Expat Travel Mom

When you've experienced something wonderful for your family, why wouldn't you go back? When we traveled to Dresden, Germany in winter 2012, we were in heaven at the Swissôtel Dresden, impeccable service, a memorable historic building, and genuine attention paid to the kids. That's exactly why we chose the Swissôtel the Bosphorus for our trip to Istanbul.

A quick honesty note: this stay was generously hosted by the hotel. As always, everything I've written here reflects our actual experience, the good and the not-so-good.

Arrival

The Swissôtel sits on the European side of Istanbul, within 65 acres of historical gardens, offering a tranquil view from the park-facing rooms. Elegantly dressed doormen greeted us and led us into one of the most impressive lobbies I've seen, sitting areas, high-end shopping, views for days. Check-in was flawless. The main building houses the traditional hotel rooms, while a newer building holds Swissôtel Living, elegant studio to three-bedroom apartments, which is where we were lucky enough to stay. Fun fact: the same designer behind these apartments, Khuan Chew, also worked on the Burj Al Arab.

The Luxury Apartments

We stayed in the three-bedroom Bosphorus view suite. Floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows with blackout shades at the touch of a button. The kitchen came fully equipped, down to our own Nespresso machine, and a magnet-operated cooktop that took us a minute to figure out but turned into an instant mini science lesson for the kids. A dining room table sat eight, high-speed internet kept everyone connected, and the master bedroom kept the modern luxury feel going, a king bed, a sliding door to the bathroom, a soaking tub, a beautiful shower.

I put on the slippers and robe immediately and relaxed in the living room, taking in the Bosphorus views. The real crown jewel, though, was the rooftop, lounge areas, food and drink service, and an infinity pool overlooking the strait.

The Kids Are Welcome Here

What gets a mom's heart every time is when a hotel remembers the children, and the Swissôtel really delivered. Two bedrooms were dedicated to the kids, kid-friendly bedding, stuffed animals, and platters of sweets that could have lasted a week. Coloring books waited on their desks, and the larger room even had a Wii. In their bathroom, they squealed finding robes and towels sized just for them, and the living room came stocked with two kids' movies to watch.

The Rest of the Hotel

Ten restaurants span everything from lounges to fine dining, Swiss, international, and Japanese cuisine. We ate the buffet breakfast in the apartment building's lobby restaurant, charming, attentive, tranquil, with a small library and TV areas built in. The Purovel Spa is a holistic sanctuary at every Swissôtel property, and this one has both indoor and outdoor pools, private and group fitness classes, a traditional hammam, rooftop tennis courts, saunas, and steam rooms, plus an outdoor 520-meter parcours course, about 40 minutes to complete.

Between the location and the level of service, it's easy to see why we'd go back. And apparently we won't have to travel far next time either, we hear a Swissôtel is coming to Dubai soon.