our stay is much better when we have a 1BR suite. And at Starwood Hotels I often get those as an upgrade.
Fair point. The W will be what you'd expect in a W -- jazzy rooms, beautiful common areas, nifty amenities, and indifferent service. But there are some peculiarities with it, which you can find on a thread in the Starwood forum. On the other hand, the restaurants and bars are excellent there -- that's the one aspect in which it beats the Park Hyatt in my opinion.
Also, I got zilch as an SPG Platinum there. I think that most others have a similar experience; perhaps you could ask, or get lucky, for a suite upgrade. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of other SPG options in town. I have stayed in the Sheraton Maslak, a four-star place in the business district, which is probably not what you want. There is also a newly-flagged Sheraton in the Bakirkoy area, on the old city side. It's a decent location, all things considered (you can walk over the highway and be in an interesting little local neighborhood with tons of shops and restaurants), but not really central or near the main tourist sites. I know nothing else about it.
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I spent 5 days in Istanbul a few weeks ago. I would've like to stay at the FS Bosphorus but it was really out of my price range, especially with the weak U.S. dollar.
With a late arrival into IST airport, I stayed the first night at the nearby Sheraton Atakoy. Though not a luxury hotel, it was a decent four star airport hotel. As SPG, I was upgraded from a standard room to a one bedroom suite. Breakfast in the executive lounge was a decent spread with a couple of warm items.
I also stayed at the Park Hyatt. As a GP Diamond, I used one of my confirmed suite upgrades. I got upgraded to a Park Suite. This is an excellent property. The service is very attentive and I was impressed by the quality of the food. Helene is an outstanding concierge (I don't remember if she was clef d'or). I enjoyed relaxing on the outdoor terrace next to the pool. Complimentary Diamond breakfast buffet was good and included a choice of one cooked to order dish off the menu. Next time though, I think I will save my confirmed upgrades and just take the upgrade to the Spa room normally accorded to Diamond members. The Spa room is just as big as the Park Suite.
We then stayed at the W. As SPG Platinum, we were informed at check-in that we got upgraded from a Wonderful room to a Fantastic Suite. But I wanted one of the rooms with the cabanas and was given one.
The W is a nice 4 star but not a luxury hotel. The service was very good but not as refined as the PH. There is a Spice Market at this hotel but I didn't try it. Lately, I've been very disappointed by some of Jean-Georges's cheaper establishments. Matsugen was very underwhelming, especially compared to the food I've had in Japan. Vong's Thai Kitchen in Chicago was a complete joke. Also I read the recent bad review of Spice Market in the New York Times so that made me want to skip the one at the W. Jean-Georges at the Trump is still fantastic, for now.....
Before an afternoon visit to Ayasofya, my parents and I had lunch at the Seasons restaurant at the FS Sultanahmet. It was a disappointing meal. The Turkish food was mediocre; I had much better food at the inexpensive establishments located near the W in Besiktas. The famed Four Seasons service was just not there. My mother asked our waitress for the location of the restroom. The waitress just pointed her in the direction and said "It's a long walk that way." That was certainly not the response I received when I asked the same question at Le Cinq where someone walked me over to the restroom.
Then after we finished our main course, I asked for the dessert menu. Our waitress said, "the dessert cart is over there; you can walk over there and take a look." That's not what I expect from what is supposed to be the "best hotel restaurant in Turkey" (not my words, but on their website http://www.fourseasons.com/istanbul/...estaurant.html )
For a five star property, I think the waitress should have offered to wheel the cart over to our table or describe the dessert selection to us.
I know FS has a "can do no-wrong" and "walk on water" reputation on this board. But I must say that I've experienced mostly hits but also some misses at FS properties.
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I've stayed in a number of Istanbul hotels, but unfortunately haven't seen the FS Bosphorus yet. Judging from the photos, I was wondering if you don't get a similar set-up at Les Ottomans, however slightly more intimate?
My favourite is the Conrad Istanbul. It does not have the service level of the old FS or the Kempinski, but the panorama from the Executive Lounge is IMHO the most beautiful hotel view in the world.
In terms of pool, I guess that Kempinski Ciragan Palace is still the Nr. 1 in town.
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Thanks to the OP for sharing photos -- this property is very beautiful and I look forward to visiting in the future.
To address Four Seasons service, I think the Four Seasons does get it right way more often than not. I do not think the hallmark of FS is that they never get it wrong, it is that when something does go wrong they are amongst the best in the industry at ensuring it is made right. My apologies in advance if this is a little too off topic to the original thread.
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I've stayed at the W istanbul and at the four seasons bosphorus.
There is no comparison! The four seasons at the bosphorus wins hands down.
They are only a 10 minute walk away from each other and trust me...It's a far better position to be in to be doing that walk down from the fours seasons to check out the W and having to go back to the bosphorus to stay than the other way round!
ACfly has given a good summary of the four seasons above.It's just beautifull and the service is top notch.
The W is a typical W.We found the service there poor actually.Their restaurant on a friday night was empty and service was still poor.
Breakfast is a joke.
We had one of the basement "deluxe rooms" with a shower that flooded the room...
Say no more.
We'll be back at the bosphorus this summer if I have anything to do with it
Quote:
Originally Posted by TrophyCollector
In terms of pool, I guess that Kempinski Ciragan Palace is still the Nr. 1 in town.
We saw that one.
I disagree and would say the outdoor one at the bosphorus is much better
I've stayed at the W istanbul and at the four seasons bosphorus.
There is no comparison! The four seasons at the bosphorus wins hands down.
They are only a 10 minute walk away from each other and trust me...It's a far better position to be in to be doing that walk down from the fours seasons to check out the W and having to go back to the bosphorus to stay than the other way round!
ACfly has given a good summary of the four seasons above.It's just beautifull and the service is top notch.
The W is a typical W.We found the service there poor actually.Their restaurant on a friday night was empty and service was still poor.
Breakfast is a joke.
We had one of the basement "deluxe rooms" with a shower that flooded the room...
Say no more.
We'll be back at the bosphorus this summer if I have anything to do with it We saw that one.
I disagree and would say the outdoor one at the bosphorus is much better
Completely agree that the FS Bosphorus has taken Ciragan out of the water - the pool is far superior to Ciragan, as is everything else.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TrophyCollector
In terms of pool, I guess that Kempinski Ciragan Palace is still the Nr. 1 in town.
I agree with you. The pool area at the Kempinski Cirigan Palace is a bit more intimate, although the Four Seasons is more modern and certainly much bigger. The Kempinski is an outstanding hotel but, overall, the FS has significantly one-upped it. I'll be back at the Kempinski in September, so I will have to evaluate again.
I have never stayed at Les Ottomans. The location is certainly spectacular -- a less central location than the Four Seasons and Kempinski, but overall better neighborhood (Bebek reminds me a tad of the Marina district in San Francisco). I was shocked at how dumpy the lobby was, however, when I wandered through a couple of weeks ago, although the outdoor area reminded me of the Four Seasons (although much smaller of course).
Aside from the pool area, though (which is a must in summer in my opinion), I am still tempated to rate the Park Hyatt as the top hotel in town. The Spa rooms (by the way, francophile, reports here suggest that you only get upgraded as a Diamond to the Spa room if you book the second category, not the lowest category, of room) are nicer than the standard rooms at the Four Seasons. The Spa bathrooms are quite an attraction. I was disappointed by the food, however, at both the breakfast place and the steak house, and found it and the bars better overall at the W. Although the W service, like all W's, was poor.
Thanks for the review of the Sheraton Atakoy, francophile. This is newly flagged (was it Crowne Plaza before?) and I was considering it for an upcoming stay when I land in the very early morning.
