Ortaköy is on the Bosphorus and it's where Istanbul comes out to play. By day there are craft shops and stalls, by night, behind a warren of small restaurants, are the quayside nightclubs where the swankest customers arrive by launch. A short stroll and you already feel you're on holiday. The view of the ferry station, the Balyan-designed baroque mosque, framed by the Bophorus Bridge with Asia in the background is (alas, there's no other word) iconic. Even George Bush had the sense to make a speech in front of it. The House Hotel Bosphorus is a small hotel in the middle of all this splendeur; a converted 19th-century town house, also designed by a member of the Balyans family of architects for their own family use. The better the room, the more mesmerising the vista. Its the sort of place visiting pop stars rent lock, stock, and mini-bar when they play Istanbul (Ricky Martin stayed here). The Venetian style trompe-d'oeil tile pattern of the entrance parquet is repeated on the carpet throughout the hotel and, well, it's a statement. Otherwise, the furnishings (Autoban again, well they are family) are simple, comfortable, and piles of pillows on the bed. The public space has a brasserie feel. You could sit down for a cup of coffee and forget about sightseeing for the rest of the day. It's awfully hard to take your eyes off the view.