DORUK PALAS HOTEL

We stayed at the Doruk Palas for 5 days/4 nights the experience was just great. Location - 10/10 we basically walked to the old city and the night life in Beyoğlu. Metro & ferry stations were in walking distance whenever required. Food - 10/10 wholesome, fresh and very delicious. For all the days, we had breakfast and went out walking to explore the places of interest and never had to stop for lunch, a perfect way to end your day at one of the many highly rated restaurants. Comfort - 10/10 Functional, clean and comfortable, high levels of cleanliness Staff - 10/10 Service with a smile!! Everyone here is so warm, helpful with anything you may ask - from a welcoming chat to any logistical questions to recommendations on restaurants or things to do. Just a warm human touch to the whole experience that we feel that we now have friends in a foreign country.

Our parents and our little family had a very nice stay at Doruk Palas Hotel. There was a very friendly contact with the people in the hotel, both on arrival as during our stay with advice and during cosy breakfasts. The hotel is situated within walking distance from the beautiful old town and close to the shopping street in the new part of Istanbul. If you prefer a small, well situated, ultra clean, cosy and above all warm and friendly hotel rather than a giant impersonal building, look no further. On top of that, we appreciated the fine humour with which our teenage daughters too felt very welcome.

Doruk Palas is a family-owned cosy hotel, tailored for an unforgettable tourist experience. It’s located in a safe neighbourhood in the heart of the city, almost at the doorstep of the Galata tower, and very close to public transport (Metro, Tram, Boat, Bus). Very convenient for exploring the sights of the City. From the first moment you enter Doruk Palas, you experience the warm Turkish hospitality, you have some Turkish tea, and you meet Osman, the lovely cat security-guard of the place. The owner, Ahmet, and the staff are very kind and helpful, they make you feel like home! Somebody is at the reception 24/7! We stayed in a room of 2, with all the amenities and a great view to the Golden Horn and the Skyline of Istanbul. We couldn’t believe that the rooms were exactly as shown in the pictures (see pics below to verify). Of course, everything was very clean! The Turkish breakfast, available until 10h30 (good if you’re a bit sleepy) was a good and tasty way to start the day. We liked a lot the variety of traditional savory spreads! From all aspects, staying at Doruk Palas was one of the best hotel experiences I’ve ever had and I’m glad that for my future trips to Istanbul, I won’t need to search the entire internet for a place to stay, I know exactly where to go! Ahmet, Bilal, everyone, thank you!

First and foremost the staff. Mohamed, Ahmet, Hassan and Amir were so welcoming, they made us feel completely at home and settled from the minute we arrived until the minute we sadly had to leave. They made a wonderful holiday even more special. We loved our daily Turkish lessons! Thank you to all! All the staff are expertly overseen by head of operations and security Mr Osman the cat and his new little sidekick and apprentice Simba the kitten. They are an absolute delight and gave us hours of entertainment just watching their antics. Simba the kitten absolutely stole our hearts - they make a wonderful team! We had an amazing view out towards the Suleymaniye mosque and loved watching the twinkling lights and goings on at night. The hotel is ideally situated in close walking distance to the metro. The close proximity to the Halic bridge also provides an easy and pleasant walk over to the Eminonu district and opens up the tram network for further easy transport options around Istanbul. Would definitely recommend this hotel and would certainly stay here again when we are next in Istanbul. Caroline and Jonathan

On a quiet street just 200m from the Beyoglu metro station we found this modern boutique hotel. It was surrounded by lighting stores with the biggest and best chandeliers etc so well lit and safe! The room was well designed and compact with everything you needed. We were upgraded on the last night to the top floor and watched trains cross the Golden Horn on the bridge and disappear into a tunnel directly under our hotel, we never heard a rumble or anything! We arrived at 9.45am from Perth and were greeted with “welcome, please leave your bags there and enjoy some breakfast (there was a spread on a long table!) Tea? Coffee? Eggs? Later the manager came over and said “ how was your breakfast? The other guests have just checked out so your room will be ready in about 20 minutes “ The service was 5.5stars! We chatted with the manager about his cat and recommendations for a rooftop seafood restaurant! Nothing was a problem we cannot recommend this hotel highly enough! We walked to the shopping strip to Taksim Square, took a train to the Grand Bazaar etc and he arranged a taxi to the cruise terminal!