Conrad Istanbul Hotel

Hotel Review: The Conrad Istanbul:

Conrad Istanbul

For our three nights in Istanbul we stayed at the Conrad Istanbul, a part of the Hilton Hotel group.  This is our fourth stay at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul, so we’re quite familiar with its location and the surrounding attractions.

Conrad Istanbul

Located in the Besiktas area on the European side of Istanbul, the Conrad Istanbul is a 5-star hotel and has all the trappings of a luxury hotel. The hotel stands on high grounds off the main Barbaros Boulevard and the front facing rooms have views of the Bosphorus and the Old City.

Adjacent to the Conrad Hilton is the Yildiz Palace and Park and just a short walk down the hill gets you to the pubs, restaurants and the ferries. The Conrad is also quite close to a number of fashionable shopping districts and malls, the Dolmabahce Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. A quick taxi trip will get you to the Sultanahmet area where many of the tourist attractions are concentrated.  A cheaper option is to use the mini-vans which are located near the foot of the hotel driveway..

Distance from Istanbul Airports

The Conrad Istanbul is 22 km (13 mi.) from Ataturk International Airport. Normal drive time is approximately 30 minutes although during the peak travel period it can take 45 minutes or longer. This time, we arrived at Sahiba Gokcen International Airport which is 45 km (28 mi.) from the Conrad. We arrived at Sahiba Gokcen at 9 pm. Drive time at this time of the evening is approximately one hour.

What we liked:
Location, breakfast.

What we didn’t like:
The hotel charges €16 for 24-hr usage of their WiFi. Considering that many other economy Istanbul hotels are providing Wi-Fi in the room for free, there is no justification for charging €16 per day. At this rate, the Conrad Istanbul’s Wi-Fi cost is more expensive than hotels in many European capital cities. 
The hotel, while grand, is looking a little tired and we were told that they are closing at the end of 2011 for some major refurbishment.

Address:
Conrad Istanbul
Cihannuma Mah Saray Cd No5 Besiktas
Istanbul 34353, Turkey
Tel: 90-212-310-2525

To book the Conrad Istanbul see HERE.

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