Review: Radisson Blu Istanbul Asia, True 5* Hospitality
This Radisson Blu Istanbul Asia hotel is one of the major hotels on Asian side of Istanbul, a modern, business oriented hotel which offers an excellent Spa with Hammam and more importantly delicious selection of breakfast dishes!
It was home for yet another working away week late spring this year. I also had some business to attend to which determined my choice of location. I’ll share the main highlights!
Check In & Location
Based in a business district called Atasehir, the hotel is 19km from Sabiha Gokcen Airport, where I landed and got a taxi from.
Istanbul Ataturk airport is 30km away and almost 80 minute taxi ride across the other side!
When the taxi dropped me off, he either decided he didn’t want to accept credit cards or his machine was not working, so insisted on cash. Though I had a some left over cash from previous Turkey trips, I left it at my desk back home!
I went into reception asking about an ATM.
When the staff realised I just wanted to pay the taxi driver they offered to pay him for me and charge my room instead, that was rather handy. They did let me know they add a 3% surcharge for this, which I was fine with.
The reception entrance lobby was very smart and spotlessly clean..
I booked the Premium Room with City Views and already pre-paid for the 5 nights. They offered my a breakfast add on, which I declined. I prefer to pay separately for the days I opted to have breakfast instead.
The gentlemen checking me in was super friendly and enthusiastic asking if I was here for business or pleasure and to let them know if I needed anything they can do to make my stay better! It was a very welcoming start!
Up we go to the room..
Thought it was rather odd they had this right by the elevator and stairs though..
The elevators up were all glass and offered good views of the city!
Radisson Blu Istanbul Asia Premium Room
I was assigned a room on the 12th floor. I liked the room numbers being turned into a design feature here!
The Premium rooms measure 24 square meters, which ahem isn’t particularly premium space wise, but it was more than adequate.
The room was modern with sleek finishes and neutral deco..
There was a good sized Smart TV and the room had strong WiFi
Room has a good sized desk which multiple power options and ethernet connections (should you ever need it!)
Since I checked in late at night, I took some pictures in the day too..
Something was off with the lighting, but the room is much nicer than it appears in my photos..
The Premium rooms come with Nespresso machine, kettle and 2 bottles of water, with supplies replenished daily
The mini fridge was stocked with some standard refreshments and miniature whiskey and vodka too
There was also a good sized closed to hang your cloths. It also contained the safe, ironing facilities and bathrobes.
Radisson Blu Istanbul Asia Bathroom
The bathrooms in here have a sleek industrial vibe with all the shades of grey finishing…
They are of a good size and come fully stocked with all the usual Radisson Blu toiletries.
I’m not the biggest fan of Radisson products so usually take my own shower gels/shampoo when I stay in one..
You have the standard set of extra towels sets and slippers.
You will not find a bathtub in this Radisson either, is this just a Radisson thing? But the shower cubicle was perfect though with a powerful rain shower head as well as hand held head too.
The one thing they did not have, and I forgot to bring was mouthwash. When I requested some they did not have any and just provided me with extra dental kits instead!
Radisson Blu Talya Spa
You can enjoy an array of different Spa facilities courtesy of Talya Spa based in the ground floors of the building.
They have a lovely welcoming reception with some refreshing flavoured waters etc but I could not get a good moment to take a picture.
Most of the Spa facilities are complementary for guests booking Premium room and above. Others will have to pay to use the facilities or actually just book a massage or something which could be worth doing.
Unlike most hotels the sauna room was quite spacious here, which could have easily had 8-10 people here but I was the only one using it..
Then you have a proper Hammam with dipping pools and a good sized steam room too.
The main indoor pool is also here with plenty of pool side deck chairs. Both times I used the pool the water was cold though! But after the steam room or sauna you kind of don’t mind it!
The also have a big jacuzzi right by the main pool here but I forgot to take any pictures. For stock marketing pictures see Radisson site here
Radisson Blu Istanbul Asia Other Facilities
Food-wise you have the on-side Core Grill restaurant operating an a-la carte menu (this is also used for breakfast in next section). It is open till 11pm everyday.
There is also the Core bar on ground floor next to it
It can get very busy and noisy here but there is also the H Terrace Bar where they also serve snacks, just by the outside pool. Unfortunately both times I wanted to use it, it was raining and thus temporarily closed!
Being a more business centric location the hotel has several Meeting/banquet facilities, Business centre, Fax/photocopying etc
I liked how all the common areas and facilities were kept immaculate throughout.
Radisson Blu Istanbul Asia Breakfast
If you have breakfast included in your room or opt into it later, breakfast runs from 6.30am till 10.30am on weekdays and till 11am on weekends..
Though it is a self service buffet if you want to make it as such, they also have full waiter service.
You are greeted by the entrance and actually seated by a waiter..
The waiters were again exceptionally warm and helpful, explaining that while I can choose to use the buffet, they are also happy to serve anything and everything including from the a la carte menu right to my table.
Ok so to start off, there was a good selection of fruits and fresh juices..
You will find a good amount of grains and seeds that you can enjoy on their own or make a dish with..
The freshly baked goodies were all very extensive..
It started to remind me of the Turkish Lounge that I used again on my way out of Istanbul!
There are also two hot food stations, with this circular island
Here’s a sample of some of the dishes..
You have a mix of Turkish and western breakfast options with an amazing Menemen
which went perfectly with these potatoes
If you prefer milder options, you have plain scrambled eggs too
But if that was not enough, you also have a pancake station!
The choice of toppings, syrups, dips and chocolate was also extensive so you can make your very own perfect pancake however you like it.
Now here is what you can order fresh to your table via the waiters also
Breakfast was so good, I ended up eating here 4 of the 5 mornings!
Around The Hotel
There are not many tourist attraction in the area per se, but you can always take a bus or taxi towards the Marmara sea to get a different view of Istanbul from this side and some of the islands. Within walking distance they do have some nice parks as well as several restaurants.
But itself can be used to explore a different side of Istanbul if you want to mix work and pleasure!
One place I do have to highlight here is you must check out L’Oliveto it is just around the corner and simply outstanding!
It has apparently been voted Istanbul’s best Italian restaurant!
Overall Thoughts
I enjoyed my stay here, while not super luxurious, you have a very good standard of accommodation with excellent service in general and lovely staff.
If you are here for the first time it would not be very ideal to explore Istanbul though with most tourists attractions and facilities being on the European side, given Istanbul’s traffic situation it can be a pain to get too.
My average nightly rate worked out at 194 Euros without breakfast. Considering that, I would say this is on the expensive side of things too, given the other side also has many excellent quality 5* hotels for less than this.
But if you need to be on Asian side for whatever reason then this is one of the best options alongside the Sheraton about 10 minutes away where I also stayed in a previous trip.
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