Princes’ Palace Resort: 30 Minutes From Istanbul, a World of Its Own

We took the ferry from Bostancı, the fast route, about half an hour. It was full, but with nice energy—a man calling out to sell tea, lemonade, and simit, a Turkish flag snapping around on the top deck. My favorite way to travel here by ferry, watching the city shrink behind you. There's a clock tower just up the hill from the pier, basically the center of town, with cafés and ice cream shops circled around it.

Kreb's Grill & Beach Bar

A golf cart was waiting for us, which, of course, is the only way you're getting around this island—no cars, ever. The cart ride to the hotel was only a few minutes. By the time we got there, the ferry noise had already disappeared, and it stayed that way. We grabbed coffee on the restaurant terrace, the Marmara right there, just the two of us, really. There was one other table, what looked like regulars, laughing about something, having a good time, but it still felt like it was just us out there. My husband and I live here, and I can say it's truly difficult to find that kind of quiet in Istanbul.

Private meeting room

The grounds are expansive—palm trees and pine everywhere, gardens on top of gardens, something over 600 plant varieties our guide said are native only to this spot, which is a strange thing to hear about in a city this size. Purple flowers line the walk to the gate. Two Samoyeds, big and white and unbothered, come over to greet the guests like they've been expecting you. Getting around the property itself is part golf cart, part walking, part this glass elevator down by the water that drops you toward the restaurants, sea right underneath, glass on every side. There's also a tennis court overlooking the sea, not a bad way to play a match.

Glass elevator

We toured a few of the suites—Sea Suite, Sea Suite Grand, Sea Suite Panorama, where the windows wrap around the bed in a U shape, floor to ceiling, water on three sides. No photo does it justice. There's a private lagoon just for guests down at the shore, daybeds, water calm enough to pass for a pool. Then a real pool, a small gym, a spa with a hammam, separate men's and women's sections outside certain treatments. The pool restaurant has this European feel—umbrellas everywhere, a bar that's clearly meant for lingering. The ballroom is glass-fronted with these old-style street lamps that would be great for a cocktail hour before entering the ballroom. And there are books everywhere, in many languages, meant to be read, not staged.

Panoramic Sea View Suite; Photo: Kenan Kasap

The Akdağ Grand Mansion is the part of the property you can book out entirely, with six suites, a private pool, a full staff, and a history that belongs only to this house. It went up between 1885 and 1890, first owned by an Ottoman diplomat named Manuk Azaryan Efendi. It passed to Zeki Paşa, a senior Ottoman military official, in 1908, then to the Seferoğlu family in 1924, which is actually why a lot of locals still call it Seferoğlu Köşkü. By the '70s, it was the clubhouse for the island's tennis club. In 1999, a film crew shot there that spring, and that August, eight days after the big earthquake that year, it burned. It sat empty for 25 years before the Akdağ family took it on and rebuilt it.

Private pool

Mr. Aslanov knew the history inside and out, and walked us through room by room—a cigar lounge, a billiard salon, this dining table that actually folds into a second billiard table, a little sword he said was made out of old Japanese coins. There's also a private perfume-making room; you'd need to book well ahead for a workshop, our guide said, since they fly the perfumer in from Milan. He told us that historically, scent here wasn't just something you wore; incense was burned to fill a room for guests, on top of people wearing scented oils, too. In one of the salons, he pointed at a chair and told us it belonged to a Scottish king. I got so caught up in that I forgot to even ask which one. Apparently the art on the walls rotates too, on loan from exhibits, so it's not even the same house if you go back.

A date or a longer wellness stay, a staycation when you don't have time to leave the city, a full trip abroad when you do—this is the kind of place that works for all of it. It's built for bigger occasions, too: weddings, milestone birthdays, corporate retreats.

Ferries leave from several points: Kadıköy and Bostancı on the Asian side, Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş, and Beşiktaş on the European side. Bostancı is fastest, around 30 minutes. Kadıköy is more like an hour to an hour and fifteen. Go early in summer, as it's a public ferry and it fills up fast.

If you're actually staying at Princes' Palace Resort, ask about their boat from Dragos Pier—10 minutes, straight to the hotel dock, complimentary. We came in on the public ferry since this was just a site visit, and it was still a nice way to arrive, just a fuller one. Transfers from other ports can be arranged through the concierge too; that's a separate thing from the free Dragos route. They also rent bikes if you'd rather explore that way.

The island's been car-free since the 1930s, and the old horse carriages got phased out in 2020, so electric golf carts are how everyone gets around now. The clock tower up the hill from the pier is basically the town center, with cafés and little shops radiating out from it. Give yourself actual time to walk around before or after checking in, as it's a real town, not just scenery for the resort.

The resort itself is big enough that you won't see all of it in one go. We didn't get to the rooftop bar; it's normally open most days from 5 p.m. with a reservation, whether or not you're staying at the hotel, and it can also be rented out privately for events. It's also set up for weddings, big birthdays, corporate retreats, or any group that wants to slow down together instead of rushing through an agenda.

A few practical tips: You can check out a bike from reception, and it's worth booking the hammam in advance since slots fill up. You don't need to be staying at the hotel to eat or drink here either; the restaurants and bars take outside reservations, too. Kreb's Grill & Beach Bar, right by the pool, is a good spot to spend an afternoon with a cold drink, and there are books around the property too, in several languages, worth borrowing for a lazy afternoon.

September's my pick—the sea's still warm, crowds thin out, and the rain that picks up through fall, winter, and spring hasn't really started yet. But every season in Istanbul and on the islands has its own charm.

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