Penthouse 4BR · Terrace · Bosphorus View

The top-floor apartment of Sami Bey Apartmanı, built in the 1950s by my grandfather, Dr. Zülfü Sami Özgen, and the family's home for thirty years. It has since been fully refurbished — new kitchen and bathrooms, heating and air conditioning throughout — but deliberately not stripped of what it was. A number of the original pieces are still here.

The entrance is typical of post-war İstanbul: a heavy iron-framed glass door and white marble steps up to a landing. Once that door shuts behind you the noise of the city drops away, and in the right frame of mind you might imagine you'd just stepped off the Orient Express. It's only on entering the apartment and meeting the Bosphorus through the windows that you're returned to the present.

150 m² on a single level, in a circular layout, reached by the apartment's own private lift. The living room keeps its parquet, its chandeliers and its oil paintings of old İstanbul, with deep sofas and a dining table for eight. Off it, a wraparound terrace faces Dolmabahçe Mosque and the Bosphorus — seating on the water side, a quieter garden aspect behind — and a second balcony runs the length of the living room. Ferries cross all day; the sun goes down behind the minarets.

Four bedrooms sleep eight — two queens and two doubles, all with fresh linen, extra pillows and blankets, and proper wardrobe space for heavy packers. One opens onto its own balcony over the water; the other three look inward and are the quieter rooms. A sofa bed in the living room sleeps two more, and we can add folding or inflatable mattresses beyond that. A baby cot and high chair are available on request — just tell us in advance.

Two bathrooms, both with walk-in showers and the building's original patterned floor tiles. There's central heating for the winter and split units in every room including the living room, which double as heaters on a cold night. The kitchen has a hob, a countertop oven, a microwave, a fridge and a dishwasher, along with Turkish and filter coffee, a kettle, a toaster, pots and pans, plates, cutlery and basic cooking ingredients to start you off. Between the bedrooms there's a laundry area with a washer-dryer, an iron and spare towels.

On the ground floor, a large garden shared with the other residents — grass to lie on and mature trees for shade.

Getting up to us: 26 steps from the street to the lift landing, then the apartment's own lift the whole way. Tuna or her husband Nesi will meet you at the street door.

A note on noise: we're on a lively stretch of waterfront and the road below carries traffic through the day, so the living room and terrace aren't silent. The four bedrooms sit at the back and are noticeably quieter.

Parking: none private, but several options within a few minutes — paid street parking directly outside, a valet service 200 m along the road during working hours, the Dolmabahçe Palace car park almost opposite which usually has well over a hundred spaces free, and the new Kabataş Transfer Centre, which has its own car park.

Cleaning during your stay can be arranged on request for a fee.

Tourism rental permit 34-0057.