Şiva Pera Hotel & Spa: spa and hammam 0.5 km from Taksim

Şiva Pera Hotel & Spa stands at 28 Sadri Alışık Sokak in Istanbul (postcode 34433). Taksim Square is about 0.5 km away in a straight line, and Galata Tower about 1.1 km. The major monuments sit farther out: Topkapı Palace about 2.3 km, Süleymaniye Mosque about 2.5 km, Hagia Sophia about 2.9 km and Sultan Ahmed Mosque about 3.2 km, all in a straight line.

Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) is about 31.4 km away in a straight line. The hotel runs an airport shuttle, for a fee.

The rooms range from compact to very large, and the differences matter more than the names suggest. The Budget Double Room is the smallest at 14 m², with one double bed, a city view and a sleep capacity of up to 3, which makes it tight for a full party of three. The Standard Double Room (16 m²) comes with either a queen or a double bed and sleeps up to 2 or up to 3 depending on the configuration; the Standard King Room is 18 m² with one queen bed and sleeps up to 2.

The Deluxe Double Room offers 20 m² sleeping up to 2 or 22 m² sleeping up to 3, with a queen or a double bed and a city view. The Deluxe Double Room with Balcony comes in two versions: a 22 m² room with a street view sleeping up to 2, or a 25 m² room with a city view sleeping up to 3, both with one queen bed. Above these, the Economy Room is a surprise: at 36 m² with one queen bed, a city view and space for up to 3.

The Deluxe King Suite is the largest room at 90 m² with a city view, but it has a single queen bed, so its space goes to comfort rather than to extra sleepers.

The hotel has a spa, a hammam and a sauna. Room service runs through a mobile app rather than a phone call, which suits travellers who prefer to arrange things themselves.

There are family rooms, a lift, and facilities for disabled guests, so the hotel works for visitors with mobility needs as well as for those with children.

Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out until 12:00. Children are allowed, and the family rooms and the sofa-bed Deluxe Suite give them somewhere sensible to sleep.

The paid airport shuttle covers the roughly 31.4 km straight-line distance to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), which is worth arranging in advance given how far the airport is.

This is a spa hotel for city stays: couples will do well anywhere from the Standard King Room up, a family of three fits the 25 m² Deluxe Double Room with Balcony, and a group wanting one large shared space has the 90 m² Deluxe King Suite, though with only one queen bed.

Travellers who want to swim should note that the hotel's facilities do not include a pool; the wellness offer here is the spa, hammam and sauna. Anyone needing more than one bed in a room should check the Deluxe Suite.