"A’jia Istanbul’s heart, the Bosporus Strait, snakes through the metropolis and splits Asia from Europe. Away from the central city hubbub, A’jia is tucked into the upper Bosporus shoreline with panoramic views across this watery highway. Guests staying here dip their toes into a waterfront world once reserved as a summer haunt for the sultan’s family and high-ranking members of the Ottoman court. Built in 1897, this yalı (waterfront mansion) was home to Ahmet Rasim Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Tripoli. The painstaking conversion in 2005 preserved the bones of the original, ornately flourished architectural style while transforming the interiors into spaces designed with a white-on-white palette that draw guests’ eyes directly to the stunning Bosporus. High-ceilinged rooms are flooded with light and dominated by oversized beds with Italian linens. Bathrooms are outfitted with Philippe Starck fixtures and fragrant bath products by Acqua di Parma that encourage long soaks in bathtubs with a view."
