My best advice to visitors looking for a hotel in Istanbul is to avoid Sultanahmet. The historic peninsula is a must in terms of sight seeing, but a disaster when it comes to restaurants and nightlife. Only tourists go there, and the food in the restaurants reflects what they think tourists want instead of what Turkey really has to offer.

Visitors are much better off by staying in Beyoglu, where the Turks go out and where the best of the night life and many of the city’s best restaurants are located. One recommended hotel is the Büyük Londra Otel with reminiscence of Istanbul’s Pera area as it was one hundred years ago.

The hotel maintains an elegant décor that must have suited very well the travellers arriving with the Orient Express. Today hotel’s pretty run down, but its location and views over the Golden Horn are well worth to consider.

The roof top bar has a splendid view and has become a favourite meeting point of Istanbul’s young and younger artists whenever they have something or somebody to celebrate.

BÜYÜK LONDRA OTEL, Mesrutiyet Caddesi 117, Beyoglu, Istanbul

Go further: Find more hotels in Istanbul here and read more about the city's many rooftop bars here.