2015 Travel Awards: Historic Hotel

We crisscrossed the planet to find the best honeymoon-perfect resorts, beaches, all-inclusives and more for our first-ever Travel Awards.

Winner: Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah, Istanbul, Turkey

pera palace hotel jumeirah
Photo courtesy of Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah

History is a part of everything you see at this iconic property — but that doesn’t make the place stuffy or stilted. Built in 1835 to serve the passengers of the Orient-Express train (including famous names like Agatha Christie and Ernest Hemingway), the elegant hotel boasted the first elevator in Turkey and became revered for its refined service, afternoon tea and other signature perks. Over the years, it has served as a backdrop for political deals and high-society events and has hosted a roster of boldfaced names. Nods to those noted guests include suites dedicated to Christie and Hemingway, a spa treatment named after Greta Garbo, and there’s a small museum dedicated to Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. While today, you’ll find plenty of modern touches in the guest rooms — like flat screen TVs and heated bathroom floors — and the hotel's central location has become a popular nightlife district, we love that the minute you walk into the ornate lobby, settle into a plush corner of the cocktail bar, order a coffee in the Old World-style pastry shop or play a tune on the century-old piano, you’re transported to another time.

More Favorites: The Omni Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia; Vanderbilt Grace, Newport, Rhode Island