Guest User
June 5, 2024
My boyfriend and I (🌈) just left the Orientbank Istanbul after a 3-night stay in early June 2024 and all I can say is WOW. From the moment we arrived, the service was top-notch. We were greeted by a lovely employee (Mahmoud) who was warm, inviting and very attentive to our every need. He booked our tour for the next day, changed dinner reservations and explained the general layout of the surrounding area. Food: the lobby restaurant is small, but beautiful. Breakfast was free and included either a huge Turkish or American breakfast, juice, tea/coffee and on some mornings a live harpist playing ethereal melodies. 100% enchanting and the service was fantastic. The bar is amazing too and they will reliever anything you’d like to the INCREDIBLE rooftop bar. (You will feel like you’re in a movie when you step off the elevator and walk along an outside bridge to the oxidized copper turret lookout.) Room: The room we were in was small, but the bed was VERY comfortable. The water pressure and amenities were great, however if you and whoever you are traveling with require immense bathroom privacy - either book two rooms or use the private bathroom on the A level. The toilet space is comical how visible you are to the bedroom space. The view from our window was similar to that of the rooftop deck: cinematic and dreamy. You feel like you’re falling asleep and waking up in a movie. Staff: I arrived in Europe nursing an Achilles injury and the entire staff was so accommodating to my mobility issues. I wish I had written down all of their names, but Mahmoud, Summet and another gentlemen on the evening front desk rotation were especially helpful. Location: You walk out of your hotel (the same building and entrance/exit that Daniel Craig makes in the beginning of 007: Skyfall - make sure to watch it and do a side-by-side video for your friends and family!) and look immediately to your left and you can see the entrance to the Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar). You are in a superb location for all of the historical sites but I must forewarn - nearly every site in the area is up a fairly long hill. Grand Bazaar, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace, Cagaloglu Hamam, etc. are all up the same hill, so bring sunscreen, water and a parasol for the 15-20 minute hike up. Sights: In our whirlwind trip, I must recommend doing the Topkapi/Hagia/Blue Mosque/Basilicia Cistern first to get them out of the way. They are amazing but it’s a long day of sun exposure. Definitely book a treatment (we did the shortest and cheapest and it was still amazing) at Cagaloglu Hamam - it is near the cistern. Keep some time to get a cocktail at the Hamam afterwards - it’s gorgeous (and the signature multi-colored hamam towel was sold in the gift shop which were the most $$ but my favorite in the entire city). A sunset Bosphorous cruise is a MUST. I recommend either spending the day doing Galata Tower or Taksim Square then going straight to the pier or getting dropped