Review of The Bosphorus-Swissotel Istanbul

We were impressed by this hotel, as it was part of our Gulf Air package. 

You walk into a beautiful lobby that overlooks the Bosphorus, with lots of comfortable seating areas to relax after a day or touristing, or to people watch.  There was definitely a lot of activity in the lobby at all times of day.  And with the mix of people, from scantily clad Eastern Europeans to Arab Thobes and Robes, the view was always interesting.

Our room was full of amenities but somewhat crowded.  One really nice thing was the view of the Bosphorus, which you could enjoy on a very comfortable velvet  chaise lounge.  JT was really impressed with the "Welcome, MR. Thomas" message on the TV whenever we came into the room. 

The breakfast buffet included in our rate was also wonderful.  Tons of choices (but no pork) and all the freshly squeezed juices, coffee, and champagne you could drink.

Our only complaint involved the heat.  Each time we returned to the room, it was super-hot, about 27, which is somewhere in the high seventies and too warm for comfortable napping.  Whenever we called, they would lower the temperature remotely, but then if we left and returned to the room again, it would be too hot.  We weren't able to more than temporarily fix the problem during our stay.