If transiting through Istanbul Ataturk airport, and you’re stuck there for more than a couple of hours, you might want to splash-out on this hotel. Nice rooms, comfortable bed, complimentary water plus lots of snack bits to buy by the bedside and in the well-stacked mini-bar. But, as you’re ‘airside’ there are other food and drink options (including duty free) in the same 'departures' area. Or there’s a selection of room service food if you don’t want to venture ‘out’. The hotel itself proved to be a haven of tranquility during my overnight transit visit – especially as I arrived at a holiday time when the late night hustle and bustle was probably as bad as it gets! You access the hotel by leaving the arrivals hall at the ‘international transit’ area – not 'passport' – through the transit security and upstairs to the international departures lounge, where the hotel reception is located at one end (follow signs) It’s not cheap – having different charging rates for up-to 3 hours; 3 to 6 hours; 6 to 9 hours and so on – but as I arrived at 2300 and my outgoing flight boarding time was 0750 I needed somewhere good to put my head down. And now I’m at my final destination I’m glad I did. Got up, showered and dressed, and got myself a croissant and caffe latte at one of the small Kofe bars. To book go to www.tavairporthotel.com and select ‘airside’. Note that I’m not on commission and that, if you’ve got more time between transfers, you might want to go ‘landside’ and/or use a different hotel. The alternative hotel option (i.e. other than spreading across a few seats to sleep in the noise) – if arriving earlier and/or having a later flight out in the morning – is to go through passport control and then, in the morning, the full security and passport etc control again. I didn’t have time for that! So – when you find the TAV Airport Hotel – don’t go booking ‘landside’ rooms if you don’t want the hasle of security and passport all over again in the morning. Not to mention the possibility of needing a visa to go landside, depending on your nationality (which some of us can purchase at the airport – another queue to join before passport control). See separate review for Istanbul Ataturk Airport.
