The House Hotel Galatasaray
Style Ottoman opulence
Setting Old-town Cukurcuma
The House Hotel Galatasaray in Istanbul is a masterfully modernised mansion, elegantly imperial with a hint of contemporary magic. The four-storey building dates from 1850, but avant-garde designers Autoban waited until 2010 to arrive on the scene, mixing the old and the new: cast-iron banisters and original marble staircases with eye-catching lighting and jellyfish-resembling chandeliers. This is a lively spot too – one of the area's best restaurants is right behind the hotel.
Need to know
- Rooms 20 suites.
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Rates
Double rooms from $166.72 (€133), excluding tax at 8 per cent.
Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (€133), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
- More details Rates include buffet breakfast.
- Facilities Free WiFi throughout, butler service and beauty treatments. In rooms: flatscreen TV, minibar, bottled water and L’Occitane bath products.
- Check-out 12pm, but flexible (free until 2pm, 50 per cent of an extra night thereafter). Earliest check-in, 3pm.
- Children Cots for babies are free, and extra beds can be added at no cost for children under six (€60 a night if they're older). Babysitting with a local nanny costs €75 a night. There are no lifts or bath tubs, however, which could be an issue for smaller Smiths. More...
- Hotel closed 23–30 January 2011.
- Also Pets weighing in at 5kg or less can come along for €20.
Food and drink at The House Hotel Galatasaray
- Hotel restaurant The top-floor restaurant is more of a lounge-bar hybrid, serving a choice selection of snacks and light meals rather than a full menu. The chilled-out atmosphere makes it a perfect post-bustle refuge after a day out in Istanbul. It’s decked out with leather sofas, Turkish tiles and a chalet-style pine ceiling. Breakfast is served here; pile plates high with fresh cakes and croissants.
- Dress code It’s so relaxed, you won’t feel out of place cracking out your kilim slippers and slacks.
- Top table Nab a snuggle-friendly sofa by the fireplace.
- Last orders Food is served from 7.30am until midnight, with breakfast running between 7.30am and 11.30am. Drinks are served until midnight.
- Room service The full restaurant menu can be served in your room between 7.30am and midnight.
- Hotel bar The bar is part of the top-floor lounge space. Sip a signature margarita or some Turkish Raki overlooking Cukurcuma’s winding streets and the Galata Tower.
The House Hotel Galatasaray Firuzaga Mah. Bostanbasi Cad. no: 19, Istanbul, 34440
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Smith extra at The House Hotel Galatasaray
Fresh fruit on arrival; for Suite bookings or guests staying three nights or more, a two-course lunch including a glass of wine
Current offers at The House Hotel Galatasaray
In the know
Our favourite rooms
The spacious Penthouse Suite has high, pine-beamed ceilings, corniced white walls and gleaming floors, and that’s not even the best bit: see the windows for this (and their view of the Galata Tower, city sprawl and a minaret or two). Lovers of natural light will enjoy roomy Executive Suite 15. The street behind the hotel is home to one of the area's most popular restaurants (along with a cluster of other bars and eateries), and it can be lively late at night – rooms positioned at the front of the hotel are more peaceful.
Packing tips
A roomy bag and the number of a good shipping company for the covetable finds made hunting for antiques in Beyoglu’s basements.
From the Guestbook…
Could not recommend this hotel highly enough. The staff were so helpful and went beyond the call of duty to ensure that our stay was just wonderful (they made a mean menemen for br...
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