The first boutique hotel on the Asian Shore, Aija opened in 2004 to great acclaim. Aijia is Japanese for Asia, and the Zen influence is palpable in the 16 sleek, pared down...
Ahmet Rasim Paşa YalısıSandwiched between waterside Kennedy Caddesi and the suburban railway line, the Armada scores low on location, although it is only a ten-minute walk up the hill to...
Ahırkapı Sokak 24On the Marmara coast about 15 kilometres (10 miles) from the centre, this campsite is conveniently situated near Ataköy train station, from where there are regular trains into...
Rauf Orbay CaddesiIn business since 1966, the Avrupa has a cheerful orange, green and yellow colour scheme. The unfussy rooms with small ensuite bathrooms are good value. There's a breakfast...
Topçu Caddesi 14In the 1980s, the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association reconstructed this row of nine clapboard houses dating from the 19th century. They were painted in pastel colours...
Soĸukçeşme SokakFar from the centre and the sights, this is primarily a business hotel. From the outside, the four-storey building is nothing special, but inside the 21 suites are all gleaming...
Cevdet Paşa Caddesi 34Istanbul's first (self-proclaimed) 'hip' hotel, the Bentley's minimalist chocolate-and-cream lobby looks like the reception area of an upmarket ad agency. Rooms are similarly...
Halaskargazi Caddesi 23The Londra was built in 1892, so it's roughly the same age as the nearby Pera Palas. But whereas the Pera Palas is like a sleep-in museum, the Londra is homely and eccentric....
Meşrutiyet Caddesi 53Formerly the Sheraton, the Inter-Continental is an 18-floor Goliath. The style is brash, the tone set by a golden staircase spiralling up from the lobby and a glitzy,...
Asker Ocaĸı Caddesi 1Occupying a striking pink three-storey mansion, this Best Western affiliate has 25 rooms and six suites decked out in Barbie colours. The only thing between you and the Sea of...
Kennedy Caddesi 32The hotel is an annexe to a 19th-century palace on the Bosphorus built for Sultan Abdülaziz, an ill-fated ruler who killed himself with a pair of scissors in one of its...
Çıraĸan Caddesi 32In recent years, the Dersaadet (one of the many former names for Istanbul) has become one of the most popular boutique hotels south of the Golden Horn. The hotel's quaint...
Kuçuk Ayasofya Caddesi 5This hip guesthouse on a quiet cul-de-sac is popular with gay visitors, but the friendly and knowledgeable staff make everyone feel welcome. Each of the seven rooms is...
Kadribey Cikmazi 4Named after a racy Byzantine regent, the Zoe is one of the best and quirkiest of the city's small hotels. Its sunken reception area incorporates parts of a 15th-century hamam;...
Adliye Sokak 4The Eresin Crown is unusual as a medium-sized, high-end hotel amid small 'Ottoman' boutique competitors in Sultanahmet: it's on the southern side of the peninsula, a stone's...
Küçük Ayasofya Caddesi 40