The Best Hotels in Istanbul

"For a historic stay The Four Seasons has not one but two palatial properties in Istanbul, on either side of the Golden Horn. Take your pick—both are glorious, their settings knock-out. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, created out of an Ottoman Palace, does breezy waterside glam to a T, and in summer, it’s hard to imagine a lovelier place to be than its terrace, all red and white striped cabanas between the blues of pool and sea. Over in Istanbul’s ancient heart, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet has a weightier romance about it. The historic building was once a prison which housed the dissident literati in the Ottoman era; now highly polished and deeply luxurious, its arresting facade painted a happy yellow, it’s hard to imagine ever wanting to escape. Modern Anatolian dishes are beautifully presented in the jasmine-scented courtyard garden. Rooms are generous; kilims, neoclassical furniture, and woven Turkish textiles replace the usual 4S creamy-classic palette. Its neighbors are the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Hagia Sophia, whose minarets and domes tower over the hotel as though keeping a saintly eye on the incumbents."