We'll be in Istanbul for one week next July. We generally like less generic hotels, and would love to stay close to the main sights in Sultanahmet, but we don't want to be constantly hassled by carpet touts, either. Which area would be best? Thanks!

Depends on your budget. We just stayed at the Four Seasons in Sultanahmet for 2 nights pre cruise. A lot of history in the hotel itself. We loved it! You can walk right out the door and up the street to a lot of the sights and the roof top view was beautiful. Needless to say, service was excellent.

I'm sure others will reply with other suggestions.

We liked staying in Sultanahmet because it was very convenient to sites. Yes, you do get hassled, but it certainly wasn't a huge problem. We just learned to laugh them off. Even when we were carrying the 2 carpets we did buy back to our hotel, someone asked if we wanted to buy a third carpet!

If you're a nightlife person, all the dance clubs and hopping bars are in Taksim. It's an up all night area -- buzzing, bright lights, but Burger Kings and Pizza Huts, too.

Sultanahmet is very quiet at night -- I really loved it. Four Seasons is a good choice if you can afford it. If you're on the other end of the budget spectrum, the Uyan Hotel and Seven Hills Hotel are right next to Four Seasons and actually have better views (IMO) because their terraces are higher up. I really liked the Uyan --very affordable, cute sunny rooms with hard wood floors and oriental rugs. Tastefully furnished and decorated.

Empress Zoe was also at the top of my list but my friend couldn't do all the stairs.

Thanks so much for the advice. We got a reservation at The Seven Hills, and it sounds perfect for us. We don't care so much about nightlife, just a few wonderful restaurants in the area will do. Any suggestions on that? Thanks!