The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul |
Written by Debra C. Argen | |
Guests receive a gracious welcome from the Reception staff with bowls of Turkish delights at the reception desk, and guests entering the hotel in the afternoon will be greeted by strains of violin and piano music in The Lobby Lounge during Afternoon Tea.
Edward F. Nesta and I stayed at the hotel in March 2006, and were impressed with the level of attention to detail by the hotel staff. We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Club ® on the 12th floor of the hotel, where our corner room had a wall of windows that offered us spectacular views of the Dolmabahçe Mosque and the soccer stadium, which would have provided us with ‘sky box' viewing had there been any games during our stay. It would have been quite exciting to watch the game from the window of our room, but we enjoyed watching the boats on the Bosphorous straits, which divides Europe and Asia. Istanbul is the only city in the world that is located on two continents. Our room was the epitome of luxury, with a beautiful bouquet of white stock and calla lilies in the foyer, the king bed was lushly adorned with a fluffy white goose down duvet, six large square pillows, and was adorned with a red and gold embroidered pillow that matched the bedskirt, and there was a bench covered with red fabric placed at the foot of the bed. Above the bed, there was exquisite gold and green framed embroidery, and limited edition signed lithographs hung on the bedroom and bathroom walls.
There was ample closet space, a large safe, umbrellas, and mini-bar, high-speed wireless Internet access, an AM/FM clock radio, large Philips television, and multiple telephones located throughout the bedroom and bathroom.
During our stay at the hotel, we pampered ourselves at their Laveda Spa, had sumptuous dinners at their gourmet Çintemani Restaurant where Executive Chef Fabrice Canelle has created special Gentleman's and Lady's menus, enjoyed creative cocktails with their award-winning Bartender, Cevat Yildirim, and listened to live guitar music in the evening at the RC Bar, had decadent Afternoon Tea in The Lobby Lounge, and inviting snacks throughout the day in The Ritz-Carlton Club ®. We explored the hotel's lobby shops as well the shops at the Süzer Plaza Shopping located an elevator ride away. The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul is conveniently located within walking distance from shopping and many of the major sights or is only a short ride by car. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring Istanbul from the comforts of our Istanbul "home away from home." Please read our articles on The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul in the Destinations, Chefs' Recipes, Restaurants, Spas and Liquor Cabinet sections.
The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul Please read our articles on Turkey in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Spas, Restaurants, Chefs' Recipes and Luxury Products sections. For additional information on Turkey, please contact: Turkish Culture and Tourism Office, www.tourismturkey.org. For Turkish Airlines information, please contact them at Turkish Airlines, www.turkishairlines.com. © July 2006. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved. |