The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul

July 1st, 2022

Posts in this series:

Introduction - Surf & Turf From the Aegean Coast to the Saharan Desert

Review - Air Serbia Business Class A330-200 New York JFK to Belgrade

Review - Metropol Palace Belgrade, A Luxury Collection Hotel

Review - The Bodrum Edition

Review - The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul

Review - Turkish Airlines Business Class B737-8 Max Istanbul to Marrakech

Review - Amanjena

Review - Royal Air Maroc Business Class B787-8 Casablanca to New York JFK

Enroute:

After a week at the stellar Bodrum Edition, we made our way to Istanbul. Istanbul is such a unique place, split by the Bosphorus Strait into the Asian side and the European side. We were in Istanbul for three nights and chose to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Istanbul. Otherwise, the city has every luxury hotel you can name, so your options are infinite.

Check-in:

We arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon, and there was no bellmen in sight. Check-in was efficient, and we were upgraded to a premium Bosphorus view room.

Unpack:

The exterior of the hotel left much to be desired, however, the room itself felt fresh and renovated. I find the décor quite tasteful, and I appreciate the design elements reflecting Istanbul as the destination.

Upon entry, there was a sizable foyer serving as a transitional space. Within the foyer was a full-body mirror, as well as a standing rack for your outerwear or accessories.

A small closet was present. I think the size was disproportionate to the size of the room.

Our room featured a deep but narrow bathroom, as the shower, bathtub and toilet were vertically aligned.

So first you have the shower, which had great water pressure and was comfortably sized.

I loved the Turkish tiles adding a bit of pizazz to the otherwise ordinary marble bathroom. Unfortunately a dual-vanity was too much to ask for.

Outside the bathroom was an extremely plush king bed. The furniture and fixtures in this room were upscale - from the cabinetry to the night stands, everything was well made. The sweeping city and Bosphorus view didn’t hurt either.

The minibar was fully stocked.

Opposite from the bedroom was a desk, as well as a living quarter.

From the living room couch you were also treated with this splendid view of the Strait.

Nightly turndown service was provided, obviously.

I have virtually no criticism about this room. Well, other than the lack of dual-vanity I guess.

Unwind:

The Ritz Istanbul was equipped with two pools, one on the roof and the other in the basement. It was evident that the rooftop pool was going for the tropical jungle vibe. Maybe it’s for people who couldn’t make it to Bodrum😉?

The rooftop was quite nice, with plenty of seating options. The actual pool was more conducive to Instagramming than swimming, I reckon.

There was a Nobu on property on the ground level, plus a Nobu bar on the roof. It was totally abandoned when we were there, but I could see it being popular amongst the locals. I have high regards for Turkish people as they are incredibly genuine and friendly. But on this trip I noticed how similar they are to people in Miami when it comes to chasing vain and superficial things. Not that I’m the one to judge... I mean Asians basically invented and normalized the culture of spending an entire paycheck on a designer handbag… 🤷‍♂️

The spa pool located in the basement was more in line with what you’d expect from the Ottoman Empire…

The other facilities were less impressive - the sauna and steam room were dark and dated, the gym was pretty small, and the treatment/hammam rooms were not at all luxurious.

We did get a Turkish hammam and massage, which were good. You can find the spa menu here.

Refuel:

We never ate at the hotel, but here are some pictures of the various dining venues. The lobby bar had a nice water view. You can see the menus for each venue here.

Depart:

Service at the Ritz was not great. We scheduled an in-room covid test via the hotel concierge. The nurse was two hours late. During this time, we couldn’t reach anyone at the front desk or the concierge through the Marriott chat or by phone. The price also ended up being 2x higher than what the concierge quoted. It was a frustrating experience as we had to sit around waiting for two hours that we could’ve gone out exploring.

Overall I think this is a decent business hotel. The room was nice, but everything else was forgettable. Like I mentioned previously, Istanbul has many recognizable brands. If you’re not loyal to Marriott, the Mandarin and the Four Seasons aren’t too far away…