WORDS LIKE GRAND, palatial, and timeless fall short of describing the true splendour of Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul. The only Ottomanera palace-hotel set on the Bosphorus Strait, it is emblematic of the city of Istanbul. The original Çırağan Palace underwent complete restoration and opened as a hotel—with an additional modern building—in 1991, under the management of Kempinski Hotels, one of Europe’s oldest luxury hotel groups.
Years before it opened translates to ‘full of light’ in Persian; it became synonymous with the palace during the Tulip Period, when torches decorated the gardens at night during the Çırağan Festivals. Today, the legendary hotel has a variety of rooms in the new building and 11 private suites in the historic Çırağan Palace, offering breathtaking views of the Bosphorus, Yıldız Park, or the historical peninsula. The Sultan Suite steals the show. Occupying almost 400 square metres on the second floor of the old wing, it is one of the largest and most expensive hotel suites in the world. It comes with colossal doors, floor-to-ceiling windows, two decorative fireplaces, regal chandeliers, columns, replicas of paintings by the famous palace artist Fausto Zonaro, and imperialstyle furniture with Ottoman motifs and accessories dating back to the 19th century. This opulence makes it popular among the A-listers of the world.
