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Reviewed October 23, 2014

My husband and I stayed in Megara Palace in October of 2014 as a final step of a 20 day trip from St. Louis MO (USA) to Japan and Turkey. I could honestly say this was a true dessert! The location is unbeatable: walking to Agia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Topcapi palace, (all 2-3 min) even walking to all the authentic shopping of Kapalicarsi (pronounced Kapala Charshi with the accent on the last sillables)(7 min) and the Egyptian market (aka the spice market). A few more steps and one could hop on a boat to tour the Bosphorus... If you like to be tucked away in a quaint atmosphere on cobblestone streets, yet smack in the middle of it all, this is the place! Parking is always available for the guest, which is huge bonus for this part of town.

We stayed on the fourth floor, one of the rooms with private terraces overlooking the Topcapi Palace wall, full of character in the fall, and the bay. Spectacular sunrises. The room is not huge but was well kept and the fridge was stuffed with mini-bar products. We never even turned on the TV (too many things to see and experience beyond that), but the WIFI was excellent and one could even use the hotel's office for urgent communication other than computer/Ipad/phone. I couldn't figure out at the beginning how the ladies knew when to clean, we were never bothered by knocks on the door or scheduling but our rooms was always made when we came back from our walks. At the end, we realized they knew when it is a good time to clean because we left our key at the reception, so we don't have to think about not losing it ;-).

The breakfast on the roof top terrace was fantastic. I don't understand what the visitors who thought it was "just OK" or "not wow." In my experience the, the restaurants that might have an elaborate breakfast charge for it, or are in resorts. The breakfast here was actually interesting, with baked goods every morning, all different, yogurt of the kind you only get from true farms, milk that had real favor, coffee (American, espresso and Turkish) and Turkish tea in unlimited quantities, boiled eggs (no scrambled or omlettes, but the boiling was done to perfection with a slightly runny heart of an orange yolk, with no green between the egg white and the yolk, which meant the people in the kitchen knew exactly how to cool the eggs... details, details...), grilled vegetables, several kinds of cereal, sour cream, butter, at least 3 kinds of commercial preserve and 3 kinds of home made ones, huge bowls of the famous Turkish walnuts, and on, and on... All included in the price of the room! We had a blast!

We also had dinner at the restaurant - Turkish dry red wine (you have to try it, it was spectacular), fish (Laverak and Hamsi - something like Sea Bass and small herring, also spectacular), tons of "meze" or the small plate appetizers that one could live on in Turkey... The staff was out of their way fantastic in their service!

Fun facts: the owner had a water gun on the terrace so people could squirt the occasional bird trying to steal some left-overs from the guests' plates. It was quite entertaining ;-).

Yes, the only thing that could be improved was the smell in the bathroom, we guessed that the old plumbing was simply not vented. To that I would say if you go to a city that dates back to beyond 6000 before Christ and you have all of the above, maybe this is one lack of convenience that could be forgiven. In any case, I did decide to include it, which for both my husband and I was a super minor thing, in case the owners are looking for hints to improve an already precious gem!

The art shop was full of valuable pieces of art and if you are lucky enough to meet the owner, he could even open your eyes to his most valuable collection of paintings that go beyond art! This, however, is a rare event and usually open only to serious collectors.

Overall a very lighthearted place, truly more like a home than a hotel, walking to almost all things worth seeing and visiting in Istanbul. I would go there again and again, even if it were only for the spectacular terraces, location and wonderful service and food. What else is left?!

Maya K.
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Date of stay: October 2014
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Location
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
5  Thank MayaKef
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 21, 2014

I spent 4 nights here in October, and I'd stay here again just on the basis of the location and the friendly staff. The rooms were average and clean, but not modern by any means. However, it has that charming homey feel, and I felt like I had travelled back in time looking out the window at the Topkapi Palace. It's a short stroll to major sights, and close to the waters.

Date of stay: October 2014
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Location
    • Rooms
    • Service
3  Thank Y-adventurer
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 6, 2014 via mobile

You will have great location, kind and helpful staff and a somewhat less good room. By staying at this hotel you are in the heart of main tourist attractions. Great location.
The staff was also very very kind and lovely. They were very helpful and welcoming. The hotel is in old style and decorated with traditional turkish details and paintings. At the top floor there is a balcony with a beautiful view over the Bosphorus.
There we ate breakfast. But the breakfast was nothing wow. The variety of milk products was bad. No normal yoghurt or milk for all the cereals. And it all stood in a warm
temperature. A cooling tablet would have been an easy solution.
However the choice was not wow. And the taste was a bit poor.
Our room was on the second floor. It was very dusty in the room even after the cleaning lady was there. No new towels even if I left my towel on the flow I found it picked up for us to use again. The sheets were not changed either. We stayed for one week and in that period I think that they changed the sheets only once. Now that and the dust.....? So the cleaning is a minus from us.
The cleaning ladies were very kind otherwise.
The bathroom is ok except for the smell from the sewers. Very disturbing odour.
Despite positive experience from the staff, these things affected our experience as a whole. Through some simple changes this hotel could be great.

Date of stay: September 2014
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Thank arnelar2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 4, 2014

The people who manage this hotel could not have been nicer. It was my wife’s 50th birthday and they upgraded us to a better room and the lovely porter gave her cake with candles. The room had a balcony and overlooked the Tokapi palace and the sea.

The position of this hotel could not be faulted. Next to the Tokapi palace, the blue mosque, Agia Sophia and a street of very fine restaurants.

The room was smallish but lovely.
On the average side the breakfast was nice but ordinary. The plus side is the wonderful terrace restaurant. There is no lift- the stairs are very steep BUT the staff are very helpful with bags etc
.
Only down side is that the plumbing in the en suite bathroom smelt awful. When we asked about we were told it was true of other rooms! We bought and incense burner which we kept lit for most of the stay and kept the bathroom door closed. It was not totally unbearable BUT If only they could sort out the smell!

Room tip: 4th floor rooms have fabulous views
Date of stay: September 2014
  • Trip type: Travelled as a couple
    • Location
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
3  Thank MichaelBurley
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 28, 2014

I stayed for 4 nights and the staff at the hotel made the experience so positive. They went above and beyond to help me - was a truly a home away from home. The location is ideal with all the main tourist attractions of Istanbul within walking distance. And also located close to great public transport. Rooms were clean and adequate for travelling. Best people experience ever - will always recommend this hotel to anyone

Date of stay: September 2014
  • Trip type: Travelled solo
    • Location
    • Rooms
    • Service
3  Thank 61isharad
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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