Raffles Istanbul

100   Recommended
One Bed Residence
April 4, 2022 by

 Map | 2 Reviews | 100% Recommended
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Raffles Istanbul
 Map | 2 Reviews | 100% Recommended

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One Bed Residence

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
Stats
Room
One Bed Residence

We stayed at the Raffles Istanbul One Bedroom Residence recently and had a great experience. We did not want to stay in an older/historic building, so ruled out the FS, Park Hyatt, Ciragan Palace, etc.

 

TLDR highlights:

Expansive view of city, all glass walls/lots of light, all rooms have balcony

Butlers for all rooms

Nice indoor pool, great spa

Lots of welcome treats

Great service, comparable to Asian luxury hotels

In unit washer/dryer for residence category

Check In

We arrived at the Raffles around noon. Due to very high occupancy of the hotel, our room was not ready. We were offered complimentary drinks in the lobby while we waited. We declined and walk out to the Zorlu Center shopping centers to grab a bite and do some shopping. The restaurants in the Zorlu Center were good and cheap (but expensive compared to the rest of Turkey).

Room

The lower levels of the hotel is for hotel guests / regular rooms. The upper floors are the 'residence' categories, which are comparable to the hotel suites. The residence category rooms are for guests staying four nights or longer. All residence suites have a kitchen with a full size fridge, sink, oven, microwave, and stove. There also is a Miele washer and dryer in each residence.

Rooms of all categories have floor to ceiling glass windows that slide open to balconies. The balconies offer an expansive view of Istanbul. 

Rooms all have walk in closets.

Rooms all have butlers to help with various things.

Hotel suites have bathrooms with views; residences do not.

There is a pillow menu.

Bathroom floors are heated.

We stayed in a one bedroom residence, not Bosphorus facing. It is about 1800sqft - large living/dining area with dining table, guest bathroom, galley kitchen with all the kitchen appliances you'd expect in a modern kitchen. There is a laundry room with a laundry sink, washer, and dryer.

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Dining

There is a reasonable breakfast buffet and a la carte items. There is an olive bar - the grilled olives are amazing!

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There is afternoon tea in the lobby lounge. It felt very businessy.

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The Isokyo restaurant is probably our favorite - it is a pan-Asian restaurant. Prices are in line with western hotel restaurants. The champagne room was a highlight - we were invited there for bubbles before our meal. There is a private dining room with an open kitchen in case you want a chef's table experience.

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Location

This is a pro/con depending on how you look at it. We loved the location - it is away from Sultanahmet, where walking is faster than taking a car. The hotel sits on top of Zorlu Center, which has many restaurants and luxury shops. The property is connected to the Gayrettepe metro, almost exactly 1km door to door. You can take the metro directly to the walking streets, or to the western Sultanahmet district.

However, if you want to sit in the touristy areas, then this place may seem less appealing.

Pool

Nice indoor pool with natural light, not many loungers near by (maybe 8 total). There is a jacuzzi as well. It is very peaceful.

I only wish they piped spa music to the pool.

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Service

Having only visited the Americas and Europe in the past two years due to Covid, it was lovely to experience hospitality comparable to Asian hotels. What a treat! Every staff is incredibly pleasant. The doorman remembered our names and where we went the past days for sight seeing. The concierge helped with various reservations (dinner, hamam, etc) and recommedations on local sights. 

Overall

A wonderful hotel removed from the chaos of Sultanahmet district. All rooms filled with light and view. Easily access to subway. Definitely would return!

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