Travel Now

Istanbul hotel booking

The first thing to remember when looking for accommodation in Istanbul is not to rely on the taxi driver; his brother is bound to have a great place - just around the corner. Twenty minutes later you are liable to wind up in some backwater seriously of pocket.

The next question is 'where to stay?' Most tourists tend to opt for the historic quarter of Sultanahmet as it's the home of Topkapi palace, the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque, and a great place to stay.until nightfall, when things become a little quiet. North of the Golden Horn is another concentration of hotels around Taxim square, an area that comes alive after dark, with a reputed 1000 bars on Istiklal Cadessi alone. It's also easier to access the business districts from here.

Then there are the hotels themselves, often the most expensive being the most monstrously ugly. The Travel Now site has a good spread of hotels with photos of the exteriors and the interiors, as well as contact numbers and a booking service. They have recently added interactive maps to the site; to give you a better idea of exactly where you will be staying. Don't be put off by the fact that the site is targeted primarily at the US market(prices are initially displayed in $); there are some great hotel deals to be had with Travel Now.

At the top of the price range are those fit for a sultan, such as the opulently renovated former prison that is The Four Seasons, which has every conceivable amenity. In the mid-range it's hard to beat hotel Arena and at the more humble end of the spectrum, tucked away in the labyrinthine back streets, there are still some gems, such as the Hotel Poem.

www.travelnow.com

Back to reviews