Park Hyatt Istanbul - Macka Palas

By the time you get to the Park Hyatt Istanbul – Maçka Palas you’re well aware that you’re in Istanbul. So the Park Hyatt is free to go a bit easy on the heavy Orientalism which characterizes so many of the city’s luxury hotels. Here you’ll feel a bit more of the “west” half of Istanbul’s famed east-west duality — the style borrows liberally from Art Deco and the result is sophisticated and cosmopolitan, more pan-European than strictly, typically Ottoman.

Of course any hotel, and especially any Park Hyatt, is much more than the sum of its design decisions. A luxury hotel of this general high quality could get away with looking a lot blander, which is of course one of the things we admire about the Park Hyatts — they could get away with looking a lot blander, coasting on their other substantial charms: namely first-rate facilities and exceedingly professional service.

The most basic rooms are large and lavishly appointed, and decency forbids an enumeration of all the features in the Diplomatic or Presidential suites. Suffice to say you’ll lack for nothing, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by a few unexpected extras: the bathrooms are already essentially small private spas, but the Spa Rooms go one (or two) further, adding Turkish baths and steam rooms.

Turquaz, the restaurant, serves contemporary Turkish cuisine drawn from all over the country, under the direction of the celebrated local chef Mehmet Oğurtan. If there’s one aspect that arguably prevents the Park Hyatt from being the quintessential Istanbul experience it’s the location — the upscale Nişantaşi district is a bit light on historic and cultural sites (unlike, say, Sultanahmet). This is ground zero, however, for the city’s high-end retail and entertainment, which aligns it perfectly with the interests of the Park Hyatt audience.

How to get there:
Park Hyatt Istanbul is approximately a 30-minute drive from Ataturk Airport or one hour from Sabiha Goksen Airport. A taxi will cost approximately 50 TL (25 euros) from Ataturk Airport or around 110 TL (55 euro) from Sabiha Goksen Airport. There is also HAVAS shuttle service from Ataturk Airport to Taksim every hour and cost approximately 9 TL per person.