Last updated on .
The Pera Palace Hotel (Pera Palas Oteli) is a luxury hotel in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. It’s a short walk from Istiklal Street and Taksim Square.
History
The Pera Palace Hotel was built in 1892 by Ottoman French architect Alexander Vallaury (1850-1921) to host passengers of the Orient Express. The opening ball was held in 1895, and the hotel’s first owners were the Ottoman Armenian Esayan family.
The hotel was the first building in Turkey with electricity, other than the Ottoman palaces. It also had the country’s first electric elevator and was the only hotel in Istanbul to offer hot running water at the time.
A sedan chair (tahtırevan) used to carry passengers from Sirkeci Station to the Pera Palace Hotel is on display near the Patisserie de Pera (see below).
My Stay
I was fortunate to stay at the hotel in October 2018, which was very exciting for me. I had walked past the building and popped in so many times before, and I was curious to see how it felt to be a guest.
My room was spacious and extremely comfortable. There was a huge bed, small workstation, and a hamam-style shower.
A balcony opened out onto Refik Saydam Street (Refik Saydam Caddesi) with views over Kasımpaşa, the Golden Horn, and the skyscrapers to the north.
The view was just as spectacular at night, with the city beautifully lit for miles into the distance.
Kubbeli Lounge
The Kubbeli Lounge, just behind reception, is a stunning throwback to Ottoman luxury in the late 19th century. It’s topped by a high ceiling with six domes that gently let in soft light.
English afternoon tea is served daily from 3pm to 6pm and is open to non-guests. An assortment of sandwiches, cakes, and scones are available, accompanied by gentle piano music. Reservations are recommended, and the dress code is smart casual.
Orient Bar
The Orient Bar is attached to the lounge. Stepping into the bar, you can imagine some of the conversations that have taken place there. Ernest Hemingway, Greta Garbo, and Agatha Christie as well as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (c. 1881-1938), the founder of modern Turkey, have all gathered at the bar as hotel guests.
Patisserie de Pera
The Patisserie de Pera is another lounge, offering coffee and tea, handmade chocolates, French desserts, and Turkish specialties. It closes from June to September, where it offers its menu on the Orient Terrace. The dress code is smart casual.
Lower Floors
Downstairs is the Pera Spa and Agatha Restaurant, which serves Turkish, French, and Italian cuisine. The spa and restaurant are open to non-guests as well.
Atatürk Museum Room
Room 101 contains the Atatürk Museum Room. which was one of the rooms the founder of modern Turkey used on his visits to the hotel. Pera Palace opened the room as a museum on the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1981. It’s open to all visitors daily from 10am to 11am, and again from 3pm to 4pm (as of September 2023). It contains a sitting room and bedroom decorated with personal items used by Atatürk. A bathroom is attached to the bedroom.
Of particular interest were two letters from 1934 posted on the wall of the bedroom. One is a letter written by Atatürk for the friendship of Turkey and Greece. Another is a letter from Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos (1864-1936) nominating Atatürk for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Historic Items
As a guest, I was able to walk down the stairway and view some of the historic items related to the Pera Palace Hotel. On display is stationary, postcards, announcements to guests, photos, and other items.
Portraits of Hotel Owners
In the stairwells, I looked at a few portraits hanging on the walls. One was of Prodromos Bodosakis-Athanasiadis (1890-1979), the Ottoman Greek owner of the hotel from 1918 to 1922. He left for Greece after the Greco-Turkish War.
Another portrait was of Misbah Muhayyeş (1888-1954), who owned the hotel from 1927 until his death in 1954. A third portrait was of Hasan Süzer (1923-2005), the owner from 1977 to 2005.
