Hotel Review: DeCamondo Galata, Tribute Portfolio

The Protagonist

The protagonists in our Istanbul story are a father and son looking for intrigue and adventure as strangers in a foreign land. The travel weary characters in this story wanted the best hotel close to key sites, easy and cheap transportation and modest comfort and the DeCamondo Galata delivered on all three.

The DeCamondo Galata in a central location nestled between the Galata Tower (5 minute walk), Karakoy metro train (9 minute walk), Kamondo Stairs (1 minute walk) and quite a few rooftop restaurants. With easy access to the metro, the rest of the city is easily accessible without having to rely on taxis or Ubers in this very traffic congested city.

The Antagonist

All stories have an antagonist and this story is no different. The main antagonist of this hotel is street noise. The tight streets with endless traffic and occasional honking, loud music cars, street sweepers, garbage trucks and other similar noise makes sound the main villain.

If you stay here, I highly recommend you bring ear plugs for the noise and request a room on higher floors.

The image above is from my hotel room, a couple getting married below and a man banging on a large drum. There are many married couples getting photographed in this area especially around the Kamondo Stairs and the surrounding streets.

The Hero

The hero in our story was the rooftop restaurant featuring spectacular views of the Bosporus and surrounding city. For Marriott platinum or above members, breakfast is included and this restaurant knows how to shower their guest with high quality food. The standard spread includes veggies, fruits, breads, cheeses, and an array of honey, jam, butter dips.

View from the rooftop hotel. Note that breakfast if operated by Marriott hotel and dinner is operated by a private company and dinner can’t be charged to the hotel room so bring cash or card.

Anti-Hero

The anti-hero of this story are the steep, slippery, uneven cobbled streets and sidewalks that make this a disabled persons nightmare through and through. If you have any kind of mobility issues, carefully consider other options if possible. Most of Istanbul has steep hills and the infrastructure is not disabled friendly.

The image below doesn’t quite show the steep 35 degree angle of the slope of this road. If you are mobility challenged, be aware and plan accordingly. The sidewalks are often small, staired, and cars or motorcycles are parked over the sidewalk so you will need to walk on the cobblestone street to move about.

The Denouement (& Recommendation?)

Our story has a triumphant finale as the protagonists got restful sleep, fine dining and satisfied their hunger for adventure. We’d recommend and stay in this hotel again during a future visit to Istanbul.

To learn more about this hotel you can visit the hotel’s website here.