The Stay Bosphorus

The contemporary design hotel is alive and well on the shores of the Bosphorus, where the Stay Bosphorus mixes ancient Ottoman influences with the clean lines and luxe materials of contemporary European practice. This 19th-century mansion was built by the Balyan family, the architects responsible for so many of Istanbul’s classic palaces, and was turned into a hotel by Autoban, a highly regarded, locally based design practice. And while Istanbul is too big a city to have a single center, this neighborhood, Ortaköy, is one of many, a place with deep historical roots and plenty of contemporary appeal as well.

From here the waters of the Bosphorus are just a few yards away, and from the hotel’s top-floor suites the view spans a large proportion of this sprawling city, from the neighboring Bosphorus Bridge all the way down to the Hagia Sophia. Views from the lower floors are a bit less expansive, but scarcely less impressive; most of these twenty rooms have balconies directly facing over the water. And the views are far from the only visual stimulation to be found, for the interiors, in their crisp, neutral-toned style, are as elegant as any in the city.