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Look Out London, W Istanbul Has Given Itself a Cougar Makeover

Where: Suleyman Seba Cad No. 22, Akaretler, Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, 34357

Minyon. "Titillating".

While we’ve been getting all breathless over the dishy W London, turns out the cougar matriarch of the European Ws, the W Istanbul has been quietly going under the knife. And now, just in time to steal London’s sassy new kid thunder, it’s peeling back the bandages to reveal its new look.

The hotel has opened two new restaurants, Frederic’s and Minyon. Frederic’s is an upscale Italian joint overlooking the Bosphorus with a 350-strong wine cellar, hearty ingredients (truffles, saffron, oysters), a revolving gallery of art that changes monthly and a cigar menu.

But the one we’re really excited about is Minyon, which is serving up international cuisine on small plates, to a backdrop art from young local artists, DJs, and a regular Wednesday night bash called Indie-Pendent Ladies (we likey). We can’t make the English tab on the website work, and sadly we don’t speak Turkish, but the pictures need no translation – stuffed avocado, salads, and a yum-looking crème brulee that we probably wouldn’t share. Also, any restaurant that describes itself as "titillating" gets a thumbs up from us.

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NYT Reviews / W Hotels / Istanbul Hotels / → All Tags

NYT Pops Into W Istanbul for Some Turkish Delight

Where: SULEYMAN SEBA CAD 27, Istanbul, Turkey, 34357

Until the W Barcelona officially pops its cork this fall, the W Istanbul remains Europe’s only W Hotel. The NYT’s Fred Bernstein checked the place out recently, so we thought we’d compare his observations to those of HotelChatter’s Shira Levine, who just last month filed her own review of the “crazy sexy cool” spot. Overall, the two agreed on much.

Highlights: “There is no perfect spot in Istanbul — the city is too vast and complicated — but the W’s comes close,” Bernstein says. (Er, Levine put it differently: “W Istanbul is located on an attractive but weird corner where there is a complicated traffic pattern.”)

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Turkey Hotel Guide / Istanbul Hotels / W Hotels / Hotel Video Tours / → All Tags

Turkish Delight: The W Istanbul Brings The Crazy Sexy Cool

Where: Suleyman Seba Cad No: 22, Akaretler, Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey, 34357

Last week Shira Levine spent a few days getting her Turkish Delight on in Istanbul, Turkiye ("Turkey is a bird; Turkiye is the country") and checking out the transcontinental Eurasian city's hotel scene. Any questions about where to stay in Turkiye? Send 'em to us and we'll have Shira answer them for you.

With Istanbul the first European country to bag a W Hotel, we knew there wasn't a chance in Turkish prison hell that Starwood would mince on the fabulosity for W Istanbul. Especially when the location is in the renovated Akaretler Row Houses of the exclusive Besiktas district. Back in the 1870s those row houses served as the housing for Sultan Abdülaziz's staff of the nearby Dolmabahçe Palace).

So at just over a year old things are looking pretty trendy as expected. 50 Cent recently stayed in the Exteme WOW Suite. In June NIN will arrive and they have apparently booked a few of the MEGA suites.

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W Hotels / Istanbul Hotels / → All Tags

The New W Hotel in Istanbul is Keeping Everyone Happy So Far

Where: Suleyman Seba Cad 27, Istanbul, Turkey, 34357

We were quite excited when we learned the W Hotel Istanbul was ready to open earlier this month and it sounds like we're not the only ones. UrbanDaddy just had a visit there and reported back in pretty glowing tones:

If you go with the Extreme Wow Suite (which we know you will, because you're extreme like that), you'll relax from within the bubbling-hot-water confines of a Jacuzzi on your private terrace, admiring the sun dipping under the Bosphorus Strait.

We agree that this sounds like a nice way to enjoy the chaos of Istanbul. The only hiccup seems to be that add-ons like internet access or the kind of necessary process of eating breakfast are all too expensive for most people's tastes, after paying at least $500 for a room. (Yes, people want free WiFi, especially after they pay a high price for a room. Anybody listening?)

Otherwise, all glowing reports so far about the W Istanbul--and apparently its presence has made the whole neighborhood turn funky. We're looking forward to trying out that Jacuzzi some time.

W Hotels / Hotel Openings / Istanbul Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

The W Hotel To Open in Istanbul on May 6

Where: SULEYMAN SEBA CAD 27, Istanbul, Turkey, 34357

The W Istanbul is going to open soon! From USA Today:

The Istanbul hotel will open May 6 with 134 guest rooms, including 26 suites, a spa and chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market restaurant.

The hotel is located in a historic building at the end of the Akaretler Row Houses in the Besiktas district, which date to the 1870s but have been newly redeveloped. The site is near the Bosphorus Strait and the trendy Nisantasi neighborhood.

The guest rooms will all have high ceilings and full-length windows along with 32-inch TVs, iPod docking stations and as the website promises, ottomans.

There's also a W-branded gym, Sweat. Interestingly, there's no Bliss spa but the hotel does have treatment rooms where estheticians use Estee Lauder products. However, Bliss products will be found in the room. You know, because god forbid you go to a different country and have to try something new.