Pera Palace Hotel
A Short History
The Pera Palace in Istanbul has one of the most interesting and lengthy histories I've ever heard of a hotel. It is a luxurious, iconic and historic hotel in the heart of the city of Istanbul. Built in 1895, the hotel was made to host the passengers of the Orient Express - a long-distance train that went from Paris, France to Istanbul, Türkiye. Standing for 130 years, this hotel has seen the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, World Wars 1 & 2, and the establishment of the New Republic.
It was the first modern hotel to have both electricity and an electric lift (elevator) which caused the hotel to further gain popularity. The lift, made of wood and cast iron, is now a famous attraction in the hotel as visitors sometimes come just to see it.
The hotel has seen many famous visitors, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Queen Elizabeth II, Agatha Christie and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The latter two have rooms in the hotel now dedicated to them - rooms 101 and 411.
It was our second trip to Istanbul, and my boyfriend and I were staying in an airbnb near the hotel for 3 months this time around. After seeing the Turkish TV show 'Midnight at the Pera Palace', learning the history, and reading Agatha Christies 'Murder on the Orient Express', we had really wanted to visit the Pera Palace. We decided to go for one night and try to experience as much as we could fit into our time there. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out is at 12:00; we arrived promptly on time and left not a minute earlier than we had too, overall having had an incredible time. We don't often stay in 5-star hotels and weren't necessarily there for a luxury hotel experience, but rather for the history and our fascination with the hotel itself. Even still, it definitely met our expectations of a 5-star hotel and exceeded our expectations when it came to actually being inside as it made us feel as though we took a step back in time.
Location - Nearby Attractions & Neighborhood Vibe
The Pera Palace Hotel is located in the heart of the Beyoğlu district, previously called Pera, which is in my opinion the most vibrant district in all of Istanbul. The Beyoğlu district encompasses many famous and beautiful neighborhoods within walking distance from one another, and thus within walking distance of the Pera Palace. Some of these neighborhoods include Galata, Taksim, Karaköy and Vişnezade.
The immediate surrounding area as soon as you step out of the hotel is stunning, with many upscale restaurants, cute coffee shops and plenty of shopping. The Pera Palace Hotel is conveniently a 10 minute walk from the Galata Tower and a 3 minute walk from Istiklal street. There are plenty of metros nearby to make getting around the city easy, with the ÅžhiÅŸhane metro entrance being just a 4 minute walk from the hotel.
For everything to do in the BeyoÄŸlu neighborhood while visiting Istanbul, read my blog post 'A Full Guide to Visiting Istanbul, Part Two - BeyoÄŸlu District'.Â
Room Review: Historic Looks with Modern Comfort
First, the room was so much bigger than I thought it would be, especially being that we got the cheapest room with a king bed ('Deluxe Pera View Room King'). It had a large living area with a couch and television as well as a balcony. As historical as the rooms appear, complete with antique furniture and unique decor, the comfort is modern. The bed, pillows and couch were so comfortable and we got a much better sleep than we had in months while staying in a nearby airbnb. The room was clean and the bathroom had all the usual amenities plus two bath robes and slippers. There was a coffee maker and tea kettle with Nespresso pods and tea bags (free), a stocked mini fridge and various snacks (both paid). Room service is offered and they even have a menu for after midnight which is really nice and not super common in hotels.
Hotel Amenities
1) Fitness center with an indoor pool and sauna - free for guests to use, while the public can buy passes.
2) Spa (reservations are needed) where you can get a massage, facial or have a traditional Turkish hammam experience.
3) Four restaurants and bars:
Patisserie de Pera
This cafe is located next to the lobby and is open to the public for coffee or pastries, but it's always insanely busy because of this so unfortunately I didn't get the chance to try it.
Hours: 9:00-20:00 daily
Agatha Restaurant
Named after writer Agatha Christie, the Agatha Restaurant was delicious and service was good, though I kind of expected the service to be good being that it was us and one other couple in the entire restaurant at 7pm! Lol! I highly recommend trying the stuffed vine leaves - they're a traditional Turkish appetizer and the sour cherry topping was unique and really complimented the other flavors.
For just a little extra per night you can enjoy this restaurants large breakfast buffet. It was tasty and there were abundant options of food, both cold and hot. Memorably for me they had a large honeycomb hung up and you could pick pieces off of it! It's definitely worth adding on this inclusion to your stay.
Hours:
-Breakfast weekdays: 6:30-10:30
-Breakfast weekends: 6:30-11:00
-Lunch: 12:00-15:00
-Dinner: 19:00-23:00
Orient Bar
Arguably the most iconic bar in Istanbul, it doesn't disappoint. The interior is beautiful and every single thing, from the window curtains to the carpet, is so unique and antique. They serve drinks and snacks, and while we didn't try the snacks the cocktails were delicious and come with nuts, chips and olives. Light music is played daily and there is live music on Friday nights. It's a bit pricy but that's to be expected in the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Hours: 15:00-2:00 daily
Kubbeli Lounge
The lounge hosts traditional afternoon tea complete with live piano music. It's open for drinks and light snacks when afternoon tea in session. The high ceilings in this lounge are magnificent. Detailed is an understatement when it comes to the design of the Pera Palace and this room is a prime example. Even if you aren't snacking or joining in on afternoon tea, you have to go into the room to see it.
Hours: 9:00-23:00 daily; afternoon tea 15:00-18:00
Room 101
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is the founder of the Republic of Türkiye and served as the first president from 1923-1938. He fought many countries and led revolutionary movements in order to keep Türkiye independent after the fall of the Ottoman empire. He also created many reforms in order to modernize the country. Between 1915 and 1917 he was a frequent visitor of the Pera Palace Hotel, staying in room 101 each time. It is said he made very important decisions for the future of Türkiye in this very room. Today it is a museum that houses his personal objects and various historical paraphernalia. It can be visited by all - open daily from 10:00-11:00 and 15:00-16:00 - and is free for guests while other visitors can purchase a ticket online for just ₺113.50 lira (about $3.21 USD).
The Mystery of Room 411
Agatha Christie was a frequent visitor of the hotel and always stayed in room 411. It is said that she wrote her book 'Murder on the Orient Express' in that very room. You can stay in it overnight and see that it still has its original furniture, though it's very pricy at around $600 USD per night. This room draws many visitors and is so popular in large part due to the mystery of what happened while she was staying in the hotel.
In 1926 while a guest at the hotel and staying in room 411, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Authorities found her car next to a lake and it was thought that she may have drowned herself and died. On day 11, however, she was found in a hotel in Yorkshire claiming to have no memory of what had happened during the days she was missing. To this day no one has ever known what happened in those 11 days, except perhaps Agatha Christie herself. A few years after she passed away in 1976, a famous medium named Tamara Rand was hired to perform a séance to speak with Agatha Christies spirit and ask her for the secrets of her disappearance. The medium claimed to have connected with the spirit, and said Agatha told her the secrets lie in room 411 at the Pera Palace Hotel. When the media got hold of this information, it spread everywhere and fast.
The press went to room 411 on March 7, 1979 and went live on American TV via satellite where they phoned Tamara who told them to search in the floorboards. They did, and found an old key under the floor which was soon taken by the hotel manager who claimed the key belongs to the hotel. The film company Warner Brothers wanted possession of the key, and paid 2 million dollars to the hotel for it. Warner Brothers then had Tamara complete another séance, where she claimed Agathas spirit told her the key is to a box that contained a notebook with secrets on it.
The box was never found, and shortly after the media frenzy died down. Today, no one knows what the key was for or what is written in this secret notebook. There are newspaper clippings of the reports that were printed at the time displayed on the walls of room 411, and there is a replica of the key that was found in her room on the 4th floor of the hotel. This whole charade inspired some popular TV shows and movies, including 'Midnight at the Pera Palace' which was filmed inside the Pera Palace Hotel and implies esoteric theories for what happened in that room.