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as the one in Sultanahmet, figuring it was going to be a new construction with no real personality. I was happy to learn that this beautiful new hotel, opened in the spring of 2008, was created by joining the nineteenth-century Atik Pasha Palace with two contemporary buildings. It might not be quite as unique as the former prison in Sultanahmet, but here’s what it has that the other location doesn’t: great waterfront views—almost one-quarter of the 166 guest rooms, including twenty-five suites, open onto the Bosphorus; others face garden or city scenes. The hotel also features a heated outdoor pool, an indoor pool, and the Urban Spa and Turkish Bath; and meeting and banquet facilities with a seating capacity of up to eight hundred. The guest rooms facing the Bosphorus have fantastic floor-to-ceiling windows, and four of the Palace Suites offer rooftop terraces and expansive views. A very great and handy perk now is the private ferry service between the two hotel locations—this alone might be worth the stay as the opportunity to see Istanbul from the water is unparalleled (except perhaps on par with Venice), and taking the ferry ensures you won’t get tangled up in the sometimes horrific traffic.

İbrahim Pasha Hotel (Terzihane Sokak 5, Sultanahmet / +90 212 518 0394 / ibrahimpasha.com). Taking its name from the former palace home of İbrahim Pasha directly across the street (now the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum), this hotel is my current favorite in Istanbul. The building itself is a four-story nineteenth-century Ottoman town house set on a quiet street in Sultanahmet, steps away from the Hippodrome. There are only sixteen guest rooms, and everything about the inn exudes style, from the inviting lobby with its fireplace, library, and glass reception desk atop a beautiful (and genuine) Corinthian capital to the unique bedrooms that so wonderfully blend modern conveniences with antique décor. Though I loved my room—one of four deluxe rooms on the top floor, with a view out one window of the obelisk in the Hippodrome—my favorite feature of the hotel is the square-shaped shaft in the center of the building that allows one to peek all the way up or down, from the first floor to the fourth. With the pretty tiles surrounding the square openings (enclosed by a metal rail), the effect is kaleidoscopic and beautiful. Framed sepia-toned photographs of old Ottoman families adorn many walls, and the small rooftop terrace affords a nice view of the Blue Mosque, the Bosphorus, and the Hippodrome. Breakfast typically includes yogurt, fruit preserves, bread, dried fruit, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, cheese, tea, coffee, and fresh squeezed orange juice (for an extra fee). Staff members are friendly and incredibly helpful, and enjoy sharing the names of their favorite restaurants and sites. The İbrahim Pasha is charming and a great value, and I am counting the days until my return. I hope the owner’s lovable dog, Godot, will be waiting for me (no pun intended).

Hôtel Les Ottomans (Muallim Naci Caddesi 68, Kuruçeşme / +90 212 359 1533 / lesottomans.com). Les Ottomans is like no other hotel on earth. Its creamy, ivory exterior—which was rebuilt to match the original structure—gives no clue to what guests will encounter inside: an exotic, lavish fantasy that could be a stage set, except it isn’t. It’s like a cross between A Thousand and One Nights and the poshest, hippest club you’ve ever seen. The original eighteenth-century waterside yalı was the home of a powerful politician, Muhsinzade Mehmet Pasha, and like other Ottoman-era palaces, it was abandoned and in decline before it was demolished in 1933. The land was then used for coal storage. New owner Ahu Aysal reportedly rebuilt the former mansion for the equivalent of sixty-five million dollars. It’s more than a hotel for her—she lives upstairs, and in an interview with The New York Times, she said, “This is my baby and it is my home, not just a business. I think people feel safe here and are comfortable because the owner is always here checking that everything is okay and that things