Booking my week long holiday in Istanbul in 2009 required some deliberation bcs of the number of choices Istanbul offers in terms of good hotels in the expensive yet affordable category. I was a bit apprehensive about the location of the hotel after reading some Trip Advisor reviews and these proved to be accurate. The only major negative point about this hotel I found was the steep hill its located on..though the downhill walk to Dolmabache Palace and the Bosphorous was great, it was the walk uphill that would often kill and be one thing I dreaded after tiring all day excursions. My trip was in early August so Istanbul was still quite crowded and hot. In any case the city view room we had was great in terms of the decor, with the usual understated Ritz elegance one can find in other Ritz hotels worldwide. The bathrooms were nicely done up as well with a good choice of toiletries on offer. The only negative was the housekeeping often turned up very late to make up our room. Often we'd have to call them to request a room clean.
our stay included breakfast which was a great spread, with some select and high quality delicacies such as Turkish honey and figs on some days etc but the only thing that was off putting were the harassed hostesses on duty at breakfast. There were a lot of guests during our stay with many Arab families but a hotel like Ritz should have staff trained to deal with large number of guests and be at least polite and efficient, instead if whining, annoyed hostesses making it clear how they'd wish you get lost if you arrive and ask for a table. I found that a bit disconcerting. Its been now two and a half years to my trip so I dont know if the hotel has changed its staff or how they handle the breakfast wave now but this is something i found to be a negative point.
The great thing about Ritz was their spa and Turkish hamam treatment. IT was simply superb and i remember it to date. I opted for a private hamam and it was done by a sweet, oldish Turkish lady who was great at scrubbing, lathering and washing away every impurity..only to leave me with a glowing face and great sense of well being. Literally, i didnt need a facial after that..
The Turkish delights on the reception counter were also yummy and the best i ever tasted. Loved the lobby and the food.
during checkout i did encounter a small problem but the reception staff quickly rectified it after i pointed out to them. They had mistakenly put some body's drinks on our room and added to our bill. Apparently the other guest had scrawled his room number in a way that they made this mistake. But it did leave me wondering why they didn't check his signature and name before adding it to ours. Internet in the lobby was complimentary as well. Overall I liked the hotel very much but then i liked the Ritz decor and ambience so i guess that's why i was partial and that;s why i chose to ignore the harassed atmosphere at breakfast. It was annoying to see these squealing hostesses on the verge of rudeness with other guests, especialy Middle eastern families. That is not acceptable.
if visiting Istanbul again which i plan to do in April i would choose the Four Seasons near the Blue Mosque or even the Ciragan Kempinski at the Bosphorous where i went for Sunday Brunch. Hope Ritz has improved its staff's training and capability to deal with large number of guests.
Room Tip: Unless you mind the walk uphill from the tram station and Dolmabache or you dont mind spending on ca...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
