Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [200]
A few other hotels that have been highly recommended to me and are worthy of your consideration are:
Bebek Hotel (Cevdetpaşa Caddesi 34, Bebek / +90 212 358 2000 / bebekhotel.com.tr). An especially excellent choice if you prefer to stay on the water and outside of Istanbul proper, as many believe the Bay of Bebek is the prettiest harbor of the Bosphorus. I visited here and loved the smart, dark wood interior and the outside patio. I wished, wished, wished I’d made a reservation! (With only forty-two rooms one really needs to book in advance.) Nine rooms have sea views and private balconies, twelve overlook the main street of Bebek, and the twenty-one deluxe junior suites are spread across four guest floors. The hotel was founded in the 1950s; by the 1980s, its Les Ambassadeurs restaurant was quite renowned, and the Bebek Bar was included in the Best 50 Bars of the World in 1985. A great waterside restaurant, Bebek Balikçi (Cevdetpaşa Caddesi 26A / bebekbalikci.net), is steps away, as well as some terrific shops and beautiful private residences.
Hotel Empress Zoe (Akbıyık Caddesi 4/1, at Adliye Sokak, Sultanahmet / +90 212 518 2504 / emzoe.com). Named after the wife of Emperor Constantine IX, Hotel Empress Zoe receives raves even from travelers who can well afford to spend much more on a hotel room, no doubt because of its intimacy, fine attention to detail, and tasteful décor. The hotel’s most unique feature is that it overlooks a fifteenth-century hamam, but some might say its stone courtyard (where breakfast is served in warm weather) steals the show. The lobby makes you feel like you’re in a museum, with antiquities of all sorts, and guest rooms feature Ottoman and Asian textiles, dark wood, and antique Turkish canopies above some of the beds. Rates are from approximately from 75 to 240 euros.
Hotel Hippodrome (Mimar Mehmet Ağa Caddesi 38, Sultanahmet / +90 212 517 6889 / hippodromehotel.com). My husband and I stayed here on our first visit to Istanbul, in 1990, and I’m happy that it’s not only still around but that I can recommend it just as much today as I would have then. It was formerly an Ottoman house and is now a modest inn, with a rooftop terrace and views of the Sea of Marmara and the Blue Mosque. And the location is excellent.
Misafir Suites (Gazeteci Erol Dernek Sokak 1, Beyoğlu / +90 212 249 8930 / misafirsuites.com). I haven’t yet seen the Misafir but so many people have mentioned it that I feel I already know it. “Best small hotel in the world” was how one friend described it, and the service, guest rooms, and value are all reportedly unmatched. Misafir, which has only six suites, is owned by Joost Roojmans, who lives at the hotel. Suites are quite spacious, decorated in a modern Scandinavian style, and breakfast is included in the very reasonable price.
Mublis Bey Otel (Cankurtaran Mahallesi, Tevkifhane Sokak 12, Sultanahmet / +90 212 518 0030 / hotelmuhlis bey.com). Previously known as the Hotel Alibaba, the hotel was renovated and renamed in 2007 and now has nine rooms, three of them suites. Mublis Bey is owned by the same family that owns one of my favorite Grand Bazaar shops, Muhlis Günbatti (see Grand Bazaar, page 526). Guest rooms here feature pretty rugs on hardwood floors and are tastefully decorated and appointed with all mod cons. The hotel is across the street from the Four Seasons, and its outdoor terrace, which has both covered and uncovered areas, has a sweeping view of the Bosphorus and the Princes’ Islands. Great value—this is one of those places I always wish I’d find in the States, but never do.
Sofa (Teşvikiye Caddesi 41-41A, Nişantaşi / +90 212 291 9117 / thesofahotel.com). Though the use of the word