Yoma’s Staycations: Melas Hotel Istanbul

Hi guyssssss!

My goodness it feels like it’s been a long minute, because I really did put off this post for a bit. In fact I’m only writing it right now, because of my devotional from Christine Caine today, as I have been weary for a bit now. Praise Jesus for always speaking the encouragement that I need in seasons like this.

Anywayyyyy, we’ve finally come to the last post in this series, and it’s so timely too, as it’s fashion month, and the new season is here which means it’s time to come out of hibernation for me, lol.

So Melas hotel! Lol. Melas is located in Gayrettepe too, so it’s not at all far from Raffles or Renaissance Polat, but it’s definitely a smaller hotel. I only spent one night actually sleeping in the hotel room, but I was here over the course of several days as I was working.

The rotating doors open up to a very modern lobby characterized by simple sophistication. The receptionists were very helpful, and they got us registered and gave us key cards and all of that.

To the right of the lobby there was a beautifully decorated waiting area with floor to ceiling shelfing that played host to beautiful decor pieces like vases and small ornaments, and a cool little bar in the back that you could order drinks and such from.

I also really liked the statue that was placed right by the sofa, and speaking of the sofa I’m in love with Brown leather sofas, I think they’re so rich and classic when done right, so I quite liked this sofa, especially because it kind of came in pieces like my favorite Mario Bellini sofa, so you could place them any which way you like in your space. I think that gives something that’s created commercially a kind of unique touch to it.

There was also a long hallway that led all the way down that I didn’t get the chance the explore, but at the beginning of the hallway there was a nook that led to the elevators which we took all the way up to our room on the 8th floor.

The elevator opened up to a waiting area completely covered in what looked like birch wood? (Correct me if I’m wrong guys) But I really liked how it was decorated. It had this really interesting sofa, and a stool, and this object that sat in a small nook that seemed created specifically for it. I thought it was a really beautiful piece.

The hallways had small mirrors that would be perfect for mirror photos if the lighting was great, and it had bronze lettering for directions and room numbers which I find cool.

Our room itself was a pretty standard sized room with an ensuite bathroom fully kitted with a hair dryer, a phone, and all the sanitary kits one would expect from any decent hotel.

It wasn’t a fancy bathroom by any means, but it was definitely very decent, and it worked for all the purposes intended which is good enough sometimes.

The room had this mini cart like fridge thing that I really liked. It’s exciting to me even now as I write, I just think it’s such a simple and beautiful design. Right beside it was a huge floor to ceiling mirror that I think is just perfect for any number of activities really, and another mirror that was cute, and a small desk with a chair that you could work from.

It also had this simple small sofa with a stool where you could lounge and relax and maybe even watch the city traffic and lights from. I had the room to myself for a bit while it snowed, so I had the window open just a teeny bit, and I kid you not the wind howling furiously, the cold outside seeping through the tiny hole from the window, me in a robe after a nice shower, just by myself, chilling and watching the snow fall with sounds and lights from the city traffic even now is my idea of an amazing and fantastic time, so you know I had a swell time.

I loved that our room had a huge floor to almost ceiling window that showed the road, but I kind of wished the view wasn’t blocked by all the buildings on the other side. It still made for a pretty picture tho, so it’s cool.

The bed was a standard sized bed, and it was really quite comfortable too. A very simple design with simple wooden bedside stools adorning it on both sides. My favorite thing about it was that it had a mirror right in front of it, and another glass panel beside it too.

I can’t speak much to the service or the food at Melas, because I truly didn’t have the time to try any of it, but the lobby staff were very helpful, so I hope that followed through with the entire hotel staff too.

Overall I think Melas is a great place to stay if you’re on a bit of a budget, but not so much, as their rooms start at about €130 on their website. It’s also central because it’s very close to Sisli, and you can comfortably take a cab to all the tourist locations in town like Sultanahmet, etc, and it’s also central enough to conduct business in town as well.

Would you stay here? Leave me a comment as I’d like to know.

Until our next post or series, whichever comes first…

Love, Yoma!