Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul At Sultanahmet
Hotel · Sultan Ahmet
Sultanahmet, Tevkifhane Sk. No:1, 34122, Türkiye
Highlights
Former jailhouse hotel offering elegant dining, spa, rooftop lounge
Former jailhouse hotel offering elegant dining, spa, rooftop lounge
"A luxury hotel known for staging an annual holiday market and special holiday dinners in December; visitors looking to warm up can also enjoy traditional Turkish steam-bath experiences at luxury hammams in top hotels." - Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel is a writer with more than eight years of experience editing and writing for both brands and online publications—with a particular focus on travel, fashion, and lifestyle. She’s also the founder of the travel site justpacked.com. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"For a historic stay The Four Seasons has not one but two palatial properties in Istanbul, on either side of the Golden Horn. Take your pick—both are glorious, their settings knock-out. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, created out of an Ottoman Palace, does breezy waterside glam to a T, and in summer, it’s hard to imagine a lovelier place to be than its terrace, all red and white striped cabanas between the blues of pool and sea. Over in Istanbul’s ancient heart, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet has a weightier romance about it. The historic building was once a prison which housed the dissident literati in the Ottoman era; now highly polished and deeply luxurious, its arresting facade painted a happy yellow, it’s hard to imagine ever wanting to escape. Modern Anatolian dishes are beautifully presented in the jasmine-scented courtyard garden. Rooms are generous; kilims, neoclassical furniture, and woven Turkish textiles replace the usual 4S creamy-classic palette. Its neighbors are the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia, whose minarets and domes tower over the hotel as though keeping a saintly eye on the incumbents."
"The majestic Old City of Istanbul is at your doorstep when staying at this historic three-story property. A welcoming neoclassical façade makes it hard to imagine that this Four Seasons occupies what was once, for most of the 20th century, a prison. All remnants of that past have been scrubbed, replaced with terraced suites adorned in Ottoman and contemporary Turkish motifs. Whichever room you call your own, you’ll be treated to spectacular views — either of the tranquil, meticulously landscaped gardens backdropped by Marmara Sea, or an unfettered vantage of the iconic Hagia Sophia. And it’s all enhanced by world-class dining and peerless hospitality." - Travel + Leisure Editors
"A perennial favorite, this regal hotel in Istanbul’s Old City recently unveiled a top-to-bottom refurbishment that preserved its historic neoclassical architecture while also bringing a host of fresh offerings. Updates include a magnificent redesign of the 65 rooms and suites. Guests can admire the Turkish contemporary and Ottoman period art and handwoven Turkish Kilim textiles on display throughout the hotel. A pastry shop in the lobby offers sweet Turkish delicacies, as well as an exquisite afternoon tea service, and a landscaped courtyard has the new restaurant Avlu. The newly constructed Kurna Spa is a must-visit, with regular treatment rooms and two hammam rooms, creating a true oasis amid the bustle of the neighborhood. As another reader described it, the hotel is simply “perfect.”" - Travel + Leisure Editors
"Housed in a saffron-yellow, late-Ottoman neoclassical former jail near the city’s most iconic mosques and bazaars, this 65-room hotel reopened in summer 2022 after an extensive refresh that highlights bright tiles, arches, and marble pillars. The rooftop Süreyya lounge offers cocktails seemingly suspended between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, while Avlu restaurant, set in a jasmine-scented garden, showcases Anatolian-inspired cooking—including a majestic wood-roasted duck based on a Black Sea family recipe—and the hotel’s newer venues such as Lingo Lingo are praised for excellent meze and seafood." - Anya von Bremzen
