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Istanbul's Sirkeci
Konak Hotel is
a gem of a 5-star boutique hotel
tucked down a quiet side street just
steps away from the Gülhane
tram stop on
the Bağcılar-Kabataş
tram line,
and right beside the walls of Gülhane
Park, the pleasure
ground of the Ottoman sultans
(map).
In Jnauary 2012, TripAdvisor.com users
selected the Sirkeci
Konak as the best
hotel in Turkey, and one
of the top hotels in Europe. (See below.)
Important
note! If you reserve
directly with the hotel and mention
TTP, you'll receive valuable
free bonuses. More...
Attractively faced with wood, the
hotel features 52 guest
rooms,
all of them decorated in a style that
mixes Ottoman influences with up-to-the-minute
luxury.
Big,
comfortable beds come with
a menu
of pillow types to suit
the most unexpected preferences and
allergies.
Tea and coffee-making facilities by the bed are a nice touch, as are
the foreign-language television
channels on the plasma-screen TV. But it’s
the little details – the magazine
on the table, the Turkish
delight on
the bed – that really mark this
out as a hotel which goes that extra
mile to please its guests.
The bathrooms, with
tubs and underfloor heating, come equipped
with a range of toiletries,
including olive oil soap. They
have washcloths, drainplugs,
and facial tissues—items not normally
found in Turkish bathrooms—as well
as hair dryers, make-up mirrors, and
heated towel racks.
All the rooms
have Wifi
Internet access and
some are designated for non-smokers.
Several elevators/lifts serve
all floors, and a number of rooms are
specially designed and equipped for disabled travelers.
The deluxe rooms are
particularly fine, with wet bars, bathrooms
with separate shower and tub-and-shower
facilities, and private terraces with
Gülhane
Park views.
In fact, any guest at the Sirkeci
Konak can enjoy
views of the park from the sun
terrace on the top floor.
Stretch out in a chaise longue and
let the sun soak in, or order a beverage
and gaze at the forest of poplars just
on the other side of Gülhane
Park's
stone walls. (During one stay here,
I watched storks circle and land in
their nests high up in the park's towering
trees.)
The physical comforts of
the hotel are one thing. The apparent
friendliness and willingness of the well-trained
staff are quite another. I've
always found it exceptional when I've
stayed here.
A Guest Relations
Manager is almost always present
in the public areas to answer questions
and help you to make any travel arrangements
you may need.
Breakfast, served in the ground-floor
Neyzade Restaurant, is a veritable
banquet of hot and cold dishes, regional
cheeses, home-made jams, etc. You’ll
even be served the hotel’s own
Sirkeci Daily Express which gives you
the weather forecast, warns you of
museum closures and suggests a few
helpful Turkish phrases to learn during
the day.
Afternoon tea is
served in the ground-floor sitting
area daily, and is complimentary for
hotel guests. It’s
a great chance to meet your affable
host, Mr Faruk Boyacı,
whose family originally came from Cappadocia.
Mr Boyacı also provides these Turkish
cultural activities, all but one at
no charge to hotel guests:
—Fine cuisine is
such a focus at the Sirkeci
Konak that the hotel
offers 45-minute cooking lessons at
no charge to hotel guests several times
per week: you learn how to prepare
several traditional Turkish dishes,
then dine on the results.
—Fatih Market Trip: Wednesday
morning the hotel's van takes guests
to this colorful, untouristy market,
where you can wander as you like.
—Han Tour: a Saturday morning walk
among Istanbul's historic hans
(caravanserais)
—Rakı Experience: late Saturday
afternoon, join the culinary staff
for a tasting of rakı, Turkey's
traditional anise-flavored grape brandy.
—Turkish Wines & Cheeses: a half-hour
tasting of local wines and cheese each
Thursday evening (TL15 fee per person
to cover expenses).
This is a hotel which provides everything
you need in the same spot. The lowest
floor holds a small swimming
pool right beside a luxurious private
hamam whose
walls are lined with marble interspersed
with reproduction Iznik
tiles.
There’s also a small sauna and
a well-equipped exercise room with
a full complement of workout equipment
and body-toning machines. The Internet
café has computers
and printers to use for personal email
or business. All
are available at no charge to hotel
guests. The reception desk has tram
tokens for sale to make
In the evening the Neyzade
Restaurant
serves an excellent
selection of Turkish regional cuisine
at surprisingly moderate prices in
stylish surroundings. In summer the
restaurant migrates to the roof
terrace which
offers great views into Gülhane
Park.
The hotel's Sirkeci Balıkçısı (Sirkeci
Fisherman) Seafood Restaurant is
a good choice for seafood, also
at moderate prices and— refreshingly— no
tussles over the bill.
The attractions of Old
Istanbul—the
Topkapı
Palace, Aya
Sofya, the Blue
Mosque and Hippodrome—are
a 10-minute uphill walk away in Sultanahmet,
while the ferry
docks for
the Bosphorus, Haydarpaşa
Station,
Üsküdar and Kadıköy are
just a short stroll downhill in Eminönü.
The hotel's location, on a
side street of hotels and shops directly
opposite the walls of Gülhane
Park,
is a blessing in disguise because
of the quiet.
Although only a half-block from a major
street and tram stop, there is little
traffic noise. As there are few minaret
loudspeakers nearby, the call
to prayer comes
as a beautiful, distant bit of song.
The Sirkeci
Konak Hotel is part
of the Sirkeci
Group Hotels which includes
the nearby Hotel
Erboy, Orient
Express Hotel, Neorion
Hotel, and
Hotel
İlkay.
It prides itself on its welcome
and its service,
and regularly wins awards from TripAdvisor users:
—No.
1 of the Top 25 Hotels in Turkey
—Travelers' Choice 2011 Winner,
10 Best Hotels in Europe for Service
—Travelers'
Choice 2012 Winner, 25 Best Hotels
in Europe
Click
here to check rates
and availability for the Sirkeci Konak Hotel. When you
make a reservation, please
mention
TTP. Here’s why.
Sirkeci Konak Hotel
Taya Hatun Sokak No. 5 (map)
34120 Sirkeci, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel +90 (212) 528 4344
Fax +90 (212) 528 4455
info@sirkecikonak.com
www.sirkecikonak.com
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