The Marti Istanbul Hotel combines the luxury you’d expect from a 5-star hotel with the stellar service of a much smaller outfit. Found in the culturally and commercially rich area of Taksim, the Marti is a place to experience the best of modern Istanbul, including warm Turkish hospitality.

Upstairs at the Marti Istanbul Hotel, the rooms – 270 of them, to be precise, including 31 suites – feature contemporary furnishings and a colour palette of soothing shades of blue, beige, purple and soft grey, all set off against dark hardwood floors. And on the top floor, guests will find the Marti Spa, home to a Turkish hammam, a spacious Roman bath, vitamin bar, gym and snow fountain. Not to mention views of the sprawling city below.

If panoramas of Istanbul appeal, heading ever-upwards to the rooftop at the Marti Istanbul Hotel will reward you with the chance to take in the sights with a drink in hand. Whether you’re after a relaxing sundowner or you fancy dancing under the stars as a DJ spins, the Mixo Terrace – the hotel’s the rooftop restaurant, bar and sometime-nightclub – will fit the bill. The Mixo Restaurant, meanwhile, found a few floors below, much like the Quad Restaurant & Bar, offers fine international dishes in elegant, non-weather-dependent surrounds.