We had the most wonderful four-night stay at Ansen Suites. Firstly, the location is everything - Istiklal street is a hop away, as are the Tünel, Sishane metro and the Galata tower, while Karaköy is a short downhill stroll. The aparthotel is surrounded by the coolest restaurants and bars that are always buzzing without the touristy tackiness of the ones off Istiklal. Check-in was instant despite us reaching the hotel at midnight (thanks Ibrahim!). We got the penthouse suite on the fifth floor which might challenge those with limited mobility as the lift only goes to the fourth floor, but navigating the wide spiral staircase was no problem for us. The suite is gorgeous - tremendously spacious and with sweeping views of Sultanahmet and the Golden Horn which were just magical to wake up and fall asleep to.
The only quibble we had was with the bathroom - if you're the kind of person that likes to go the toilet in complete privacy, you're not going to enjoy the single sliding door that reveals more than it hides. Also the bathroom mirrors faces the toilet so if you're standing anywhere in the room you get a panoramic view of whoever is inside. Like my husband said, if you didn't come here a couple, you will certainly leave a couple. The other issue was the bathroom sink - it's angled downward and the basin is really shallow so if you don't open the faucet very very gingerly, you'll end up taking a shower right there, as we did about three or four times.
But the location and the views more than made up for this, as did the super comfortable bed that made it hard for us to leave the room and go explore the city. The entry to the hotel is through the downstairs bar which makes spectacular cocktails, some of the best we've had, and is home to a chonky resident cat that's great company for a drink. And the staff really make this place - everyone is super friendly and helpful, communication is a breeze and they're always happy to help with suggestions and tips. They really made us feel like we were staying with friends. Overall a great stay and we'd definitely stay here again.