As the aroma of freshly-brewed Turkish coffee wafts through the air, I contemplate my next move in a strategic game of dama: Turkey’s version of draughts. Salon-like Kahve Lounge presents many distractions for novice dama players, from beautiful Belle Époque furnishings to home-baked pastries. But it’s the views out to Istanbul’s world-famous Bosphorus Strait that’s my undoing. Six Senses Kocatas Mansions nestles on the final bend of the iconic waterway’s 20-mile-long-course before it empties into the Black Sea
What sets this 6.5-acre waterfront property apart from the continent-straddling city’s other 5-star properties is that it’s away from the fray, which is no bad thing. Backed by Belgrad forest near a site where spring water still spouts, the hotel is located in the fishing-village-turned-well-heeled-district of Sariyer on Istanbul’s European side.
Its opulent private home ambience is no accident. The resort is set across two terracotta-roofed 19th-century mansions that were the former summer residences of an Ottoman-era Justice Minister. Satisfyingly, stuffiness doesn’t pervade their storied walls. This is largely thanks to a sensitive renovation by sustainable savants, Six Senses, who resurrected both yalis (the name given to Istanbul’s grand wooden waterfront homes) from the ashes after a fire left them derelict for two decades. Rescued from the wreckage were a handful of Ottoman antiques which ornament the reception and lounge, alongside an impressive art collection featuring paintings by ‘Pioneer of Turkish Realism’, Ismail Acar.
Mirroring the communal area’s tasteful taupe and antique white palette is my Bosphorus Junior Suite: one of 43 rooms spread across Sait Pasa and Kocatas mansions. As the name suggests, the suite’s traditional shuttered windows (all seven curtain-draped ones!) frame uninterrupted strait views where dolphins are known to porpoise enroute to the Black Sea. An eclectic mix of traditional wood panelling, intricate Art Deco cornicing and mid-century furniture pieces, upholstered studded leather trunks lend some oriental flair, whilst mod-cons like Nespresso machines and Bluetooth speakers bring the suite bang up to date. Its centrepiece is a brass-framed bed, complete with organic linens and a ‘sleep box’ filled to the brim with meditation music, healthy snacks, yoga pose suggestions, wearable sleep trackers and a bath bomb. I try out the latter in my luxurious hammam-inspired marble bathroom, which recalls Turkey’s time-honoured bathing tradition.
Being scrubbed then veiled in soapy bubbles in a steamy hammam (also known as a Turkish Bath) is a rite of passage when visiting Istanbul. Thankfully, and much to the relief of first-timers, the experience is a little more refined here. Elevated above the resort is the tri-storied spa, which is housed in a century-old restored stone house. Guests can jump into one of the hotel’s zippy golf buggies which negotiate the steeply terraced landscaped grounds with ease. We snake past the first of two infinity pools, SAX restaurant and an onsite organic garden where some 184 kilograms of veggies were harvested last year for the property’s septet of eateries.
Upon arrival I’m greeted by a small army of spa attendants, who silently shuffle around the 1,500-square-metre temple to wellness in ethical threads by Istanbuli design sisters, Ezra Tuba. By no means a one-trick Turkish pony, there’s a holistic anti-ageing centre as well as steam rooms, sauna, a couples’ spa suite, juice bar and fitness centre. Informing much of its interior are the turquoise znik tiles decorating Istanbul’s iconic Blue Mosque. The hotel’s private boat shuttle will have guests marvelling at the Islamic-Byzantine architecture of this living monument to the Ottoman Empire in less than an hour.
There are no blues to speak of the following morning as I tuck into a bottomless Turkish breakfast fit for a vizier at indoor-outdoor Chef Erdal. Its tables spill out onto a suntrap courtyard where a 300-year-old olive tree – a symbol of peace in neighbouring Greece – reaches for cloudless skies. Next door you’ll find the hotel’s Alchemy Bar Workshop. A sort of sustainable laboratory, guests can rustle up zero-waste body scrubs, learn to ferment or make candles from waste waxes and oils, as I do. The result smells almost as good as the all-natural, rose-jasmine fragrance scenting my suite, which I retreat to the scenic way by sauntering up Kocatas mansion’s original marble spiral staircase.
Swapping healthy in-room nibbles for Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) cuisine, my final evening is spent toasting to the Bosphorus with a handcrafted cocktail from Toro Latin Gastro Bar’s buzzy terrace. Headed up by celebrity chef Richard Sandoval, the hotel restaurant’s pièce de résistance is right under diners’ feet. Back inside, I tread over its artfully-lit glass floor that reveals the restored ruins of a 250-year-old hammam. Hung from an exposed brick wall, meanwhile, is a traditional Anatolian carpet overlayed with the words: “I am no longer a stranger of this place” in neon lights. It’s a fitting tribute to both Istanbul’s east-west fusion and a hotel that’s unafraid to boldly embrace the past and future…
STAY:
WHAT: Bosphorus Junior Suite
WHERE: Six Senses Kocatas Mansions, Istanbul
TEL: +90 212 355 55 00
www.sixsenses.com