(hotelkupeli.com) – Sultanahmet neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey 

How I heard of this place: My sister and brother-in-law stayed at this hotel when they were in Turkey a few years back. We decided to go with their recommendation and found it (after three hours of driving around the city), on a quaint, small, cobblestone street in the Sultanahmet neighborhood.

Type of cuisine: A breakfast buffet for the stars! Turkish breakfast with attention to sweet detail, including coconut-dusted Turkish Delights, dried figs and apricots arranged on platters with flowers made from tomato peels, buds from peeled grapefruit on green bell pepper stems and lotus flowers made from tomatoes. As per their website, “We also have got an open air panoramic terrace which able to see Marmara sea and Blue mosque. There is also a bar and restaurant. Our terrace is open From May to October. You will really get pleasure to have your drink and dinner here during the romantic Istanbul nights. What to do for winter? Our covered Mabeyan Restaurant is ready to host you cold winter evenings. There is a real fire place with a cosy bar and cable TV. Be ready to test delicious turkish kitchen and wines or our traditional drink Raki. There is also a little full flowred back garden in this restaurant for smoking people or others for taking some fresh air.”

Ambiance: Walking upstairs, on floor (5th) to the dining hall, we are immediately welcomed with natural light streaming in from the large, windowed doors leading onto the tiled deck. The deck’s 1.5 meter wall is decorated with terra cotta planters that look out over Spanish-tiled roofs and the Sea of Marmara. Indoors, the clean, crisp look of cream- meeting yellow-painted walls feeding into the cooling cream-colored tiles at ones feet, lit by the sunlight outside make for a happy morning welcome. Tables are dressed in white linen and associated with white dining chairs, cushioned at the seat and back. Once again, the website aptly expounds: “Küpeli Hotel is located in the old peninsula of istanbul within walking distance to it’s highlights; Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace Museum, Archeological Museum, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar, Milennium Stone and Byzantine Hippodrome. All of them in walking distance within few minutes. This charming and elegant hotel is an ideal destination for those who wish to live old Istanbul in a modern and luxurious environment. During your stay in Istanbul,Kupeli Hotel offers you accommodation with warm hospitality and welcomes you to one of the nice located hotel of Istanbul. Nice located because enough far from the noisy streets and also enough close all the touristic and panoramic points. We don’t offer you just an accommodation, we offer you a sweet home, home away home, a pure friendship and assurance with joyfull moments. Our hotel also situated very close to the sea side and you can reach the sea within 5 minutes by walking and enjoy a fresh walking or jogging. Hotel Kupeli has got 19 standard and 1 deluxe rooms in total 20 rooms. All of the rooms well designed for it’s visitors’ comfort. We will be happy to host you in our clean and fresh rooms with luxurious facilities.”

What I ordered: At this breakfast, adhering to my tradition, I piled my plate high with peeled and cut Persian cucumbers and diced tomatoes. The addition of two hard-boiled eggs, a piece of spam-like bologna and a quarter of a round of the Turkish version of pepperjack cheese. On the side, I added a plate of quarter-cut wedges of simit for Chris and I to share with individual packets of a mostly-chocolate hazelnut spread. A cup of hot coffee joined me in preparation for our big day of touring the cities most well-known, and less-known sites.

What I loved: I love the addition of Turkish delights, and boy, are the real ones delicious! The chocolate spread on the simit, too, was worth returning for on my breakfast the following morning.

Why I loved it: Simple, elegently presented, in an intimate, naturally-lit space.

Cost: Included in the cost of our hotel