The Peninsula Istanbul: spa, hammam and pool in Karakoy

The Peninsula Istanbul is in Karakoy, in Istanbul's Beyoglu district, on Kemankes Caddesi. Galata Tower is about 0.4 km away in a straight line, the New Mosque about 0.8 km and Sirkeci railway station about 0.9 km. Farther out, Topkapi Palace is about 1.2 km, Suleymaniye Mosque about 1.4 km, Hagia Sophia about 1.6 km and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque about 2 km, all in a straight line.

Of the two airports, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport is about 31.1 km away and Istanbul Airport about 33 km, in a straight line.

The hotel has 29 room types in all, from 49 m² to 175 m². The smallest are the three Superior rooms, each 49 m² with one king bed and sleeping up to three; one of the three is an accessible room. A couple gets the same bed and the same space in each, so the choice among them comes down to the room's designation rather than its size.

Deluxe rooms step up to between 56 and 64 m², with a choice of one king bed, two double beds or two twin beds; each of these sleeps up to three. The 64 m² Deluxe Bosphorus Room is the roomiest of this tier, and a Deluxe Room With Garden sits alongside the others at 56 m².

The suites start at 118 m². The two Deluxe Bosphorus Suites With Balcony are each 118 m², one with a king bed and one with two double beds. The Grand Bosphorus Suite With Balcony, at 121 m², has two double beds and a sofa bed and sleeps up to five. The Art Suite, at 175 m² with two double beds, is the largest room in the hotel and the one to take for space alone.

The hotel's leisure facilities are a seasonal outdoor pool, a full-service spa, a Turkish bath and hammam, and fitness facilities open 24 hours. Because the pool is seasonal, travellers staying outside the warm months will lean on the spa and the hammam.

Accessibility is built into the hotel's own facilities: the restaurant and the public washroom are wheelchair-accessible, and one of the Superior rooms is an accessible room.

Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00. Children are not allowed, which rules the hotel out for families travelling with children. Pets, by contrast, are allowed. Valet parking is free.

This is an adults-only hotel in Karakoy, part of The Peninsula Group. It suits couples and groups of adults who want a full-service spa, a hammam and a seasonal outdoor pool, and it welcomes pets. Rooms start at 49 m² and run to 175 m², so even the entry level has room to spread out, and the Grand Bosphorus Suite With Balcony gives a party of up to five two double beds and a sofa bed.

It does not suit families with children, since they are not allowed, and a traveller set on swimming should note that the outdoor pool is seasonal.