We have 6 nights in Istanbul. Is it worth staying in Four Seasons in Sultahnamet for a few nights to see old city sites then move to Beyoglu for the shopping, dining etc. Is it better to just stay in Beyoglu and commute to sites in old city? Heard here's no dining etc in old city and heavy tourism too.

Hi

If you don't mind moving it's not such a bad strategy. The staff at the Four Seasons Hotel kindly let us have a look around. Very impressive! We stayed in Sultanahmet. It does get alot of flack about being touristy. But alot of the tourist sites are there! The only downside is the pesky, ubiquitous carpet salesman. If you can stay focused on the history of the Old City and try to wander off the tourist trail I think you will see it in a different light. I took a stroll through Beyoglu but it didn't really "grab" me. Others in this forum love it. I found Sultanahmet far less crowded (except in the streets off the Spice Market). So to each their own I guess.

Sultanahmet is the peninsula where 70% of the tourist attractions are: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, the oldest Sultans' Palace, the Cistern, the Covered Bazaar.

Beyoglu is the current city center. Here you find shopping, entertainment, nightlife, 90% of the (good) restaurants, and most hotels. Here are also some other attractions, like the newer palaces. If you like to stroll at night, visit restaurants and bars, Beyoglu would be the better choice (you will find many natives, especially teens and twens, strolling on the streets up to midnight and well after that.)

The good thing is that the distances aren't that great. We even walked from Sultanahmet to Beyoglu (there is also a tram in tunnel). Taxis are inexpensive (about 5 dollars for the trip between Sultanahmet and Beyoglu) and convenient (there are also buses, but we didn't use them).

So, I would simply take the better hotel. No need to move (with all packing and unpacking).

I have tried both in different trips to Istambul, My latest one past November 2006.
I like best staying in Beyoglu and going for the attractions during the day in Sultanhamet.There is a tram connection from the sea-side near the Palace.Very convinient to go to the old city.

That is exactly what I did; Stayed first at 4 Seasons and then in Beyoglu on my return to Istanbul after a road trip. Excellent idea although you are correct about limited good dining in the Old City. There are plenty of places to eat but most of the more appealing ones ARE in Beyoglu and points beyond.

Any recos on hotels in Beyoglu? We're spoiled and tend to stay at nicer hotels. What about the Ansen Suites? I heard good things about it.

We stayed at the Lares Park Hotel (near Taksim Square) when it was Dorint. We liked the hotel a lot - it has a beautiful pool and haman and reasonable rates. See:
http://www.laresparkhotel.com/laresi.../indexeng.html

Hi again

Not in Beyoglu but not too far is the Ciragan Palace - http://www.ciragan-palace.com/.

Hi - just got back from a tour in Turkey. In Istanbul we stayed at the Pera Marmara hotel. Decor is modern with retro inspiration and purple hues dominating the color scheme. We stayed on floors 6 & 7 (two different stays at beginning and end of tour).

Small but efficient bathroom, great shower, comfortable beds and no problems with controlling room temperature (we just used heat - too cold for airconditioning). Breakfast buffet is great - lots of choices and their cafe au lait is the best we had in Turkey (outside of turkish coffee).

We loved the location - one block from Istiklal and all the action. Free internet access from a business center downstairs. There is a rooftop pool and cafe but we did not see it during our stay.

Our tour consisted of mostly 4 and 5 star hotels and although the Pera Marmara wasn't the newest or most glamorous hotel we really enjoyed our stay there.

It was a highlight to go walk in the evenings along Istiklal. Be sure to ask for a room on a higher level as there is traffic in front of the hotel (Mesrutiyet Caddesi). Conveniently enough, there is a taxi stand directly outside the hotel doors so getting around is easy.

Enjoy turkey - we loved it! We only had 3 days in Istanbul and I will definitely be back for more!