Stayed 3 nights at the new Rixos after my usual business hotel was oversold in mid-October. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. In terms of ambience, the general impression was more of a high-end Las Vegas-style hotel--which may, or may not appeal to some. Rixos is on a very busy street across from the Turkish Parliament, and I imagine there is a lot of business there related to the government building's proximity. The lobby is very large and expansive, and its design does very little to suggest you are in Turkey--it could be anywhere. A large, floor to high ceiling water sculpture dominates one side of the lobby, and there is extensive use of hanging silver beads to separate spaces. It will be interesting to see if this design "ages well" over the years.

My room was arranged in way I had never seen before: nice king bed, but a curved, glass wall separates the bathroom with an enormous modern shaped tub from the rest of the room. Neon blue light circling... more