The superb renovation of a 19th-century Ottoman distillery has created one of Istanbul's most stylish hotels. With outstanding rooms, great views and one of the best restaurants in town, Sumaham on the Water is a dream...
Telephone: +90 (0) 216 422 8000
Price: from USD 220
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Opened in May 2005, Sumahan on the Water is, like A’jia, a fantastically stylish renovation of an old building on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus.
The Sumahan was a 19th-century Ottoman distillery that made raki, bought by the present owner’s grandfather. Consequently the hotel has the kind of spaciousness and cool aesthetic common to converted industrial buildings in London and New York but rare in Istanbul.
The conversion is superb and the rooms are outstanding throughout. All 20 of them have lovely Bosphorus views, and are achingly cool in design with modern fireplaces, fashionable furniture and all entertainment and communication mod cons. There are 13 very spacious suites; a number of them are duplexes and even have their own small terrace gardens where you can sit on the lawn and enjoy the vista.
Downstairs is Kordon, an excellent fish restaurant, belonging to the same owner. As with A’jia the location could be either a dream or a hassle. The hotel’s private launch will ferry you across the Bosphorus to Kabatas on the European side in 15 minutes, from where you can easily pick up a cab into town. So that’s probably more dream than hassle then.
