Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, Turkey – Hotel Review
A meal at Al Bushra
Our busy schedule prevented us from sampling the Veranda Bar & Grill, an open air restaurant with a broad menu plus organic food, or the signature Dragon Restaurant, which offers both Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine.
We were enticed, however, by Al Bushra, the hotel’s Lebanese restaurant, normally on the ninth floor, which had just relocated to the garden area for the summer. Our evening dinner was as much a feast for our eyes as our palates. Freshly made baba ghanoush topped with pomegranate seeds, a Lebanese salad and an inflated Lebanese pita began our meal. The main courses, chicken kebab with a yogurt sauce and grilled vegetables, and the sublimely grilled fish were plate cleaners. We had little room for dessert; the Lebanese coffee was served in an intricately carved cup and saucer and proved the perfect wrap to a memorable meal.
Several times during our stay, we visited the lobby bar and lobby lounge, located on the hotel’s main level. Both afford comfortable seating and a broad choice of drinks and snacks.
BOTTOM LINE
Established half a millennium before the Christian Era as Byzantium and then known as Constantinople between the 4th and 20th centuries AD, Istanbul is a city that has witnessed many of the historical changes sweeping through Turkey and the region. Similarly, the Hilton Istanbul both stands as an observer to history sweeping through the city and as the harbinger of change. The hotel’s impact on Turkish society and the region remains strong just shy of its sixtieth anniversary in 2015. The hotel offers a window into the past and a view into Turkey’s future; it is worth a stay and contemplation of the role a hotel can play in a region’s growth.
THE DETAILS
Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus
Cumhuriyet Caddesi Harbiye
Istanbul 34367, Turkey
+90 212 315-6000
www.hilton.com
(Photos: Accura Media Group)
