PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Empress Zoe overlooks the crumbling remnants of the oldest hamam in the city. Access to the rooms is via a narrow circular iron staircase -- good to know if traveling light wasn't on this trip's agenda. If you do hurt your back on the way up, you'll be pleased to find extremely comfortable beds when you make it to your room. The hotel combines five separate houses, and rooms range from charming doubles with Byzantine or Anatolian style murals, to a variety of garden and penthouse suites. Because of the configuration, secluded courtyards and panoramic terraces unexpectedly appear around almost every corner. The rooftop bar is warmly draped in deeply colored Turkish kilims and blankets, and there's a fireplace for those crisp winter evenings. Note: Because of the construction of the Four Seasons annex, all of the north-facing views to the Ayasofya are marred or completely obscured.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Istanbul, 1st Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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