”A Turkish breakfast spread is served in the intimate ground-floor restaurant; start your day here and end it at the rooftop bar with a glass of rakı (the national drink, an anise-flavored brandy) and views of the Golden Horn. Just up the road is Bankalar Caddesi (Banks Street), lined with grand 19th-century buildings. Marriott loyalists can check in to The Bank Hotel, built in 1867 in an eclectic style, retaining an original staircase, inlaid granite flooring, neoclassical columns, arched windows, an elevator, and vaults. Rooms on the lower floors have soaring 13-foot ceilings, and all 62 rooms have parquet floors, tall windows, and original cast-iron radiators.”
