Mövenpick Hotel Istanbul Asia Airport

For a 24-hour stop between flights, this was a beautiful hotel with a clean room, plenty of lifts, and a spot in the middle of a new shopping hub full of restaurants and fast food. It worked really well for a short stay. The airport is only a €7 taxi ride away, though there’s no shuttle. The pool required a swimming cap, and the hotel couldn’t provide one. I also missed having somewhere quiet to sit with a beer, perhaps a terrace or roof garden. Massages are available, but seriously expensive.

This seems like a great choice for a long flight transit, about 10 minutes from the airport. We took the UM73 bus when we arrived and an Uber back to the airport, which cost around $5-6. There are lots of cafes, restaurants, and dental clinics nearby, plus Viaport outlet mall is an Uber ride away. The wellness centre has a gym, sauna, steam room, hammam, pool, and jacuzzi. I booked two nights through Super website, the cheapest option I found at around €70-80 per night at the end of Apr, although I checked in at 9pm and left at 8pm the next day. It’d be nice if they offered stays by the hour.

The rooms were roomy and very clean, the beds comfortable, and the staff kind. Breakfast was amazing, with loads of options. It’s close to SAW, and a taxi can easily take you to the train into the city centre. Absolutely great hotel.

The underground gym and spa were the real highlight for me, wow. The hotel looked beautiful too, but staff didn’t really encourage us to go check out the facilities. As for the room, we’d asked for a queen bed and were assigned two beds instead. My boyfriend asked if they were at least queens, and the staff hesitated before saying they were small queens. Once we got there, they were doubles. We changed rooms easily the next day, and the replacement was bigger and more glamorous. It made me wonder if there’d been a scheduling mix-up and they were hoping we’d wait a day. The other issue was the heat. There was no air conditioning, so our room stayed hot, and opening the patio door was the only way to cool it down. Our room faced the main intersection, though, and the city noise made it harder to sleep. Reception couldn’t help when we called about the AC and said they’d turn the system off so it wouldn’t heat the room. The location was great for walking to several restaurants and shops, and the staff were friendly and professional despite those annoyances. Room service late at night was the fastest I’ve ever had, which I really appreciated while adjusting to the 11-hour time difference and getting jetlag snack attacks.