Istanbul Hotels Advice

Not far from the definitely not 4 star hotel we stayed at, was the Four Seasons, which looked very 4 star-ish. Well located, walking distance to a lot of the main attractions. I seem to remember it had formerly been a prison, which adds to its glamour, in my opinion.

Those types of high-rise hotels are largely business chains in the modern parts of town (north of Istiklal and cut-off by large roadways like the Conrad hotel). There are also some really high-end hotels along the Bosphorus stretching to the north. Last time (in 2015), I stayed at the Hotel Raymond close to the Archeological Museum and 3 minutes walk from the tram (close to all the sites in Sultanahmet) and really enjoyed it (http://www.booking.com/Share-wtAnVB). It doesn't have a hammam but there are plenty of stand-alone hammams in the city. Ortakoy to the north has some neat boutique hotels too (you can find them on www.booking.com). I also really enjoyed the local, non-touristy character of the Asia neighborhoods as well, such as Kadikoy. There are thousands of hotels in Istanbul, you should have no trouble finding a nice place. It just depends if you want to truly stay in a 5-star high-rise on the outskirts in a very modern part of town or closer in.

Look at Levni Hotel and Spa. My husband and I stayed for three nights at the end of a cruise. It is in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. One memory is the breakfast room featured a rectangle of honeycomb approximately 18x20 inches. Have not seen anything like it in hotel dining in US or Europe.

Check out the Doubletree. Close in to all the sites, and a Hammam is straight down the street about 10 minutes-along with an excellent barber shop next to the Hammam. Also have stayed at the Whyndam close in,and at the Courtyard, which too far from the main area, but has a convienient shuttle to the airport.

Thanks for all the replies.
Unfortunately I am more used to the typical Western 5-star chain hotel-the bigger the better. Which is why my first inclination was to check out Hilton, InterCon etc. I have stayed at the Hilton Bosphorus many years ago, but don't remember whether it was handy for public transport or not. It also isn't really clear how remote the Conrad Istanbul is. Another option is the Swissotel Bosphorus, which is right behind Dombalahce and the Bosphorus waterfront, so almost certainly close to a main thoroughfare (and tram, bus etc.)
The Levni and Raymond look perfect location wise. As close as anyone can get to the Blue Mosque and Tokpaki, which is the sort of thing I'm interested in.

I spent 7 nights at the Regie Ottoman Hotel in Istanbul a year ago, and absolutely loved it, despite the very modest price (under $100 per night for a superior room at that time). It is near the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar, and a short walk from the Hagia Sofia, then Blue Mosque, etc. Near the tram as well. This is a renovated 150 year old Ottoman building, and is a modest sized hotel. Lovely well-equipped rooms, lavish buffet breakfast, the friendliest front lobby staff I have ever encountered. Superb reviews on booking.com, etc. No internal spa/hammam that I know of, but there are no doubt some nearby. You would be fortunate to find a room available there!

We stayed at the Hotel Lausos that was about two blocks from the Hippodrome. A great location and the hotel breakfast was great. The rooms are small, but comfortable and rates low.

Make sure the smaller hotels are still open. Many have been forced to close due the decrease in tourism. The lovely place we stayed at in 2016 in Sultanahmet closed 6 weeks after our return home.

We stayed at the Sirkeci Mansion in 2013. I think it would be perfect for you ... spacious, lovely rooms in a perfect location. It was a very short walk from the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, transportation, and Bosphorus ferries.