The Magnaura Palace

Built above the ruins of a late Roman-era palace and school of the same name, The Magnaura Palace is a small, but stately hotel housed in a white corner building with decorative cornices framing rows of Juliette balconies. The ground floor is taken up by a cafe with a sidewalk patio on either side of the entrance. A front door, decorated with stained glass, opens into a small reception area, with funky red velvet chairs and a tiled reception desk. It faces a larger space with a colorful cafe bar and seating area, and there's a gift shop that sells souvenirs and has a wall of shelves containing pretty fabrics. The hotel is popular with vacationing couples, and also attracts families, groups of friends, and solo travelers. 

The hotel is located on a cobblestone street in Sultanahmet, Istanbul's oldest district, close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The Blue Mosque is only five minutes away on foot, as is the Hagia Sophia. Other nearby sites, like the Mosaic Museum and the Basilica Cistern, are also within easy walking distance. The first Ottoman palace, Topkapi Palace, is about a 12-minute walk away, but it's probably best viewed via a cruise along the Bosphorus Strait. Istiklal Street -- home to shops, restaurants, bookstores, galleries, libraries, and nightclubs -- is about a 30-minute tram ride. Expect a 35-minute drive to Istanbul Ataturk Airport, or just over an hour on public transportation.

The hotel has 18 rooms in four different categories, all with contemporary Turkish decor that blends ornate wallpaper with silk fabrics and mahogany furniture. Standard rooms have king beds with large wooden headboards and matching wardrobe closets. There are red velvet chairs and little round tables in seating areas, and tiny desks just big enough for the electric kettles and cups set upon them. Flat-screen TVs are mounted on the walls in wood frames and minibars also come standard. Deluxe Rooms have larger seating areas with two chairs and average-size desks. All rooms have arched glass doors that open to Juliette balconies, while upgraded rooms and Corner Suites have Sea of Marmara views. The tiled bathrooms have small walk-in rainfall showers with removable showerheads. Free Wi-Fi is included. 

The Istanbul Nar Art Cafe takes up most of the ground floor, with a small coffee bar and seating area amid the gift shop's shelves. There's more seating outside on a sidewalk patio (that wraps around the corner building on both sides). There's no full restaurant, but free breakfast, which features hot and cold European and Turkish items, is served in a top floor dining lounge that opens to a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the Bosphorus. The hotel lacks a fitness room and hammam, but Wi-Fi is free throughout.