Deris Bosphorus Lodge

I love the place .. This is my 3rd time booking there. Very Friendly and helpful staff.. Clean apartments. The area is quite and near the tram/metro station. Beautiful views.. Many coffee places nearby. You can reach the sea easily.. You can walk to Taksim or take the metro, both are good but walking is a bit difficult for old people and children. Thank you Deris Bosphorus Lodge, it was great staying there.

My husband and I stayed at the Deriş Bosphorus Lodge in April of 2015. I have a lot of food sensitivities so we always stay in apartments so I can prepare my own food. We absolutely loved this hotel. We stayed in a Bosphorus view apartment which I highly recommend. I absolutely loved sitting in the living room watching the water. The view is incredible during the day and night. It was a highlight of our trip. The apartment was very difficult for our cab driver to find so make sure you get good instructions from the hotel for your cab driver. The hotel will arrange transportation to and from the airport for you if you like. We just took a regular cab to the hotel but arranged for a car with the hotel for our trip back to the airport when we left. The car arrived early and was a very pleasant ride in a luxury car. Our apartment was very quiet. We never heard anyone or anything from our apartment. Even the call to prayer was barely audible with the doors and windows closed. The apartment has a lovely balcony overlooking a pretty grassy area and the Bosphorus. There are so many cats in Istanbul! Everyone takes care of them and they are so lovely. A beautiful Calico came to visit us every morning. I always gave her a nice breakfast treat. Location: The apartment is located a short walking distance from the Kabataş tram station from which it is a very short ride directly into the historic part of town. The Kabataş station is also the place to catch the funicular up to Taksim Square. The hotel is nestled amongst other residential and office buildings. It is a very nice and very quiet area. The neighbourhood is very hip and modern and very safe. There is a very small grocery store about 5 blocks away from the hotel and a larger beautiful one about a 20 minute walk away up the hill (it’s a tiring walk, but really pretty). There are several cafes and restaurants within a short walking distance of the hotel. Dolmabahçe Palace is a short walk from the hotel. Cleanliness and housekeeping: The apartment was very clean. Housekeeping came more than once although I can't tell you what their schedule was. If you need something from housekeeping, best to ask the hotel manager Çağdaş rather than the housekeeping staff. He makes sure that you get whatever you need right away. Amenities and comfort: The apartment had everything we needed for a very comfortable stay. The kitchen was more than sufficient for us. The fridge is not huge, but plenty for two people. The apartment has a Nespresso machine and the hotel provides about 4 or 5 pods and then you have to buy more. It’s not at all a problem to get more – just ask Çağdaş at the desk or send him a text. If it’s easy for you, just bring a few sleeves of your own along so you have coffee when you need it. The apartment has a washer and dryer but all of the instructions are in Turkish so I took my best guess when using it. I’m sure Çağdaş can explain the settings if you ask. The bed was very comfortable. We needed extra pillows and they arrived promptly after we asked for them. The hotel provides robes. They were a bit worn out but clean. The climate control in the apartment worked very well. The system is also not loud which is nice. I highly recommend this hotel. The value for money was outstanding, especially when compared to other European cities. I would go back tomorrow if I could!

We stayed in the panorama apartment on the 4th floor. The view was UNREAL. You can see the Bosphorus, ports of the Asian side and the Sultanahmet skyline from almost anywhere in the apartment. It was very spacious and modernly decorated, accommodated the 5 of us very comfortably and had almost all the amenities we could ask for. Location was fantastic, as well. You have access to the tram, ferryboats to Kadikoy and Princes' Islands, the funicular to Taksim square and buses. There isn't any means of transportation that isn't 2-min away or less. We also had free Wifi. On top of that, the staff was very courteous, spoke very good English and was always willing to help. However, there are a few minor disadvantages. First of all, you have to take a flight of stairs, an elevator to the reception, then a second elevator to the apartment. It's mostly fine, but it gets a little bit tiring especially after a long day of sightseeing or if you're going in and out a lot. Secondly, the sound of the ferryboats could disturb some people, although we all quite enjoyed it and enjoyed waking up to them. But if you're looking for a quiet stay, this may not be the best option. Also, the only thing that was missing in the apartment was a microwave, and we could've really used one. All in all, I DEFINITELY recommend it and will book there again if we go back to Istanbul. Just bare in mind that the panorama apartment isn't exactly budget-friendly (in the in-season), but you get what you pay for 100%. Finally, if you do decide to stay there DO NOT go to Taksim on foot and take the funicular instead, unless you're up for a real hiking experience, as it's a steep climb.