Recommended place to stay:
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey
Official star rating:
Built in 1892 at the terminus of the legendary Orient Express, the Pera Palace is a historic monument and the most famous hotel in Istanbul – this is where everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to the Kennedys bedded down in the golden age of travel.
A four-year, $23 million restoration has added mod cons including a spa and indoor pool, while maintaining many of the original Neoclassical French-Oriental furnishings – look out for the original lift and dazzling Murano chandeliers. Spies, intrigue, heads of state – this museum hotel oozes 120 years of history.
The upper west-facing rooms have balconies with spectacular views over the Golden Horn – room 411 is where Agatha Christie wrote Murder on the Orient Express.
Cocktails on the terrace as the sun sets behind the Golden Horn are a real treat; and there’s a superb buffet breakfast served in the Agatha restaurant, with its polished checkerboard flooring and black-and-white photography.
Don’t miss afternoon tea (3pm-6pm) in the atmospheric Kubbeli Salon, with divine French pastries served to the tinkling of a Schiedmayer grand piano.
The hotel fronts a fairly busy street lined with offices, shops and several other hotels, including the Marmara Pera Hotel with its trendy gourmet rooftop restaurant Mikla.
The hotel is located on a slope and there is another busy street below, although it’s a small price to pay for the grandstand views of the famous silhouette of the Golden Horn.
Please note - we hope to one day have live prices for you, but for now, here are some useful links for you to compare prices...
Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Istanbul, Marmara Region, Turkey
Destination guide
Exotic, inexhaustible and dynamic – East meets West head-on in this mesmerising city metropolis, famed for its extraordinarily rich history, superb food and shopping, and mind-blowingly magnificent, over-sized mosques.
