Review - Park Hyatt Istanbul Macka Palas
The Park Hyatt in Istanbul is a peculiar case for the luxury brand. Yes, it has the understated tasteful interior design and, taking a glance on the map, it certainly is in an appropriate neighbourhood (Nişantaşı). But looking out your window you can’t help but asking: “this is supposed to be a fashionable district of Istanbul? really?”
But let’s not judge too fast and take a look inward. It is a Park Hyatt after all, so there has to be something about it!
Atmosphere
When we arrived by taxi it first seemed to be dropping us off at a side-entrance of the hotel. But no, it is the main entrance. Very low-key from the outside. The feeling improved immediately when entering the hotel lobby.
Ok, now we are talking. That wine rack is more to my liking! Welcome and service at the reception was also up to my expectations of the luxury brand.
The building is from 1922 and PH moved in in 2008. It really felt like a boutique hotel and that was the idea. Throughout the hotel you’ll find photos of old Istanbul (around the beginning of the 20th century) and artworks fitting to the 1930s. I like the tasteful interiors.
Room
The many photos on the wall continued into our room. We booked a spa room, which had huge bathroom with tub and steam room.
Overall I was very happy with this room. Except the small balconies (nearly French-style) could have been bigger and the view could’ve been nicer.
Pool
There is a small spa area plus an outdoor pool in this city boutique Park Hyatt. While it is called “rooftop pool” on the website, it actually is on the roof the significantly lower lobby/restaurant section. So don’t expect any view.
Dining
Breakfast is served in the lobby restaurant as a buffet. The choice was pretty good including Turkish-style breakfast. Fresh fruits and made to order items round up the offer. We loved it!
While we haven’t eaten in the restaurant, we did order room service once. Again, choices were a mixture of Middle-East and West and both types of cuisine have been expertly cooked.
Nişantaşı District
Now to the aforementioned location of the hotel: a high-fashion district of Istanbul called Nişantaşı. It is not that obvious on the first look, but this is actually a nice area of the city with a lot of cafés, independent boutique stores and world-famous luxury brands. You just have to keep in mind that the architecture here is not that inspiring - more like Eastern-Europe-Soviet era-style. In short: these kind of shopping districts are much nicer in cities like Paris or London.
Summary
| Hotel | Park Hyatt Istanbul - Maçka Palas |
|---|---|
| Brand | Park Hyatt |
| Good |
|
| Bad |
|
| CT Points | 90 |
Getting to the other side of Istanbul to visit Hagia Sofia, the old town with the Bazaar or the very interesting Balat district is really cumbersome from the Park Hyatt. I would never recommend first-time Istanbul visitors to stay in the Nişantaşı district (my choice: Four Seasons at Sultanahmet).
Is it fashionable and good for second time visitors? Sure, from the street level you see nice cafes and restaurants. But don’t look up! The buildings directly next to the hotel you see from room or pool level are simply ugly to look at, wondering why you pay so much for your room when the rent in those buildings can’t be that high. If you can ignore that, you find yourself in a nice boutique luxury hotel with great service and food.
