Rating
"extremely nice " Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul, extremely nice staff,fantastic location and delicious food in all restaurants.

Rating
"views are gorgeous" Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul location and the views are gorgeous. Fitness and spa area big, adequately fitted out, although its location at the west wing of the hotel makes visiting from the east wing somewhat too long. Breakfast hall is definitely too so small for this hotel that us and lot of other people had to wait to be seated at the table.

Rating
"Mesmerising Views" We stayed here for the third time in April 2006. It is the hotel of our choice in Istanbul because of the mesmerising views of the Bosphorus from the hotel. We try to get a room with views of the old city. Sitting on the ottoman in the room, we never tire of looking at the Bosphorus with its multitude of vessels - huge tankers and product carriers, pleasure craft, tourist boats, ferries and fishing boats. The waterway is constantly busy contrasting with the stately majesty and serenity of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia in the distance. Nearby are the gardens of the Dolmabache Palace and the Dolmabache Camii, with its perfectly proportioned minarets. All absolutely fascinating!! The views from the Swiss Executive Lounge are even more fabulous - it is hard to think of a sight comparable with the panoramic view of the Bosphorus stretching all the way from the old city up to the Bosphorus bridge. Rooms are a decent sized, well appointed and bright. The hotel seems to be the centre of social life in Istanbul. There are always many parties and functions hosted in the hotel, especially in summer. The sight of Istanbul high society all dressed up is a spectacle in itself. The hotel walking distance to Nisantasi, which is the smartest shopping area in Istanbul. Beware however of the gypsies pestering for money. It is also walking distance to Dolmabache Palace, one of the must see sights in Istanbul. Service is generally good, with the service in the Swiss Executive Lounge being excellent.

Rating
"Very grand in Istanbul" We stayed here with my husband on business, me at leisure. In part, his company chose this hotel for its exellent security, if you have any concerns about this problem, i.e. cars and trunks are checked before they can drive in; the hotel entrance has a security monitor like at airports, and you may be asked to have your bags checked. This level of security is similar to other high-end hotels in Istlanbul that get an international crowd or are associated with international corporations. The location is a short walk or cab to the business district and high-end shopping, but you will need a cab to the major historic sites on the other side of the Golden Horn. This is a modern, glitzy-but-tasteful hotel with all the options. There are multiple dining options; a full business center; hair salon; a large (for Europe) and beautiful pool area with terrace and poolside dining and cocktail lounges; a full-service spa; and other services. There is a shopping arcade for everything from newspapers and sundries to luxury brands. I have minor complaints about the hotel, but they are relatively trivial. The service throughout is excellent and very polite and helpful. The 12th-floor standard room is spacious and spotless with all the high-tech internet options you want. I assume that most rooms in either tower have beautiful views of the Bosphorous in one direction or another. The marble bathroom is quite spacious with nice toiletries, robes, etc. TV with lots of international channels for news, etc. There is a pants press, but no ironing board unless requested. Big complaint: this room is very short of drawer space -- lots of closet space, but only two small drawers for underwear, etc. Even the nightstands have NO drawers to catch all that little stuff that you like to put in there. The hotel has multiple dining options, including a rooftop cocktail lounge with a stunning view of the Bosphorous. We dined at Naz twice, which specializes in Turkish cuisine, and there are also restaurants for Japanese and French cuisines. There is also an all-purpose dining room which handles the breakfast buffet and smart-casual dining at other hoursm with a nice view and an outdoor terrace overlooking the Bosphorous and gardens. The buffet has everything -- cooked-to-order omlettes, incredible array of fruits, meats & cheeses, breads and pastries, juices, etc. The spacious lobby cocktail lounge also handles a good-looking afternoon tea, but I never sampled it (timing!) The dining drawbacks: as far as I could tell, the only breakfast option is the excellent-but-very pricey breakfast buffet (about $35+ U.S) There is no grab-and-go coffee option, or "something small" for breakfast. The professional and polite doormen here do an excellent job of trying to keep cabbies honest. Often, they will give you a card with the hotel's name, and write down the number of the cab if you have a future complaint. They will also often advise about the cab fare to expect to your destination. Believe me, this is appreciated. I have dealt with cabs around the world, and know that many in Istanbul are honest, but it probably has the highest percentage of those who try to cheat tourists that I've ever encountered. I recommend that you verify your approximate charge on your return trip if you are coming from a tourist site before getting in the cab. From most sites, your trip back to the Swisshotel should be 10-14 Turkish lira -- NOT 30! (With that guy, we told him that we were insulted, walked away, and then he tried to "negotiate" a lower fare afterward.) I usually like mass transit, but I think it is too cumbersome to the historic sites on the other side. Again, there is not much right outside the door of the hotel except the view, other than the Dolmabahci Palace for touring nearby. However, the nearby business districts have lots of dining and shopping, a few minutes walk away. I stayed at the nearby Hilton ParkSA the previous week for a conference. See my review there if you want a somewhat less expensive hotel in this area, but neither that or Swisshotel are budget places to stay. In between, I also spent a few days at the Kismet resort in Kusadasi.

Rating
"I like it!" I have stayed in this hotel twice now. If you book a lower priced room on the Internet, you tend to get a lower floor room in a wing, that means there is little view. There are excellent views, if you have certain rooms. Overall the hotel is large, comfortable, and with a lot of choice for eating and drinking. Views from the breakfast room are also superb. There is a bar on the rooftop, well worth a visit especially in the evening. If Besiktas are playing football, you can look down into the ground, and hear all of the ooohs and aaahs from the crowd. You cannot really see much football though. The hotel keeps a Swiss St Bernard dog, woth looking out for and saying hello. Pool area is generally nice, you can spend a few hours there in the summer quite happily. My bedrooms were comfortable, I slept well. Nice bathrooms. Wide corridors. The hotel is getting (slightly) dated, and parts will need refreshing soon. I personally enjoy this one, there are hotels in Istanbul that are a bit fresher, but I like the Swissotel.

Rating
"Mesmerising Views" We stayed here for the third time in April 2006. It is the hotel of our choice in Istanbul because of the mesmerising views of the Bosphorus from the hotel. We try to get a room with views of the old city. Sitting on the ottoman in the room, we never tire of looking at the Bosphorus with its multitude of vessels - huge tankers and product carriers, pleasure craft, tourist boats, ferries and fishing boats. The waterway is constantly busy contrasting with the stately majesty and serenity of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia in the distance. Nearby are the gardens of the Dolmabache Palace and the Dolmabache Camii, with its perfectly proportioned minarets. All absolutely fascinating!! The views from the Swiss Executive Lounge are even more fabulous - it is hard to think of a sight comparable with the panoramic view of the Bosphorus stretching all the way from the old city up to the Bosphorus bridge. Rooms are a decent sized, well appointed and bright. The hotel seems to be the centre of social life in Istanbul. There are always many parties and functions hosted in the hotel, especially in summer. The sight of Istanbul high society all dressed up is a spectacle in itself. The hotel walking distance to Nisantasi, which is the smartest shopping area in Istanbul. Beware however of the gypsies pestering for money. It is also walking distance to Dolmabache Palace, one of the must see sights in Istanbul. Service is generally good, with the service in the Swiss Executive Lounge being excellent.

Rating
"Very grand in Istanbul" We stayed here with my husband on business, me at leisure. In part, his company chose this hotel for its exellent security, if you have any concerns about this problem, i.e. cars and trunks are checked before they can drive in; the hotel entrance has a security monitor like at airports, and you may be asked to have your bags checked. This level of security is similar to other high-end hotels in Istlanbul that get an international crowd or are associated with international corporations. The location is a short walk or cab to the business district and high-end shopping, but you will need a cab to the major historic sites on the other side of the Golden Horn. This is a modern, glitzy-but-tasteful hotel with all the options. There are multiple dining options; a full business center; hair salon; a large (for Europe) and beautiful pool area with terrace and poolside dining and cocktail lounges; a full-service spa; and other services. There is a shopping arcade for everything from newspapers and sundries to luxury brands. I have minor complaints about the hotel, but they are relatively trivial. The service throughout is excellent and very polite and helpful. The 12th-floor standard room is spacious and spotless with all the high-tech internet options you want. I assume that most rooms in either tower have beautiful views of the Bosphorous in one direction or another. The marble bathroom is quite spacious with nice toiletries, robes, etc. TV with lots of international channels for news, etc. There is a pants press, but no ironing board unless requested. Big complaint: this room is very short of drawer space -- lots of closet space, but only two small drawers for underwear, etc. Even the nightstands have NO drawers to catch all that little stuff that you like to put in there. The hotel has multiple dining options, including a rooftop cocktail lounge with a stunning view of the Bosphorous. We dined at Naz twice, which specializes in Turkish cuisine, and there are also restaurants for Japanese and French cuisines. There is also an all-purpose dining room which handles the breakfast buffet and smart-casual dining at other hoursm with a nice view and an outdoor terrace overlooking the Bosphorous and gardens. The buffet has everything -- cooked-to-order omlettes, incredible array of fruits, meats & cheeses, breads and pastries, juices, etc. The spacious lobby cocktail lounge also handles a good-looking afternoon tea, but I never sampled it (timing!) The dining drawbacks: as far as I could tell, the only breakfast option is the excellent-but-very pricey breakfast buffet (about $35+ U.S) There is no grab-and-go coffee option, or "something small" for breakfast. The professional and polite doormen here do an excellent job of trying to keep cabbies honest. Often, they will give you a card with the hotel's name, and write down the number of the cab if you have a future complaint. They will also often advise about the cab fare to expect to your destination. Believe me, this is appreciated. I have dealt with cabs around the world, and know that many in Istanbul are honest, but it probably has the highest percentage of those who try to cheat tourists that I've ever encountered. I recommend that you verify your approximate charge on your return trip if you are coming from a tourist site before getting in the cab. From most sites, your trip back to the Swisshotel should be 10-14 Turkish lira -- NOT 30! (With that guy, we told him that we were insulted, walked away, and then he tried to "negotiate" a lower fare afterward.) I usually like mass transit, but I think it is too cumbersome to the historic sites on the other side. Again, there is not much right outside the door of the hotel except the view, other than the Dolmabahci Palace for touring nearby. However, the nearby business districts have lots of dining and shopping, a few minutes walk away. I stayed at the nearby Hilton ParkSA the previous week for a conference. See my review there if you want a somewhat less expensive hotel in this area, but neither that or Swisshotel are budget places to stay. In between, I also spent a few days at the Kismet resort in Kusadasi.

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