Hi <BR>Going to Istanbul November 14. I'll be there for 5 nites. Heard questionable things about Empress Zoe hotel in the historic area. Any info is welcomed. Also any info on &quot;Allstar<BR>Acura&quot; hotel<BR>Thanks

I did a lot of research for my trip this coming Thanksgiving week and decided on the Sultanahmet Palace hotel. When looking closely at other hotel, I always found some reference that made me uncomfortable, such as, &quot;the lobby is beautiful but the rooms are bare&quot;. I did not find any negative references about the Sultanahmet Palace. Take a look at their website www.sultanahmetpalace.com and email them for their rates. <BR><BR>Please post some info about your trip when you return.

We stayed at the Empress Zoe two years ago. Our room was a good size on the top floor and decorated old Turkish style. The bathroom was fine and both rooms were clean. We had a small balcony facing the sea. The owner and her help were friendly and even picked us up at the airport for a fee. The location was fine near restaurants and walking distance to most sites. Our complaint was beware that there is no elevator and from the lobby to the next floor you must use a small spiral staircase. If the price was the same we would go back there again, if in good physical condition.

We were just there in September and stayed at the Ayasofia Hotel. It was wonderful. It is an Ottoman style house is a quaint neighborhood. There are Turkish carpets on the floors, comfortable beds, clean but modest rooms and a GREAT staff. It was a 3 minute walk to the Hippodrome etc. Had a great stay there. <BR>Have a wonderful trip!

I was at the Sultanahmet Palace a year ago and had some trouble there. I had my confirmed 3 night resv, but when I arrived, I was told there was a &quot;problem&quot; and I would only be able to stay 2 nights. They would offer no help finding a place for the 3rd night. I had to really raise the roof to be able to stay. I really think that they probably gotten a better deal on my room and wanted me out, but 9/11 intervened and I suspect that whatever group they had booked couldn't make it. I think that might be a popular ploy in Istanbul because I had a conversation with another tourist from another hotel who had a similar story. There are lots of hotels and guest houses in Sultanahmet so he found another place without any problem. Other than that, the Palace isn't a bad place unless you want a real shower or dinner or breakfast without fending off stray cats...

I stayed at hotel spectra which is in the center of the sultanhmet area. It is a best western and the owners were very helpful, free internet access, nice breakfast. I would recommend it.

Just got back from a week's vacation in Istanbul. Will post a trip report under seperate topic, but since this thread is active I wanted to respond. <BR><BR>We stayed at the Sultanahmet Palace Hotel. It is in a great location, across the street, on the quiet side of the Blue Mosque. The property is lovely, with large gardens surrounding the entire hotel. Lovely architectural details - moldings, stained glass ceiling, etc. I would guess that they have about 30 rooms, and 2 restaurants. <BR><BR>Every morning they served a fabulous buffet breakfast (included free with stay) including 3 types of eggs, meats, fruits, breads, etc. It is an extreemly secure and private hotel with 2 men contiuously at the front gate to greet and assist you.<BR><BR>We stayed in room 215 which was very spacious for the 3 of us. <BR><BR>As for the hamam style bath - it works ok as a regular shower, however, it is very cool to use it as a real hamam. I found it very relaxing, and it sort of reminided me of playing in the tub as a young kid. <BR><BR>The staff was exceptional, typical of what you would expect from a 4/5 star hotel. When reqested, they made dinner reservations and recommendations, called taxis, made sure the taxi driver knew exactly where to go, etc. <BR><BR>Not to take away from other's views, but I saw many of the other hotels recommended on this and other threads and was very happy we selected the Sultanahmet Palace hotel.<BR><BR>Overall, I highly recommend the hotel. Their website is www.sultanahmetpalace.com