Four Seasons Istanbul of Bosphorus

100   Recommended
October 20, 2014 by EXPERT

 Map | 3 Reviews | 67% Recommended
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Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
 Map | 3 Reviews | 67% Recommended

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I spent the first week of August at two Four Seasons properties in Europe: 4 nights at the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, and then 5 nights at the Four Seasons Provence, my first time at each. I was blown away by every aspect of FS Bosphorus, so in many regards, sadly, FS Provence was disappointing, a decidedly mixed experience. Details below—and some photos to expand the repertoire of what you can see on the hotels’ websites.

Arrival

A phalanx of doormen and greeters greeted us by name and ushered us quickly into the hotel.

Turndown service and housekeeping touches

Bottles of water, accompanied by drinking glasses covered with protective caps for cleanliness. Plate of small desserts each night.

Tasteful bookmarks stamped with the Golden Horn motif, inserted in the novels we were reading. Fruit basked refilled daily.

Toiletries:Full-size Aqua di Parma.

Dining

At Aqua, the servers and maitre d’ went out of their way to ensure that our meals were enjoyable, tailoring them to our preferences, introducing us to local specialties when they sensed our interest, and warmly greeting us by name each morning when we arrived for breakfast, which included an incredibly lavish buffet and made-to-order items. Service and quality of food for dinner and lunch was consistently high.

Spa and Fitness Center

Spacious, high-ceilinged fitness center—one of the largest I’ve ever seen in a resort or hotel. The spa itself is a superb space, with men’s and women’s areas on each side of a columned, tiled indoor pool. In each of the gendered areas, the dor is subtly evocative of Turkish design, with lamps and candelabra creating a sense of place. Each side contains a waiting area, relaxation area, steam room, and sauna.

Public Area- Interior

Exquisite. As usual with FS, tremendous floral displays in the public areas, and subtle design elements that speak of Istanbul without ever devolving into kitsch—a fireplace in the lounge that echoes the shape of the fireplaces in the Topkapi harem, objet d’art of museum quality, Turkish carpets, etc.

Public Area-Exterior

In a subtle reference to the marble terracing that abounds at Topkapi, FS has used the same white-and-gray marble to create a really superb outdoor space, with a fountain, benches, and red gardenias galore. To the left of the hotel is the outdoor dining area—Aqua restaurant and an outdoor lounge for more casual orders throughout the day. To the right is the pool. But straight in back of the hotel simply and perfectly an open terrace of marble, centered upon a fountain, so that the views from the hotel to the Bosphorus are unmarred. The pool area is very smart—and the cabanas are free, first-come, first served. Turkish-themed music is piped underwater.

Guest Rooms

I’d steer clear of any of the rooms in the annexes, which lack the high ceilings of the palace building. See below for a glimpse of the unattractive annex buildings—which you don’t see on the website. I stayed in Palace Garden room--because I knew I wanted to be in the historic main building with its high-ceilinged rooms. My mistake was not to have splurged for a Bosphorus view in the palace building. I’d assumed that I wouldn’t spend enough time in my room to pay the premium for that view, but each time I walked by one of those rooms with the door propped open by housekeeping, the view out to the Bosphorus really did take my breath away. I have to say: I think it’s worth it. But so you can judge for yourself, I’ve posted the views from the rooms facing the front of the hotel, overlooking the entrance. Not an eyesore, but certainly not the Bosphorus, either. Regardless of view, I loved the room itself in the main building—very high ceilings, painted. Contemporary furnishings, in soothing taupe and pale blue. Arched ceiling in the bathroom. Rather than the typical Four Seasons pillows and bedding (white with a colored rectangular border), the bedding here, equally comfortable, was off-white with a subtle pattern.

Service

Superb, across the board. Everyone knew our names; the concierge team delivered daily reminders, on evocative cards designed to replicate famous Ottoman tiles, of our reservations; noting from her passport that my girlfriend’s birthday has occurred in the past week, they delivered a surprise chocolate dessert to our room within an hour of our arrival.

Overall

I was lured back to Istanbul entirely because of the praise that many of you and others have heaped upon this hotel/resort, and I must say that every bit of that praise was deserved—staying here was worth the cross-Atlantic trip all by itself, even if I’d never left the hotel to re-acquaint myself with Istanbul’s charms (including, after 17 years, the removal of the scaffolding from the central dome in Hagia Sophia). It was genuinely difficult to leave, so comfortable, beautiful, and generous is the spirit that pervades the entire place.

Photos

Palace Garden room:

Nightly dessert tray deliveredby housekeeping:

Poolside cabanas:

The pool:

The spa's relaxation room:

The Bosphorus-facing facade of the Palace Building:

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