The Ajwa Hotel, Sultanahmet is seeping in luxury and comfort. Our time at this hotel was incredible, and I cannot recommend it enough for those of you looking for something more luxurious during your travels to Istanbul.
This was truly the most Muslim-friendly, generous hotel I’ve ever stayed at.
Location
The hotel is located an approximately 15 minute walk from the main attractions of Sultanahmet and less than 10 minutes from the Grand Bazar. We found this part of town to be fun to explore because it was slightly further away from the tourist attractions. This meant there was much more delicious food nearby, and we were given access to daily life in the city.
Arrival and Service
Arriving at the Ajwa Hotel was unlike anything else I have experienced before. The foyer is incredibly beautiful and no photos can really do it justice. It really took my breath away because of the beauty of the features and the way it glistened. There was also a gorgeous aroma that was softly filling the air.
Ajwa Hotel Foyer
We were welcomed with a cup of tea and snacks on beautiful little plates. We were also given dates from Saudi Arabia.
We were then pleasantly surprised with cups of holy Zam Zam water from Mecca, served out of the most beautiful vessel. This was an incredibly beautiful and touching surprise for us.
The service we received was phenomenal and professional. Although we weren’t given a rundown of what we could see and do in town like we were at the World Heritage, I’m sure we would have been given any help we needed. Our things were quickly taken to our room while we settled into the hotel.
On the night of our anniversary, we were sent a beautiful little cake with a lovely note. Again, I was incredibly touched by this gesture (and the cake itself was absolutely delicious!)
The room
Much like my entrance to the hotel, when I entered our room I was absolutely blown away by its beauty. Everything about the room screamed comfort and demonstrated excellent attention to detail.
Room entrance
The bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in and we had access to a menu of incredibly comfortable pillows to choose from.
In the bedside tables, we found our gifts of prayer mats in a handy little carry bag. Again, this was an unexpected and touching gesture from the hotel. Over a year later, we still use these prayer mats over a year later because they’re so travel friendly!
Prayer mat
The room was also stocked up with complimentary delicious drinks, snacks, and fruit. Amazingly, these were regularly restocked so you just couldn’t run out. And no, the hotel does not serve or provide alcohol on the premises.
The most impressive feature of the room? This incredible bathroom. I have yet to see anything so beautiful. It was huge and luxurious, with gold trimmings, hand-painted tiles, and marble everything. We were given a stack of different towels each individually folded and packed away.
It was so hard not to be impressed. We were provided with delicious smelling Molton Brown toiletries and a floral soak to take a bath (which I absolutely made use of!). This well-laid out feature just added to our admiration of the space.
We started to get a cold at this point of our trip and the endless walking each day started to make us even more tired. The magic of this room made our recovery so much more pleasant.
Breakfast – Zeferan Restaurant
Okay. I don’t even know how to start this part because the service we received at breakfast still warms my soul. The dining room of the hotel is on the top floor and has panoramic views of the water and old city.
We would make our way to breakfast and, immediately after sitting down, we would be greeted with a banquet of breakfast options – like a breakfast entree. We would be given a bunch of spreads, cheeses, honeys, olives, breads, salad, tea and coffee, and orange juice – all before we even asked for anything.
We would then be asked what we wanted to have for breakfast! I would order eggs while my husband would order eggs with Turkish sausage, Sujuk.
Everything was incredibly delicious and the service was top notch – not intrusive, but perfectly attentive.
Spa
This was not a feature that I made use of, but the hotel has a gorgeous spa which includes a traditional Turkish Hammam. Access to the facility was split between men and women at different times of the day but could be reserved for private use by couples or families in the evenings.
In summary, staying at the Ajwa Hotel was truly a delightful experience and I highly recommend it to everyone, particularly those looking for a Muslim-friendly experience.
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