Istanbul's Darussaade Hotel (Hotel Review)

I stayed at the Darussaade Hotel at my own expense. Nobody at the hotel knew that I had a website about traveling with young children, and I did not receive a "press rate" or freebies. The kids, on the other hand, received all sorts of sweets and small toys from the staff and their opinion seems to be for sale at a very low price!

Joking aside, whenever I do receive a special rate or complimentary service, I will always let you know.

For this trip, we planned to stay in a vacation rental, but unfortunately our apartment was not available for our first two nights in Istanbul. That left the five of us to recover from Jetlag in a hotel room for the first two nights.

Finding just the right hotel was tricky. Most hotels in Istanbul do not have rooms with two double beds (a single king bed, two twins, or a triple room with three twin beds are more common configurations). Add to that, the fact that any one of us might be awake in the middle of the night, and that we wouldn't want the kids to wake one another up. As a final constraint, we thought a hotel in the historic center would be best, so that we could return to the room easily during the day.

Bedroom in our Suite at the Darussaade Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey

A small suite at the Darussaade Hotel turned out to be a great choice. There was a king bed in the main room, and a small sitting room with a sofa bed. The kids slept with my husband in the main room, while the baby and I slept on the sofa bed.

Living Room in our Suite at the Darussaade Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey

During the day, the living room made a nice play area for the kids. we loved that it did not share a wall with another guest room, so that we could be a little more relaxed about noise while we were getting ready in the mornings.

The room wasn't huge, but it was spotless and very comfortable. The location, across from a small market and in the historic center was perfect. The staff was very helpful, and showered E and D with small gifts and candy throughout our stay. A word of warning, though, most attractions are uphill from the hotel and the streets in this area can be tricky to navigate with a stroller - so make sure that everyone has their walking shoes on!

The hotel's breakfast buffet had a huge selection of local cheeses and sausages (sans pork, of course) plus homemade pastry. The calm breakfast room was a great place to retreat with early risers before the day started.

Breakfast Buffet at the Darussaade Hotel in Istanbul, Turkey

The kids had their first Nutella here - and loved it of course. They have no idea that Nutella is Italian and not Turkish

D enjoys her first Nutella (she thinks it's Turkish)

The Darussaade was quiet (except for us), well located in the historic center of Istanbul. Rates vary seasonally, and the rack rate for this room is between 144 and 175 Euros. Note that while prices are set in Euros, you will pay in Turkish Lira.

Filed Under: hotel-review

1 comment | Posted on June 14, 2010 | Save to del.icio.us

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