Sirkeci Mansion
This charming hotel occupies a renovated Konak - a city mansion which would have once been used as an official residence during the Ottoman Empire.
Located in the centre of Istanbul's historic peninsula, the Sirkeci Mansion (formerly the Sirkeci Konak) artfully combines 19th century style with 21st century comforts.
Its fifty two guest rooms have views over Topkapi Palace's Gülhane Park and have been tastefully decorated with Ottoman style furniture in keeping with the history and traditions of the region.
The Neyzade restaurant serves Anatolian regional cuisine which you can either enjoy on the open air terrace or in the more formal dining room and there is also an excellent seafood restaurant.
Sirkeci Mansion's first class facilities include an indoor swimming pool, Turkish hammam, sauna, Jacuzzi and a fitness room.
Why We Love It
The hotel organises a range of classes for guests to get a feel of Turkish life, from backgammon and cooking lessons to local wine and cheese tasting.
Ciragan Palace
The 19th-century waterfront Ciragan Palace was once the residence of the last Ottoman Sultans and has been restored to its former glory.
The hotel offers a resort ambience in the centre of the city, and has an exceptional setting, right on the shores of the Bosphorus, on the European side.
Rooms on the Bosphorus side enjoy spectacular views of this famous and busy waterway. There are several bars and three restaurants, serving Turkish and international cuisine. Other facilities include a spa with massage rooms, Turkish baths and saunas, indoor and outdoor pools (the latter surrounded by a large sunbathing terrace) a fitness room and even a putting green.
The hotel is within close walking distance of the harbourside district of Ortakoy, a fascinating area full of seafood restaurants and speciality antique, ceramic and jewellery shops.
Why We Love It
Most of the rooms are in the modern, five-star annexe, while the palace itself is reserved for restaurants, public rooms and a few suites.
Four Seasons Sultanahmet
The five-star Four Seasons is one of Istanbul's premier hotels, with a prime location in the heart of the Sultanahmet district, between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
The building is imposing but the atmosphere inside is intimate, with just 65 rooms arranged around an enclosed courtyard. The rooms and suites are luxuriously fitted with reading chairs, original works of art, and tiled bathrooms with deep tubs.
The 'Seasons' restaurant is housed in a glass-enclosed courtyard, with an outdoor terrace during the summer months, and serves international cuisine and local specialities.
The spa offers a variety of revitalising massage treatments and saunas, and the Health Club provides guests with a private retreat of exceptional quality in which to exercise.
Why We Love It
The hotel building was once a prison, but latter day inmates can enjoy what must be one of the finest hotels in Europe.
Sofa Hotel
Another of the batch of hip boutique hotels springing up in Istanbul, this time in the trendy Nisantasi district, famous for its boutiques and galleries.
The understated and comfortable rooms and suites each feature an 'Anytime, Anything' button promising instant service, whatever (presumably within reason) your request.
Elsewhere the Longtable Restaurant & Bar serves fine Mediterranean cuisine while Cafe Sofa offers healthy and vegetarian dishes in a more relaxed atmosphere alongside the Patoka Bookstore.
There is a spa called Taylife offering a range of massages, yoga, ayurveidc treatments and a hammam steam room.
Why We Love It
The artistic milieu has even invaded the hotel itself at the in-house gallery Art*8.
W Istanbul
It's a sign of Istanbul's growing reputation that hip W Hotels chose the Turkish capital as the location of their first European opening.
Located in the exclusive Besiktas district, the hotel is surrounded by fashionable boutiques and some of Istanbul's finest restaurants.
As with the hotel as a whole, the bedrooms and suites are decked out in an Ottoman-meets-contemporary-cool style with appropriately eponymous trunks and hammam-style basins in every room and bathroom respectively.
The Living Room bar and Jean-Georges Vongerichten's (the chef who puts Gordon Ramsay to shame in terms of worldwide exposure) Spice Market restaurant are the places to be seen in Istanbul at present and Spice Market's menu is inspired by the street food of South-East Asia.
Why We Love It
There is no letter 'w' in Turkish which can make it difficult when getting into a taxi at the airport and asking for your hotel...
The House Hotel Karakoy
Originally built as a bank, Karaköy, the House Hotel Karakoy is a hip addition to the portfolio of places to stay in the up-and-coming neighbourhood of Karaköy. The hotel's location is perfect for exploring bohemian Beyoglu, historic Sultanahmet and the Galata Port.
Award-winning architect Han Tümertekin has done a fantastic job in restoring the original building, giving it a 21st century facelift with sleek interiors and a fantastic collection of contemporary art work thanks mainly to the in-house art curator. Culture aficionados will also enjoy the fine collection of art and music-related books.
There are 63 chic guest rooms and suites, all of which have an arty and elegant décor and individual features such as cosy fireplaces in some rooms, restored from the building's former infrastructure.
For wining and dining guests can sample the hotel's Kasa Lokanta restaurant, which serves a delicious range of modern Mediterranean dishes. The Circular Gold Bar is a fantastic spot for a pre or post-dinner cocktail.
Aside from exploring the nearby Turkish delicatessens, buzzing cafes, museums and art galleries galore, guests can unwind and relax in the hotel's spa, which, as one would expect, has a white marble Turkish hammam as well as offering several other indulgent treatments.
Why We Love It
Not only is staying in a bank vault pretty cool, you're also only a two minute-walk from my favourite place to grab lunch in the whole city... a ramshackle stall tucked under Galata bridge where a local fisherman turns the catch of the day into the best fish sandwich you've ever had.
