Last long weekend we managed to sneak away to Istanbul to check it out for the very first time. We got a really good deal with Qatar Airways, who do quite a cheap flight (if you don’t mind a quick lay over in Doha!).
We stayed at Europe’s first W hotel, W Istanbul. W stands for WOW! and wowed we indeed were! The W Hotels are known for their funky décor and it always have been Thuymi’s wishlist to stay at one as the W Hotel in Montreal was one of her favorite hangouts!
We got there in the early afternoon and were greeted by our very own W Insider, Egzi. The Insider is a great concept by the hotel chain to make your experience with them all the more enjoyable. They will help you plan your whole city trip, from sights to see, nightlife and best places to eat and shop.
After having a welcome drink, we were taken to our amazing room, walking through silver lifts and along the darkness with neon-pink lights breaking the dimmed effect in the corridor. Highlight has got to be the donuts in the room waiting for us, plus our very own huge canopy to relax and chill out! Our room looked so yummy but also funky! Looked good enough to eat with it’s dark wood walls, chocolate velour sofas and hints of cherry everywhere even our donuts!
Later that evening, we attended W Istanbul’s Bites ‘n’ Beats evening with the amazing Executive Chef of W Lounge Istanbul, Semi Lichy. He was the coolest chef we ever met, entertaining us with stories as he cooked us up a storm and kept the cocktails coming all night by the mixologist! The DJ kept the music going all night as we laughed and talked about how great Istanbul is.
The breakfast buffet had a huge array of cheeses, fruits, breads and desserts. We were served coffee after coffee as we woke up to the sounds of Istanbul waking up. If you are a bit of a health nut like me, there is also a cool gym to use to burn off those awesome treats I had been scoffing down.
After a long day of sightseeing, Ezgi showed us a night out in town, not far from the hotel – literally 5 minutes walk, taking us to the best foods around, local hangouts and trying Turkish delicacies.
The W Istanbul was awesome, staff was so fun, dared us to try weird things like Iskembe (learn more on our Foodies in Istanbul article), plus, it is located close to everything we wanted! Thank you so much to the W Istanbul team for your awesome hospitality, we leave not only with great memories but also great new friendships.
Good to know
- The hotel is a five-minute walk from the Besiktas dock for ferries across the Bosphorus
- No need for a SIM card, W Istanbul provides each room a mobile phone with data and minutes to be able to access to internet anywhere while visiting town! This offer is only offered at this specific W Hotel!
- Taksim and Ortokay, two of the main tourist areas are just 5 lira taxi away
- WiFi is free in public areas but costs an additional fee per day in the guests room
- 5 minute complimentary massage, make sure to grab it!
- The W Insider is so useful to tell you local/underground places you want to go see. So looking for that local experience? They will tell you what’s best!
- Foodie? Location has a wide choice of restaurants around the hotel
- Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Room to book
Most rooms feature a balcony/terrace (except the Wonderful Rooms). Make sure to have the Spectacular room, like us, that will have the draped and cushioned cabanas for starlit seduction sessions *wink wink*
Fun fact
Rapper 50 Cent, Amelie actress Audrey Tautou were guests at the hotel!
Location: W Istanbul | 22 Suleyman Seba Caddesi, Akaretler, Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey | Tel: 00 90 212 381 2121
- Have you ever visited other Turkey and any other cities than Istanbul?
- Where is your favorite stay when you are in Istanbul? Share with us your experience!
- Read more about Turkey
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