ISTANBUL'S ONLY GREEN HOTEL: ADAHAN HOTEL IN THE PERA
- Mar 2, 2015
- 2 min read
All photos by Adahan Hotel
The Adahan Hotel in the historic Pera district of Istanbul is truly a labor of love. Owner, Lale Platin, along with her husband, fell in love with the building while working in a nearby office. Their backgrounds are in architecture and carpentry, respectively. When they saw the historic building for sale, they decided to take on the huge task of restoring it (which took five years!) and turning it into a dream hotel that encompasses their beliefs in beautiful design, sustainable ways of living, fresh produce that highlights all that Turkey has to offer and protecting local producers; and all this while lessening its environmental impact.
These beliefs were turned into action and can been seen in all the little details throughout the hotel, it's 49 rooms and beautiful rooftop restaurant, bar and terrace. Rain water is recycled in a custom-built cistern in the basement. This water is filtered and carried to the rooms for use in the toilets. All the wood furniture in the hotel -- chairs, beds, desks, etc -- are made from recycled wood and custom-built by her husband, who is a carpenter. You need to look hard to find any plastic in the entire space. Lale said this was one of her main concerns. She searched hard for plastic alternatives, including having mattresses custom made in Ankara, using felt and cotton, and hand stitched, piece-by-piece. All the towels, curtains and cotton products are 100% natural.
In the Cachi rooftop restaurant and bar, all the pastries are made every morning, in-house. Lale truly celebrates the local producer by highlighting seasonal, local and natural ingredients from all over the country, including products from Antakya, Gaziantep, Izmir and Ayvalik. She tries to support local farmers and producers as much as possible, often buying directly from them. She even owns a tangerine plot on a local farm. The farmer takes care of her trees and delivers the fresh fruit on a routine basis.
Another way Adahan celebrates the local is by holding space for local artists, musicians and producers. Adahan has a shop on the top floor, near the restaurant, where local artists sell jewelry, art and garments. Every Tuesday night from 21:30 - 23:00, Adahan hosts a Jazz Night featuring Turkish jazz singers, musicians and ensembles. Adahan also boasts a gallery where different exhibitions have been held, including ones featuring paintings, textiles, stamps and felt.
For information on Adahan, it's events and how to book your own getaway, visit their wesbite here.
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