There are Turkey boutique hotels located all over the country, especially in areas where most tourists spend their vacations. Almost every city and tourist area has several, and the boutique hotels in Turkey come in a wide variety and in some very unique settings.

The Turkey boutique hotels include those located in the caves of Cappadocia and in a converted ferry boat berthed in Bursa, and everything in between. One of the biggest attractions in Cappadocia is its extensive network of cave churches and monasteries. Few realize that a large percentage of the population also took advantage of the soft tufa rock, and carved their homes right into the rock faces. Many of these have been renovated as truly unique cave hotels. In Bursa, the Olentik Ship Hotel boasts an award-winning restaurant and is a converted ferry that plied the waters of the Marmara Sea for 50 years. Many of them can be consider luxury hotels; some are more modest but boast either a unique setting or are filled with the history of their location.

There is the widest range of boutique hotels in Istanbul than any other place in the country. The boutique hotels in Istanbul also come in a wide variety, though most take advantage of the long history of the city and are in restored historic buildings. Most are small, and boast a high standard of exclusive service and pampering. The Bosphorus Palace Hotel (pictured) is housed in the former holiday home of Sultan Selim’s Grand Vizier, a beautiful and elegant Ottoman mansion. The Sultanahmet Palace Hotel is a Byzantine style villa set in the shadow of the magnificent Blue Mosque.

Turkey Map

One of the finest boutique hotels in Istanbul (the Four Seasons) is also located in Sultanahmet Square. It is set in the grounds and buildings of an old Turkish prison. It has a Michelin rated chef in the dining room, deluxe rooms and suites, and views of the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. The charming Sumahan on the Water is a former nineteenth-century distillery of “suma” (a potent local brew) right on the Bosphorus waterfront. It operates its own water taxi sightseeing tours, which you can book for only two people, including a romantic picnic lunch. Like many boutique hotels in Turkey the Sumahan has one of the countries full-service spas, complete with traditional Turkish baths.

The city and sailing center of Antalya, has a number of Turkey boutique hotels located in the Kaleici (Old City) District, and which are in beautifully restored Ottoman homes. While many travel to Antalya for its beaches, these lovely and deluxe bed and breakfast inns have easy access to all the city attractions, and many have celebrated restaurants for fine dining and traditional Turkish cuisine.

Other boutique hotels in Turkey are small and luxurious beach resorts. The Hillside Beach Club in Fethiye (about four miles from the city) is an example of what’s typical. While it is relatively large at 300 rooms, accommodation is in private villas that spill down a hill to the large private beach. There are several restaurants, bars, lounges, and wide variety of water sports. It can be considered one of the country’s few all-inclusive hotels, with three meals daily included and some of the” tamer” activities (such as tennis, and catamaran sailing) included. More “exotic” activities, such as parasailing, scuba diving, and windsurfing, are available for an extra charge.