To start off our three week trip to the Holy Land, we spent a few days in one of our favorite cities in the world, Istanbul. Since we were booking this trip on credit card reward points, we got to splurge on a fantastic hotel with a stunning room, great views of the Bosphorus, and a breakfast buffet to write home about.
Conrad Istanbul
Price: from $90 per night
The lobby was decorated for Christmas.
Location: The property was ideally situated for this trip to Istanbul as it offered convenient access to the areas of the city we were wanting to see. As it was our third trip to Istanbul, we were pretty well acquainted with the layout of the city, but even for first-timers relying on Uber or public transportation, it still has an attractive location. We were able to walk to Dolmabaçe Palace, and the ferry to the neighborhood of Kadiköy on the Asian side is also close. Located just off the main thoroughfare of Barbaros Boulevard, there are also several restaurants around, but a few quick bus and metro stops will get you to the Galata and Taksim area as well.
Rooms: Since we’re Hilton HHonors Gold members, we were upgraded to an executive suite with a view of the Bosphorus. The room was probably the nicest one we stayed in the entire trip, largely because of the amazing bathroom. After a long 13-hour flight, it was nice to relax and recuperate under the waterfall shower head with massaging jets.
Executive Suite Room
View from our room of the Bosphorus Bridge.
Staff: We found the staff to be attentive and helpful. I had contacted ahead of time to reserve tickets to an IMAX showing of the new Star Wars film, and they were able to secure seats for us and even provide us with recommendations for the area around the theater. At the breakfast buffet, servers were very attentive to our needs and very keen on showing everything the buffet had to offer.
The breakfast buffet had a wide assortment of options.
Even a huge honeycomb!
The restaurant had a view of Sultanahmet.
In Conclusion: This was a great stay, made all the better by it being free with points. Although we typically stay at smaller and more affordable boutique properties, we’ll definitely give the Conrad Istanbul a good look the next time we’re in town and paying for a room. With a good location and great amenities, it’s a good place to stay while you enjoy one of the best cities in the world.
For the best rate book your stay at the Conrad Istanbul on Booking.com!
Planning a trip to Istanbul? Start here:
Istanbul for Beginners