Six Senses Kocatas Mansions - Istanbul

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this Ottoman-era hotel in Sariyer and unpacked their fragrant purchases from the spice bazaar, a full account of their Bosphorus break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Six Senses Kocatas Mansions in Istanbul…

If you were a statesman in the autumn years of the Ottoman Empire, you didn’t confine yourself to a stuffy apartment in the heart of Istanbul – oh no. Alongside a house in the countryside, those with the most clout also owned a riverside mansion, where they could be within striking distance of the city but enjoy the atmosphere of a Bosphorus-hugging village – albeit one where every mansion had its own private pier. Minister of Justice Necmettin Molla Kocatas was one of these lucky few, choosing to set down in Sariyer in 1929, a time when the riverside ‘village’ was also favoured by the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kamal Atatürk. 

Ninety years later, the two Kocatas mansions have once again thrown open their doors, following a complete refurbishment that has restored their Belle Époque splendour. The entrance is fittingly grand, complete with a double staircase, crystal chandeliers and patterned marble floors. Plush ottomans, inlaid tables and Turkish artwork root the interiors in place, but it doesn't take long to feel the Six Senses touch. The rooms evoke the grandeur of the Ottoman Empire without feeling formal, helped by their pastel livery and colourful chests of drawers that masquerade as travellers’ trunks. Outside, the landscaped gardens and riverside terraces are a far cry from the crush of Istanbul’s bazaars, and the Six Senses Spa completes this pacifying trinity. And, when you do want to immerse yourself in the city’s sights and sounds, you need only step aboard the hotel’s private boat and cruise down the river.