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"Istanbul's Best Hotels, Restaurants, and Shops\nWhether you're looking for Iznik tiles or handmade jewelry, our Istanbul travel guide takes you beyond the Grand Bazaar to the very best the Turkish port has to offer.\nSTAY\n\n Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet\n\n A former prison turned luxury lodging, the \"old\" Four Seasons, with its blooming courtyard and glass-enclosed restaurant, has a prime address in the heart of the ancient city. \"You can walk anywhere from there\u2014to the medina, to the Hagia Sophia,\" Vincent Wolf says. \"It's convenient and elegant, and there's never a scene.\" All that's lacking at this intimate 65-room property is a pool. Need a dip and a breeze? Try the Four Seasons' newer location, on the Bosporus. Rooms from $435/night; fourseasons.com/istanbul\nSTAY\n\n H\u00F4tel Les Ottomans\n\n If a scene is, in fact, what you're looking for, head north to this ten-suite hotel in Kuru\u00E7esme, a seaside village favored by visiting celebrities and yacht-owning oligarchs. \"The place is decorated in the most extravagant high-camp mid-19th-century-Ottoman style,\" says decorator Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who adds that even if you don't check in, the restaurant is fantastic for people-watching, and the hammam is first-rate. Rooms from $1,045/night; lesottomans.com\nEAT AND DRINK\n\n Mikla\n\n For inventive contemporary Turkish cuisine served in a romantic setting, book a table at this Istanbul dining institution, situated in the Marmara Pera Hotel. Regulars such as Melissa Biggs Bradley, the founder of luxury-travel firm Indagare, and Antony Todd know to arrive just before sunset, order a martini on the rooftop terrace, and then \"watch the changing lights across the old city,\" Todd says. The don't-miss dish: star chef Mehmet G\u00FCrs's signature lamb shoulder in a pomegranate-molasses reduction. miklarestaurant.com\nEAT AND DRINK\n\n 360 Istanbul\n\n Here's a pleasant way to spend an afternoon: Visit the art galleries\u2014including one of the city's oldest (Galeri Nev) and most famous (Galerist)\u2014housed in the Beyo\u011Flu district's grand circa-1910 Art Nouveau edifice, the Misir Apartment. Then settle in for the evening at 360, a chic restaurant and cocktail lounge perched on the building's roof. An upscale late-night clientele crowds in here, but the panoramic views, from St. Antoine Church to Topkapi Palace and Sultanahmet, are worth the jostling. 360istanbul.com\nSHOP\n\n G\u00F6n\u00FCl Paksoy\n\n The namesake owner of this superb fashion boutique creates clothing and accessories from vintage Ottoman fabrics as well as one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry that feature antique beads. Textile designer Madeline Weinrib, who travels frequently to Turkey on sourcing trips, calls Paksoy \"the most important designer in Istanbul today. She understands the beauty of Turkish antiquity and makes it modern.\" Atiye Sokak No. 6/A, Te\u015Fvikiye; 011-90-212-261-9081\nSHOP\n\n Armaggan\n\n All manner of Turkish delights, from $20 bottles of olive oil to $50,000 diamond necklaces to exquisitely executed birdcages, may be found at this seven-level emporium\u2014undoubtedly the place to speed-shop if you only have a short stay in town. \"Armaggan specializes in Turkish traditional craftsmanship, taking the old designs and making them very high-end and beautiful,\" says Sara Bengur of this Ni\u015Fanta\u015Fi-neighborhood fixture. The company's newer boutique, in Nuruosmaniye, is more focused on textiles, but diverse treasures abound there as well. armaggan.com\nSHOP\n\n Mehmet \u00C7etinkaya Gallery &amp;amp; The Columns\n\n Mehmet \u00C7etinkaya, the owner of these side-by-side galleries, is always in search of a needle in a haystack\u2014that stunning handwoven kilim or 19th-century Azerbaijani carpet you can't resist running your fingers across. His ever-popular space and the newly opened next-door location, named for third-century columns unearthed during its construction, offer calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, antiques, jewelry, and\u2014his specialty\u2014a wealth of artful textiles. cetinkayagallery.com\nSHOP\n\n A la Turca\n\n Take a stroll through Erkal Aksoy's carefully curated showroom, occupying four stories of a 19th-century townhouse, and you'll find to-die-for ostrich-egg bowls, Arabic scrolls, vintage globes, copper candlesticks, vibrantly colored silk tassels, and much more. Since setting up shop 16 years ago, Aksoy has become the city's go-to antiques dealer (with a roster of clients that includes George Soros, David Chipperfield, and David Rockefeller) and something of a pioneer in the Beyo\u011Flu neighborhood, which is now home to scores of antiquaires. alaturcahouse.com\nSHOP\n\n Sevan Bi\u00E7ak\u00E7i\n\n If you spot exotically fashioned diamond rings, handsomely worked silver cuffs, or pendants of handcrafted amber cabochons on a stylish lady in Istanbul, chances are her glittering wares came from Sevan Bi\u00E7ak\u00E7i\u2014\"the jeweler all the elegant Turkish women buy from,\" Madeline Weinrib says. Visit the shop named for its larger-than-life owner (frequently spotted racing around the city on his motorcycle), nestled in a cluster of restored 19th-century dwellings called the Akaretler Row Houses\u2014home to international brands such as Marni, Lanvin, and Jimmy Choo. sevanbicakci.com\nSHOP\n\n Haremlique\n\n You can't leave Istanbul without a fabulous set of linens, and insiders such as Melissa Biggs Bradley and architect Thierry Despont swear by Haremlique, also located in the Akaretler Row Houses. Stop in for hand-embroidered Egyptian-cotton bedspreads, custom-made trousseau pieces, brightly hued but understated throws and pillows\u2014even whimsically decorated sheets for the baby's crib. Every piece is modern, minimal, and timeless. haremlique.com\nGetting Around Istanbul\n\n The Tour\n\n For a quick introduction to the city, book a private walking tour with Context Travel (three-hour tours from $65). The company hires local docents with expertise that matches your interests, from ancient history to contemporary design, and who will ensure you get a peek into the classics: Topkapi Palace, Dolmabah\u00E7e Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Blue Mosque. Another option is Indagare, which can organize a complete bespoke itinerary, from a shopping trip for old friends to a family history tour.\n\n The Driver\n\n Traversing the city is as easy as hailing a cab or taking a tram, but it's a particular pleasure to have a knowledgeable driver to act as a guide and ferry your bounty back to your hotel. Interior designer and Istanbul habitu\u00E9 Mica Erteg\u00FCn recommends Irfan Mevlevi (011-90-542-413-8125)."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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