Renaissance Polat, Istanbul

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

We will be arriving in Istanbul 3 days prior to cruising the Med. in April. Since we tend to use Marriott reward points for our stays we are looking at either the Renaissance Polat, Marriott Hotel Asia, Edition or Ritz Carlton. My question to those who know Istanbul, which hotel has the best location for doing sightseeing? Reading their websites I'm leaning towards the Renaissance Polat but since I've never been to Istanbul I'm a little insecure in my choice:confused:, any help will be more then welcome.

Thank you in advance.

Shirley

[John Bull]

Hi Shirley,

Renaissance Polat is way out by the airport, a 30 min drive tho' there appears to be metro.

Edition is well north-west of the main sights, again pretty inconvenient & requiring transport.

I'd be inclined to forget both.

 

Marriot or Ritz Carlton are where you need to be, the district of Sultanahmet - Marriot is ideal, Ritz Carlton only a little less convenient.

Within easy walking distance of the major sights - Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii), Hagia Sophia (various spellings), Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, etc and a walk or short tram ride to the Spice Bazaar, Galata Bridge, ferries & tour boats up the Bosphorus or across to the Asian side, etc.

 

JB :)

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Hi Shirley,

Renaissance Polat is way out by the airport, a 30 min drive tho' there appears to be metro.

Edition is well north-west of the main sights, again pretty inconvenient & requiring transport.

I'd be inclined to forget both.

 

Marriot or Ritz Carlton are where you need to be, the district of Sultanahmet - Marriot is ideal, Ritz Carlton only a little less convenient.

Within easy walking distance of the major sights - Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii), Hagia Sophia (various spellings), Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar, etc and a walk or short tram ride to the Spice Bazaar, Galata Bridge, ferries & tour boats up the Bosphorus or across to the Asian side, etc.

 

JB :)

 

Great information thank you so much.

Are you referring to Marriot Hotel Asia when you suggest the Marriot? If so we will make reservations as soon as I hear from you.

Again this information is so helpful.

Shirley

[John Bull]

Great information thank you so much.

Are you referring to Marriot Hotel Asia when you suggest the Marriot? If so we will make reservations as soon as I hear from you.

Again this information is so helpful.

Shirley

 

 

Ooops.

Sorry' date=' Shirley :o

I was misled by googlemaps. :rolleyes:

Locations shown by googlemaps for the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Asia are [b']both[/b] incorrect -the Marriott Asia is even the wrong side of the Bosphorus!! (the title should have raised my suspicions)

 

Moral of the story, don't trust googlemaps.

A couple of hotel websites (I always use booking.com ) confirm the locations on Marriott's own website.

http://www.marriott.com/

 

Looking at that Marriott website, I'm afraid none of their six are located anywhere near the main sights, which are in/around Sultanahmet/Eminonu.

The Ritz Carlton has the best location of the six, it's handy to a metro station, half-a-mile from the direct tram route to Sultanahmet (about 3 miles) and only 1.5 miles from the cruise terminals, there are also some sights & shops in the immediate area (Taksim).

But its still a poor location compared to the many hotels in & around Sultanahmet, you'll need transport to get there.

 

To step out of a hotel straight into the old-town sights, you really need to be in Sultanahmet.

Can I suggest you check out

http://www.booking.com/

Enter the hotel as "Star Holiday Hotel, Turkey", & on that hotel's page click on "show map".

I chose this hotel at random, to give you an idea of location, there are dozens of hotels in the area.

If you enter each Marriott brand hotel & again click on "show map", you'll see that they're all quite some distance.

 

If a Marriott brand is going to give you exceptional value then Ritz Carlton is probably your best bet. (and it seems to be highly regarded)

But for Istanbul I'd be inclined to forget brand loyalty & go for a hotel in Sultanahmet.

 

Back to the drawing-board.

 

JB :)

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Ooops.

Sorry, Shirley :o

I was misled by googlemaps. :rolleyes:

Locations shown by googlemaps for the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott Asia are both incorrect -the Marriott Asia is even the wrong side of the Bosphorus!! (the title should have raised my suspicions)

 

Moral of the story, don't trust googlemaps.

A couple of hotel websites (I always use booking.com ) confirm the locations on Marriott's own website.

http://www.marriott.com/

 

Looking at that Marriott website, I'm afraid none of their six are located anywhere near the main sights, which are in/around Sultanahmet/Eminonu.

The Ritz Carlton has the best location of the six, it's handy to a metro station, half-a-mile from the direct tram route to Sultanahmet (about 3 miles) and only 1.5 miles from the cruise terminals, there are also some sights & shops in the immediate area (Taksim).

But its still a poor location compared to the many hotels in & around Sultanahmet, you'll need transport to get there.

 

To step out of a hotel straight into the old-town sights, you really need to be in Sultanahmet.

Can I suggest you check out

http://www.booking.com/

Enter the hotel as "Star Holiday Hotel, Turkey", & on that hotel's page click on "show map".

I chose this hotel at random, to give you an idea of location, there are dozens of hotels in the area.

If you enter each Marriott brand hotel & again click on "show map", you'll see that they're all quite some distance.

 

If a Marriott brand is going to give you exceptional value then Ritz Carlton is probably your best bet. (and it seems to be highly regarded)

But for Istanbul I'd be inclined to forget brand loyalty & go for a hotel in Sultanahmet.

 

Back to the drawing-board.

 

JB :)

 

John thank you so much for getting back to me. When I attempted to research the locations of any of the Marriott brands I found it very confusing. I guess we will need to make a choice between "free accommodations" or location. Since the focus of this trip is cruising on Seabourn and enjoying all that is offered on a small sailing yacht in the Med we may go with free and take the metro when needed.

Please know that your input has been tremendously helpful.

Shirley & Guy

[John Bull]

John thank you so much for getting back to me. When I attempted to research the locations of any of the Marriott brands I found it very confusing. I guess we will need to make a choice between "free accommodations" or location. Since the focus of this trip is cruising on Seabourn and enjoying all that is offered on a small sailing yacht in the Med we may go with free and take the metro when needed.

Please know that your input has been tremendously helpful.

Shirley & Guy

 

Hi 'gain Shirley' date='

 

In Istanbul, because of their locations, I wouldn't choose a Marriott for a discount.

But a 100% discount is another matter ;) :D

 

In which case, go with the Ritz Carlton, its certainly the best-placed of the Marriotts.

To find it on googlemap, use the address [b'] Askerocagi Cad. Istanbul, Turkey[/b] rather than the name.

Or use Çintemani Restaurant, Istanbul, Turkey which is the restaurant attached to the Ritz Carlton, & which also correctly locates it on googlemap.

Worth mentioning to the hotel that their location is seriously wrong on googlemap.

 

BTW, I noticed on their website, the hotel is offering one-way transfers from Attaturk airport for 135 euros.:eek:

We had a faultless private transfer through

http://www.istanbulairporttransfer.net/

to Sultanahmet for 20 euros !!!!

And they offer private transfers to Ritz Carlton (Taksim district) for 25 euros.

A number of other airport transfer companies also offer at about the same price, so avoid booking through the hotel.

 

A busy, friendly & diverse city - try to see some of it from the water.

 

JB :)

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Hi 'gain Shirley,

 

In Istanbul, because of their locations, I wouldn't choose a Marriott for a discount.

But a 100% discount is another matter ;) :D

 

In which case, go with the Ritz Carlton, its certainly the best-placed of the Marriotts.

To find it on googlemap, use the address Askerocagi Cad. Istanbul, Turkey rather than the name.

Or use Çintemani Restaurant, Istanbul, Turkey which is the restaurant attached to the Ritz Carlton, & which also correctly locates it on googlemap.

Worth mentioning to the hotel that their location is seriously wrong on googlemap.

 

BTW, I noticed on their website, the hotel is offering one-way transfers from Attaturk airport for 135 euros.:eek:

We had a faultless private transfer through

http://www.istanbulairporttransfer.net/

to Sultanahmet for 20 euros !!!!

And they offer private transfers to Ritz Carlton (Taksim district) for 25 euros.

A number of other airport transfer companies also offer at about the same price, so avoid booking through the hotel.

 

A busy, friendly & diverse city - try to see some of it from the water.

 

JB :)

 

After talking with my DH this morning I think we are prepared to change directions after receiving all your very useful information and keep our Marriott points for another time and stay in a small but well located hotel. the ones that we are considering are Neorion Hotel, Sirkeci Konak Hotel and the White House Hotel. All of these look like they are located in or very near to the old town area. If by chance you have any comment on any of these places or a favorite of you own we'd love to hear from you.

John I know we are on very different time zones so I will wait to hear from you before making a decision.

Again a big thank you for sharing your knowledge of Istanbul with us.

Shirley

[John Bull]

After talking with my DH this morning I think we are prepared to change directions after receiving all your very useful information and keep our Marriott points for another time and stay in a small but well located hotel. the ones that we are considering are Neorion Hotel' date=' Sirkeci Konak Hotel and the White House Hotel. All of these look like they are located in or very near to the old town area. If by chance you have any comment on any of these places or a favorite of you own we'd love to hear from you.

John I know we are on very different time zones so I will wait to hear from you before making a decision.

Again a big thank you for sharing your knowledge of Istanbul with us.

Shirley[/quote']

 

 

I'm no expert on Istanbul hotels & I don't know any of those you mention.

But, yes, they're in the right part of town.

White House is just a couple of hundred yards from the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Roman cistern, plenty of restaurants & the Sultanahmet tram stop.

The other two are a short walk - but in the right direction, leading down to the Galata Bridge, so they're between those sights & the Spice Market / Galata Bridge / boat trips, & walkable in either direction. From the White House to Galata Bridge (& esp going back to the hotel, uphill) its worth hopping on a tram.

The Sirkeci Konak is also handy for the tram (Gulhane stop) and a nice view from the roof terrace, & I'm a sucker for Ottoman-style - so much more "Istanbul" than modern international clones.

All are convenient for Topkapi Palace & the Grand Bazaar.

Location-wise I'd put White House at number 1, but they're all pretty convenient so you may want to choose on other aspects, such as price or facilities.

BTW, reviews on bookings.com are excellent for all of them, 9.3 to 9.5

 

If you can use your Marriott points at some other time, then yes, go for one of those three.

 

We've been to Istanbul twice. First time an old Ottoman hotel behind the Blue Mosque. Can't remember the name - butit was three flights of stairs & no lift. And I'll swear that each day while we were out, they added more stairs :D

This year we were at the Antik, part of a freebie pre-cruise package. Super little hotel, not ideal location but, importantly, on the tramline a couple of stops beyond Sultanahmet.

 

JB :)

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

I'm no expert on Istanbul hotels & I don't know any of those you mention.

But, yes, they're in the right part of town.

White House is just a couple of hundred yards from the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Roman cistern, plenty of restaurants & the Sultanahmet tram stop.

The other two are a short walk - but in the right direction, leading down to the Galata Bridge, so they're between those sights & the Spice Market / Galata Bridge / boat trips, & walkable in either direction. From the White House to Galata Bridge (& esp going back to the hotel, uphill) its worth hopping on a tram.

The Sirkeci Konak is also handy for the tram (Gulhane stop) and a nice view from the roof terrace, & I'm a sucker for Ottoman-style - so much more "Istanbul" than modern international clones.

All are convenient for Topkapi Palace & the Grand Bazaar.

Location-wise I'd put White House at number 1, but they're all pretty convenient so you may want to choose on other aspects, such as price or facilities.

BTW, reviews on bookings.com are excellent for all of them, 9.3 to 9.5

 

If you can use your Marriott points at some other time, then yes, go for one of those three.

 

We've been to Istanbul twice. First time an old Ottoman hotel behind the Blue Mosque. Can't remember the name - butit was three flights of stairs & no lift. And I'll swear that each day while we were out, they added more stairs :D

This year we were at the Antik, part of a freebie pre-cruise package. Super little hotel, not ideal location but, importantly, on the tramline a couple of stops beyond Sultanahmet.

 

JB :)

 

Thanks John,

I went ahead and booked the Neorion Hotel seems like a good location and price seemed OK not as good as free but location will be worth it. When will you be visiting Istanbul? This cruise we are going on really was a last minute decision for us, now don't laugh but we had been trying to use our Marriott timeshare exchange for a place in Hawaii in April or May and nothing was coming up available and someone we met last year on a caribbean cruise aboard Seabourn ask us to come along with them on this Med cruise. We actually met them on CC. I love Cruise Critic for so many reasons.

Shirley

[John Bull]

Thanks John' date='

I went ahead and booked the Neorion Hotel seems like a good location and price seemed OK not as good as free but location will be worth it. When will you be visiting Istanbul? This cruise we are going on really was a last minute decision for us, now don't laugh but we had been trying to use our Marriott timeshare exchange for a place in Hawaii in April or May and nothing was coming up available and someone we met last year on a caribbean cruise aboard Seabourn ask us to come along with them on this Med cruise. We actually met them on CC. I love Cruise Critic for so many reasons.

Shirley[/quote']

 

Hi Shirley,

Don't know when we'll be back in Istanbul, but we've got a Black Sea cruise on our to-do list, and many of them turnaround at Istanbul.

Which reminds me, if your cruise is to the Med & not the Black Sea, do take the opportunity to cruise the Bosphorus up to the Black Sea on one of your days in Istanbul. Two main options are the regular ferry, or a "tourist" ferry which does the same route but missing out most of the stops. More expensive than the regular ferry, but still cheap. Both leave from "your" side of the Galata Bridge, mebbe a 15 min walk from your hotel.

Have a great time

JB :)

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Hi Shirley,

Don't know when we'll be back in Istanbul, but we've got a Black Sea cruise on our to-do list, and many of them turnaround at Istanbul.

Which reminds me, if your cruise is to the Med & not the Black Sea, do take the opportunity to cruise the Bosphorus up to the Black Sea on one of your days in Istanbul. Two main options are the regular ferry, or a "tourist" ferry which does the same route but missing out most of the stops. More expensive than the regular ferry, but still cheap. Both leave from "your" side of the Galata Bridge, mebbe a 15 min walk from your hotel.

Have a great time

JB :)

 

Thanks John I put it on my to do list.

Until we meet again on cc.

Shirley