Istanbul: Where to Stay: Boutique: Hôtel Les Ottomans

Hôtel Les Ottomans

When the Zac Posen party came to town in October 2006, he was the star of a lavish fête at the new Les Ottomans, a ten-luxury-suite hotel owned by one of Istanbul’s best-known socialites. Fit for a sultan, rooms were designed by Zeynep Fadillioglu (fashion designer Rifat Ozbek’s cousin) with lots of rich patterned silks and velvets and a high-tech electronic system that allows you to control everything from the lights to the music by remote control. No detail—gold-covered faucets, private butlers, feng shui master design—was overlooked; it’s the kind of styling you’d expect in one of Dubai’s superhotels. I found the rooms a bit too over-the-top, but I loved the riverside restaurant Yali Hatun, which serves gourmet international fare, and the almost 26,000-square-foot Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, one of the most glamorous spas in the city, with a futuristic relaxing room with a sparkling dome, indoor pool and private hammam. Tip: Although they’re more expensive, the rooms closer to the Bosporus are worth the extra money (the rooms over the entrance are too close to the main avenue and can be noisy). Rooms from $1,100.