Raffles Hotel, Istanbul

We just got back from a quick trip to Istanbul. Out of the 4 nights, 2 of them we spent at the Raffles Hotel. It was my first ever time staying at a Raffles property and it certainly won’t be my last!

Maybe our room was a little too amazing, as it made leaving it to explore and shoot around Istanbul pretty hard. We were staying in the Bosphorus Suite and when you opened the door you walked into a beautiful large living room…

Leading on from the lounge we had an amazing bedroom with the comfiest bed that felt like we were sleeping on a cloud…

A dressing room, a wrap-around balcony with stunning views over the Bosphorus below and my favourite part of the suite – the bathroom…

Just look at the tub and all that natural light pouring in. That evening after we checked in we had to go out to meet some friends for drinks. When we came back and I walked into the bathroom, this is what I was greeted with:

It was such a nice surprise and we had a lot of fun shooting in there!

Raffles Istanbul is beautiful, as you walk into the lobby we were greeted by a lady playing the piano and a gorgeous flower display. The hotel oozes luxury yet feels very comfortable at the same time. There are 185 rooms (136 guest rooms and 49 suites) and complimentary 24-hour Butler Service.

There are 2 pools to choose from; inside and out, one of the biggest spa’s in Istanbul and a well equipped gym.

The location of Raffles Hotel was ideal, right above one of my favourite places to shop – The Zorlu Center. All we had to do is get the lift downstairs and we were surrounded by trendy restaurants and shops such as Apple and Victoria’s Secret.

Breakfast is always my favourite part of any hotel stay and Raffles Hotel did not disappoint. There was a vast buffet where we were spoilt for choice as well as a menu you could order waffles, pancakes and many different types of eggs from (I really recommend the eggs benedict – delicious!)