Staying at the first luxury hotel of Istanbul Pera Palace that opened its doors over 125 years ago was an incredible experience not just for a taste of opulence but the sense of history it is steeped in.
History
After all, it’s been home to so many famous people including Queen Elizabeth II, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, authors Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemingway and Alfred Hitchcock. One of the rooms, which used to be frequented by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of the modern Turkish Republic, has even been converted into a museum.
The elevator still functions
This was the first hotel to have electricity in the Ottoman period and an electric wooden lift that was Europe’s second oldest elevator still functions. It came up to provide a lavish stay option in Istanbul to passengers of the luxury train Orient Express and its old world charm still entices.
The story of Agatha Christie
It is believed that Agatha Christie penned down a few pages of her famous book “Murder On The Orient Express” in Pera Palace, which used to host passengers of the famous train. In fact, room 411 is now known as the Agatha Christie Room.
A touch of history
The story goes that she went missing for 11 days in 1926 from her home in Berkshire in England and was found in a hotel, which many years later was linked to Pera Palace. And thereby hangs a tale. In 1979 director Michael Apted who was making a film on her life “Agatha” asked the famous psychic and clairvoyant Tamara Rand to conduct a séance and get in touch with her spirit. Tamara got the message, “The key to my disappearance lies at Pera Palace”.
After a massive search a key was actually discovered from the floor of that room. It is believed that this was the key to her secret diary. The hotel wanted to sell it for $2 million to Warner Brothers, who were making the movie, but they refused to pay the hefty amount. Even today the key lies in a bank vault and the mystery still lingers.
Afternoon Tea
The grand tea lounge
The afternoon tea experience at Pera Palace is as much about the elaborate spread of scones, pastries, sandwiches and cheese as it is about the venue: the Kubbeli Lounge whose grandeur literally takes your breath away. A majestic high ceiling with domes that remind one of a bygone era, an elegant chandelier, sofas with dark pink upholstery and old world thick drapes.
The 94-year old pianist Ilham Gencer
As I relished the Turkish coffee, the 94-year old pianist Ilham Gencer, stole my heart. He plays like a dream and sweetly asks, “what would you like to hear, I can play any song you want.” Believe it or not, he even played a couple of lines of the song Awara Hoon from watching Raj Kapoor’s Awara. He cajoles you to sing along and that is so heart warming. That is why I feel that Pera Palace is not just your regular luxury hotel – it has seen so much history and takes care to preserve it and plug you into it. Wait for my post on Agatha Christie and her fascinating story related to this iconic hotel.
