Review : DeCamondo Galata Istanbul, a Tribute Portfolio hotel | Marriott Bonvoy

Located on the north bank of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, the DeCamondo Galata Hotel is a rare gem for travellers looking for a luxurious, chic stay. With its spectacular views and elegant decor, this Tribute Portfolio hotel is the ideal place for an unforgettable week end. Read our review of this luxury hotel and find out what you need to know before you book!

The DeCamondo Galata Hotel in Istanbul is a charmingly atypical hotel set within two ancient 19th-century buildings: the DeCamondo Galata House Building on Felek Street and the DeCamondo Galata Bank Building on Bankalar Caddesi. We take a look at the beautiful façade of the accommodation. Inside, the walls feature old photos of the Camondo family, who lived in the building in its early days. There’s a small outside terrace where you can relax and enjoy a coffee. The facilities and decor are modern and full of character. You’ll feel right at home throughout your stay.

We stayed at this hotel during our stopover in Istanbul and enjoyed a few days with our family. Booking for a basic room, known as Superior, in the bank building, with one king or two single beds, for next spring, is available from CAD 200 per night or from 23,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. The cash rate is more advantageous if you consider the value of your points, estimated at 0.9 cents per point or $243.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for free stays at over 8,000 hotels worldwide is to have the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card (and/or the Marriott Bonvoy^® Business American Express^®* Card).

In addition to the exceptional welcome bonus of each of these two cards, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on all your purchases and 5 points per dollar at any of the Marriott establishments. On top of that, every year, you’ll receive a free hotel night certificate (worth 35,000 points) and 15 Elite Night Credits toward your Marriott Bonvoy status.

The DeCamondo Galata, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, is 40 km from Istanbul airport and 46 km from Sabiha Gökçen airport. You can hire a chauffeur through your hotel, take a cab or rent a car.

Regarding rentals, the hotel offers free parking for four cars at the bank building, 8 Bankalar Cad. but not bookable. Availability is not guaranteed, and there is no valet service. From my point of view, access by car as a tourist is not easy. So it’s best to opt for a cab if you have large suitcases or problems getting around.

Its location is ideal for exploring the city on foot and discovering all that Istanbul offers. Just a few minutes’ walk away you’ll find :

• the Galata Tower, a former Genoese tower used to control maritime traffic, from which you can enjoy a superb view of the whole city and the Bosphorus;
• Galata Bridge, a bascule bridge over the Golden Horn, where fishermen meet every day in all weathers, and pedestrians walk to the spice bazaar or one of the mosques, such as the Nuruosmaniye Mosque, the Basilica Cistern or Topkapi Palace,
• the lively surrounding streets, colourful boutiques and Camondo stairs;
• the Istiklal pedestrian street in the Beyoglu district, where you can enjoy ice cream, local specialties, restaurants, shopping and art galleries.

The cab dropped us off at the hotel entrance. Accessibility by car is not easy due to the narrow, sloping streets, potholes and damaged cobblestones. You’ll quickly come to a dead end if you don’t know your way around.

Please note that the day of our departure was a public holiday: we had to go to the entrance of the other building of the DeCamondo Galata to order a cab. A member of staff took care of getting our suitcases there.

Here’s a glimpse of the entrance:

The rooms are divided between the bank and the house building. An elevator provides access to the upper floors. Here are the different types of rooms available:

• Superior room with double bed
• Superior room with king-size bed
• Family room with two king-size beds
• Family room with king-size bed and twin beds
• Deluxe room with king-size bed
• Premium room with king-size bed
• Suite with king-size bed and sofa bed

We were upgraded to the House Building King suite during our stay. At the entrance is the lounge. A large fabric corner sofa and coffee table fill the room.

The suite’s bathroom faces the front door.

The king-size bed is in the next room. The decor features character elements such as brick ceilings, arched mirrors, black lines, velvet furniture, and fabrics.

The room is well equipped: ironing board, bathrobes, slippers, mini-bar, fridge, Nespresso coffee machine, air conditioning.

Finally, a lovely welcome gift awaited us on the coffee table.

One word: magnificent. For breakfast, you can choose between the rooftop terrace of the Moise Karakoy, which also serves as a grill for lunch and dinner, or the Nissim restaurant, which serves Mediterranean cuisine for lunch and dinner.

Having breakfast on a terrace with a view like this is quite something.

But food adds to the view! It was the perfect way to start the day. The food is simple but delicious. There’s a light buffet for cereals and fruit; everything else is à la carte. We order what we want. Everything is delicious. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back.

Here is a glimpse of the Moise Karakoy rooftop restaurant:

Finally, the hotel boasts an authentic restaurant with red brick walls, the Vigneron Wine House. Friday and Saturday evenings feature saxophone performances.

The DeCamondo Galata, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, was a wonderful surprise. The staff went out of their way to accommodate us on our early arrival and throughout our stay. We appreciated the attentive service, the Turkish food and the rich, comforting decor.