Tomtom Suites

Tomtom Suites

Tomtom Suites occupies an 1901 apartment building in Beyoğlu that once housed the Franciscan nursing sisters attached to the French Palace, on a street still lined with the former French Court and the old Italian, Dutch and Russian consulates. Only 18 suites sit across four floors, split into five categories from Standard to Suite, each keeping the building's high ceilings, solid wood floors and custom-made furniture rather than sanding away its history. Every room has a Nespresso machine, iPod dock, laptop-size safe and a Carrara marble bathroom with underfloor heating and a jacuzzi, and eight of the suites add a separate rain shower. Guests get their preferred newspaper printed each morning, and the rooftop restaurant looks over the Old Town, about half an hour by tram from the Historical Peninsula's mosques and museums. Its place among Small Luxury Hotels of the World shows in the concierge team, which arranges private excursions and transport rather than handing out brochures, with English and Spanish spoken at the desk. Galata Tower, Şişhane and Galataport are a short walk away for anyone happy to explore Beyoğlu on foot before coming back to a quiet courtyard room. This suits travelers who want a specific building with a specific past rather than a chain's version of boutique, and who don't mind the 100 EUR nightly fee if an extra bed is needed. It does not suit anyone traveling with a pet, since none are allowed here, or those who need a large hotel's scale of facilities across 18 rooms. What lingers afterward is the marble and the nuns' old address, not a lobby built to impress. Tomtom Suites is an 18-room restoration of an 1901 apartment building in Beyoğlu, once home to Franciscan nursing sisters attached to the French Palace. Marble bathrooms, a rooftop restaurant over the Old Town and Small Luxury Hotels of the World membership set it apart. Pets aren't allowed.