PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

A few years back, my friend pointed to the Akaretler Row Houses from our perch at Vogue and said, "They're turning those into condos, and that's where I want to live." Except that instead of condos, the entire affair has been developed under the Starwood brand by the prominent Turkish businessman and former owner of the Besiktas football club. They allow pets (they offer "pet turndown service"), so now I want to live there too. The row houses were built in 1875 by Sultan Abdülaziz, either to provide income for the nearby Aziziye Mosque or to house the employees working at Dolmabahçe Palace. A more illustrious resident moved into No. 76 in 1918: Atatürk and his mother, Zübeyde Hanim. But even though they're not actually condos, the cavernous studios and duplex rooms, many with their own private gardens, feel like home. They're not actually on the Bosphorus either, but a mere 1 block away. The decor is both decadent and opulent, accomplished by marrying Ottoman sensibilities with modern desires they call "a harem of stylish luxuries." The in-room list of amenities includes ironing boards, sitting areas, bathrobes, the "W signature bed," and iPod docking stations. Bravo, W.

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

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