Stay: October 2023

Paid: 20,000 points per night (Award Category 5)

Status: Discoverist, but booked by Globalist I was traveling with

Rooms: King deluxe room (upgraded from standard king room)

Would I stay again: I plan to come back as soon as I can! This hotel was outstanding. Loved it.

Would I recommend to friends: Yes, absolutely.

The Park Hyatt Maçka Palas hotel hit all the points you’d expect from a Park Hyatt, the top brand in Hyatt’s portfolio: luxurious atmosphere, beautiful rooms, great food, top-notch amenities, and incredible service. It was my first time staying at any Park Hyatt, so I can’t compare to other properties, but I really can’t think of anything that could be improved upon. I can’t imagine anyone being unhappy with their stay here. My friend (who is a Hyatt connoisseur and has stayed at lots of Park Hyatts) remarked that if this hotel were in New York or London, it’d be a Category 8 award night, not a Category 5, and I completely agree with that. It’s a treat.

Check-in/service: The staff was incredibly helpful and accommodating. Check-in was easy and we felt very welcomed and valued as guests. I have no doubt that anything we asked for assistance with would have been accommodated with a smile and excellent service; every single person we interacted with was friendly and helpful.

When we got to our room, there were welcome gifts of dried fruit, nuts, Turkish Delight, and bottles of water, along with a note addressed to “Mr. Siegel.” (I’m Ms. Siegel and Mr. Siegel was not on the trip with us, so I found this pretty funny.)

There were even full place settings provided along with the snacks, which was a thoughtful and appreciated touch.

We did have a minor glitch with our room: the bedsheets had some stains on them. But the front desk had them replaced almost immediately and also brought up a plate of fresh baklava to our room as an apology for the inconvenience, which was nice. You could tell they were mildly horrified about the issue and that it was not how they wanted us to experience their hotel. The problem was addressed swiftly and generously, which is the best way to address any problem, right? So we were totally pleased with that outcome.

Room: We were upgraded to a king deluxe room because of the Globalist status that came with our Guest of Honor booking. This room was HUGE and had a great view of the city, including an iconic bridge across the Bosphorous. The décor was a good blend of classic and modern and fit in well with the historic detailing in the room. Our room had an armchair, a desk and chair, a stand-alone cabinet with a minifridge, and a big closet with its own lighting inside. And each guest room has its own doorbell in the hallway.

The bathrooms were huge and included a special secondary sink just for filtered water (we used this water to brush our teeth, just to be safe), a steam shower (i.e., the regular shower had a steam-room option to it), a huge soaking tub complete with programmable colored lights, and a tv built into the wall.

Hotel amenities: The hotel had its own coffee shop (and we got free vouchers for coffees when we checked in, which was really nice), a well-equipped gym, an outdoor pool, a spa (including a traditional Turkish hamam), a bar in the lobby, and restaurants. You could stay on the property and have a heck of a great day if you wanted to!

Food/drink: We had breakfast at the hotel every morning and it was excellent. The Globalist benefit meant we could order an entree from the à la carte menu and also choose food from the buffet, and everything was comped—even our specialty coffee drinks were included. And the food was amazing. There were tons of options, ranging from made-to-order omelets, pastries, simit and other Turkish breads, fruit, cold cuts, yogurts, fresh honey, cheeses, doughnuts, potatoes, vegetables, an olive bar, and more.

The last morning of our stay, the hotel had someone making fresh gözleme, which we got really excited about. We had just tried gözleme the day before when we were out and about in the city. They’re basically a Turkish version of a quesadilla, and you can choose what gets put into them—cheese, potatoes, vegetables, meat. Everyone in my traveling party loved these and were excited to see them offered at breakfast. Delicious! (I think the ones in this photo below were spinach and cheese.)

Parking/location/transportation: The Park Hyatt is in the Nişantaşı district of Istanbul, which is an upscale part of the city. There were high-end designer-label stores all around (e.g., Chanel, Louis Vuitton) and it felt posh.

The main tourist area in Istanbul—where you’d find the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque), the Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya), the Basilica Cistern, and Topkapı Palace—is in the area on the peninsula where the “Istanbul” label is, above. So the Park Hyatt is definitely not in the main tourist area.

Is that actually a drawback, though? I don’t think it is. Or at least not one I’d worry about. The concierge at the Park Hyatt was always happy to arrange taxi pickups for us during our whole stay, and taxis are very affordable in Istanbul, so being in this location didn’t hamper our ability to get around and do things at all. We also could have taken a gondola (!!) across the park near the hotel down toward Taksim Square. Istanbul also has a great tram system, and although I’d taken the tram there on a previous trip, this time we just walked and took taxis and it worked out well, too.

If you wanted to be closer to walking distance to Taksim Square, there’s also a Grand Hyatt to consider. But if you’re looking for a Hyatt in the main tourist area, there are none, so you might as well stay at the Park Hyatt, as far as I’m concerned!

My take: The Park Hyatt Maçka Palas was a gem and I felt so pampered there. The hotel’s service was outstanding, the food was excellent, the rooms were gorgeous and comfortable, and I cannot wait to go back, especially for only 20,000 World of Hyatt points per night! It feels like a steal.

How you can stay here on points: Any of the Chase credit cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points (or cash-back points paired with another card that earn Ultimate Rewards points) can get you the points you’d need to transfer to the World of Hyatt program and book this hotel. The World of Hyatt personal and business Visas also earn Hyatt points. There are so many great cards that could get you four or five nights at this luxurious property for free! It’s just a matter of which card works best for you.