The House Hotel is exactly that- your home away from home. That is if you live in the home of the architects that designed the Dolmabahce Palace. The hotel itself is GORGEOUS! If you want a huge sprawling hotel, this is not the place for you. This was literally the house of a famous architectural family and you can see it in all the detailing of the hotel and rooms. Due to some noise that was NOT under the control of the hotel, we were upgraded to the Bosphorus Suite. And what an upgrade it was. This suite has 2 balconies, both which look out onto the Bosphorus. The downside is that the cute little balcony with a small table and chairs and the breathtaking views makes it VERY hard to want to leave the room. We actually nixed a ferry tour so that we could just relax on the balcony. Besides the beautiful detailing in the rooms, the interior decorating is also very charming. My favorite was the bedside lamp that looks like a golden birdcage. It’s details like this that make me fall in love with certain hotels. And my favorite part of the rooms- L’Occitane bath products. Sold! That’s when I knew everything in this hotel was luxurious. In addition, they provide complimentary bottles of water and my favorite, complimentary brunch.
As for location, it couldn’t be any better. You have the most amazing view of the Bosphorus Bridge. Watching it change colors at night was amazing. You are also in walking distance of tons of restaurants, shops and ferry tours. If you are looking to go to do touristy stuff, it is an easy 30 min walk (or quick bus ride) to the Dolmabahce Palace or the Metro which takes you right to old town. Super easy. You are also about a 45 min walk to Bebek which is an adorable little waterfront town to the north.
And I had to save the best part for last. What really made The House
such a memorable stay was the service. Bahar, the manager, came to greet us when we were done with breakfast. She introduced herself and apologized for the noise (which wasn’t their fault). She told us she was changing our room so we were farther away from the noise. She also sent us a bottle of wine and made sure everything was perfect from then on out. Her and her staff were all so helpful and friendly, we were sad to go to the next hotel. She was so great that When we had a terrible experience at the next hotel (Le Meridien Etiler), I emailed her and she was able to get us a room at her sister hotel, The House Hotel Nisantasi.
Brunch was included in the rate and it was delicious. Besides the normal pastries, cheese, toast, cereal etc, you could also order hot items like eggs or omelets from a special menu. The view from the library, where brunch is held, is the perfect place to start the day. I can’t wait to go back to Istanbul and even more, I can’t wait to stay at The House Hotel Bosphorus and see Bahar!