Best Western Empire Palace

The Best Western Empire Palace is near all the important sights in the historic area of Istanbul. It's on a tram rail line so it's easy to go to the modern area as well such as the Taksim district. Ercan, probably the most helpful and nicest person in the hotel business arranged for our tours to the Orient House, Bosphorus Boat tour, the Istanbul day tour, the Kalamar Seafood restaurant, and reserved our Turkish bath, and massages, which were right on the hotel. Mr Sulayman, will leave your skin as smooth as baby skin with his mastery of the... more

An excellent hotel. Big rooms, great staff, gourmet food, reasonable prices. Definetly A++

rooms are clean. they served breakfast on top floor whıch is quite rich. staff are very friendly and helpful. Infront desk is perfect.location is good,close eveywhere.

We really liked the Best Western Empire Palace, given the close proximity to many of the great Istanbul features like the Aya Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, etc. The public transit train goes right in front of the hotel and it's only about $1.00 US to ride. The neighborhood is not very attractive but the hotel is quite nice inside. The breakfast is fairly good and adds to the overall value. The place is nicely renovated and an effort is made to provide good customer service. I recommend it as a good value for people traveling... more

I stayed at the Empire Palace at the beginning of November. I chose this hotel because it had a good combination of location and price. The reviews I read of this hotel here on Trip Advisor before I booked were quite accurate and so was glad to see when I showed up at the hotel that everything was like shown in other travelers photos. I stayed in a queen room and since I was traveling alone it was spacious enough for just myself. With two people the room might start to get a little tight. The hotel itself was very clean, well located between... more

My husband and I were happy to have stayed at this 35-room boutique hotel for 4 nights, end-Oct -3Nov08. Got a good deal on the internet and booked directly with the hotel. For airport transportation, we made arrangements with the hotel shuttle (50 euros; add 50% if after midnight, which is customary). The hotel offers free Wifi connection and full breakfast (variety of cheese, cold cuts, bread, tea, coffee, cereals, jellies and jams)--big help to start your day around. The small lobby is nicely appointed with a bar, with small elevator... more

Empire Palace was in a great Old Town [Sultanahmet] area, with all important sites within walking distance or just a couple of tram stops away. With the included full breakfast in the roof-top restaurant, it was a great value. Staff was attentive and cooperative. Only minor issues were noise from street until midnight, but you get used to it, and a misunderstanding about a reservation for in hotel Turkish bath and massage that was resolved by a reasonable price adjustment at the front desk.

Date: October 20, 2008 Reviewer: A sprightly 60 year-old We have just returned from 5 days at the Empire Palace in Istanbul. The hotel is ideally located for exploring the magnificent sights of old Istanbul - eg within10 minutes walk to Agia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the Spice Bazaar, and the Golden Horn. While our room was tight for space, it was very clean. All staff were very friendly and helpful. For a moderately-priced hotel, the range of breakfast options was very good indeed. B&B was ideal for us -... more

The hotel is perfectly located, halfway between the Blue Mosque and the waterfront and conveniently close to St Sophia's; all within easy walking distance. The trams pass right by the hotel for journeys farther afield. The staff were all friendly and extremely helpful; the restaurant was good and the rooms comfortable. All in all, a very positive experience,

My fiancee thinks this is the best hotel we've ever stayed at. It was very nice, with a great breakfast (we still talk about) overlooking the city. Very centrally located. The room was a bit on the small side but beautifully appointed. Complaints: the dinners were astronomically expensive, even though no one was ever eating in their restaurant; the sauna was broken the whole week; we were charged for a phonecall made by the concierge to arrange a trip for us (is this typical?).