Luxury Hotel Review: Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul (Turkey)

Are you planning to stay at the Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul? I stayed in Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul on my first visit to the historic Turkish city. So let me share with you my personal experience during my stay in this luxury five-star hotel in Istanbul.

Inspired by the classic novel the Lost Horizon – The Classic tale of Shangri-la by James Hilton, Shangri-la was described as the nirvana tucked in the western part of the Himalayas. Perfection, grace, and elegance at their finest.

That description can substantially describe the experience I had during my stay in Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul.

Hotel Review: Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul (Turkey)

During Our Stay

Address: Sinanpaşa, Hayrettin İskelesi Sk. D:No.1, 34353 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Turkey (Google Maps directions here)

I had the privilege to stay in the luxurious Premier Bosphorus Room. The elegant and spacious room was truly up to the Shangri-la level of perfection up to the smallest details. This close attention to detail made our stay pleasurable that I didn’t want to leave the comfort of our room.

The television inside the bathroom was one of the exquisite details. This was the first time that I’ve stayed in a super posh hotel that has a TV on the bathroom mirror.

The little welcome treats up to the luxury Bulgari toiletries during my stay made me feel spoiled and pampered. My room has a fantastic view of the Bosphorus Strait overlooking the Asian side of Istanbul.

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Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul
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Amenities & Facilities

The Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul amenities are readily available to the guests with a refined taste. The hotel has 186 rooms with 17 room types that vary with the room size, views, and location of the room.

During my stay, I did a “hotel show round” wherein the hotel staff toured me around the hotel. During the show round, I went to visit another type of room that Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul has to offer – The Deluxe Bosphorus Suite.

There are luxury shops that are available on the ground floor. The lounge area offers tea and Turkish coffee for the guests in the afternoon, where you can just sit and relax in while enjoying a refreshing glass of Turkish tea. There are hundreds of teas to choose from so you can take your time and unwind.

The hotel also has an indoor swimming pool and fitness gym in the basement of the hotel. The Chi, the spa of the hotel offers varieties of relaxing massage services for men and women.

Since it is a tradition in Turkey to separate the rooms for men and women, the spa also offers a private area for couples who wish to spend their time together in the Chi.

There are two food outlets in Shangri-La Bosphorus, the Shang Palace which can hold private functions and caters for fine dining types of service and the other one is the Ist Too, which is the more relaxed and casual one.

Both restaurants offer excellent and tasty traditional Chinese and international dishes. The breakfast selection also offers a wide range of varieties from hot, traditional Turkish to continental breakfast.

The staff of the hotel welcomed me like a rock star. From the moment, I stepped onto their front door, with the welcoming smiles and helping hand you can honestly feel that they are sincere in welcoming you to their hotel.

The staff showed the utmost hospitality during my stay.  As we leave the hotel the following day, the staff gracefully helped us with our luggage, and wave their goodbyes and well wishes on our journey. It was a wonderful feeling indeed!  It feels like I’ve found a home in Istanbul.

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Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul
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What’s Around The Area

Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul is located at Besiktas, from the airport I took public transportation to the hotel. You can also request an airport pick-up if you wish.

From Ataturk airport, I took the train to Zeytinburnu and caught the tram to Kabatas. The journey took around 1 hour from the airport to Kabatas. The traffic jam in Istanbul is also notorious like in Manila. Due to the traffic jam, I opted to walk from Kabatas to the Shangri-la hotel, it took me about 15 – 25 minutes.

The hotel is right in front of the ferry stations, you can join and enjoy the Bosphorus cruise with no fuss. We just asked the concierge regarding the schedule of the ferry. To avoid the horrendous traffic jam in the city, most of the locals are using the ferry to go to the Asian side and vice versa.

Taksim area is not far from the hotel; you can enjoy loads of different restaurants and shops. The historical area of Sultan-Ahmet is not that far as well. You can reach it via tram or taxi.

Taxi tips: Always ask the driver to put the meter on during your trip or if you have the UBER app, you can easily request one.

I also wrote an article about the different things to do in Istanbul, I suggest you go on and read it to help you explore the city.

Recommendation

As a whole, my stay in Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul was incredible. They absolutely give an outstanding hospitality service to their guests. The great attention to detail and making everything comfortable and convenient really goes a long way in making my stay a statement of the true Shangri-la experience.

Read reviews and book you luxury hotel stay at
Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul
TripAdvisor | Agoda

Special thanks to my friend JP Licudan for the lovely images and the Shangri-la Bosphorus Istanbul for the complimentary stay during our visit to Istanbul. The opinions in this article are my own.