Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul

"For timeless elegance Time swallowed the remnants of an abandoned property only to be resurrected years later in summer 2021 by the same team behind Mandarin Oriental’s Bodrum outpost. Nestled in Beşiktaş, this shorefront urban retreat is surrounded by a protected forest and waterside residences where you’ll find fewer tourists and more locals out on morning jogs—offering a pitch-perfect balance of crowd-free, yet still close enough to the buzzy Old Town. The 100 rooms, brilliantly concocted by Tihany Design, capture the essence of Istanbul: tulip-shaped tiles adorn the bathrooms, Ottoman çintamani emblems are in the mini bar and tree of life-inspired motifs plaster the walls. Wood coverings accompany the yacht-style interiors, subtly tying in with the ones floating by just outside your room. Eighty of the rooms, which are spread across three floors, have widescreen Bosphorus views, allowing you to sleep in Europe and wake up to Asia with minaret towers graciously standing by iconic landmarks. The dining scene here is as much for locals as hotel guests, with options ranging from refined Italian to Asian-Italian fusion, and Cantonese cuisine joining later in mid-2023—all of which come with shorefront seats on the terrace where the lucky ones can spot dolphins swim by. The terrace also houses two pools, with the third one in the spa and wellness center below ground. Speaking of the spa, there are 14 treatment rooms including head-to-toe marbled hammams. The masseuses for your deep-tissues were trained from Turkey and Indonesia and the facials feature products from Barbara Sturm. There’s also a gym studio with enclosed yoga, cycle, and reformer pilates spaces."

"When it opened in summer 2021, the Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus brought the brand’s signature cosmopolitan chic to a romantic stretch of the Bosphorus about four miles north from Galatport. With its 100 serene rooms, sparkling swimming pools, a palatial spa, and a fluid indoor-outdoor design by Tihany Design, the hotel feels like an exclusive resort perched within one of the world’s busiest cities." - Anya von Bremzen

"A luxury hotel with multiple dining spaces offering indoor-outdoor experiences along the Bosphorus. The menus combine European and Asian influences."