Peradays ticks all my boxes for the perfect urban boutique hotel: chic, modern interiors, well-designed rooms, a great location close to bars and restaurants, friendly hosts and special touches that set it apart from soulless chain hotels. It’s easy to see why it won Trip Advisor’s Traveller’s Choice award last year for Istanbul’s top B&B.

Down a side street off Istiklal (Istanbul’s main shopping street) and close to the lively Nevizade Street in trendy Beyoglu, Peradays is housed in a 19th-century building but is entirely contemporary inside, with stylish modern furniture, grey walls with splashes of colour in rugs and cushions and a metal staircase winding its way to a rooftop terrace.

There are nine rooms over several floors, each designed differently. Ours had minimalist decor in neutral colours, wooden floors, high ceilings, big windows, a glass-walled bathroom, a flat-screen TV, bookshelf full of books and magazines and a small red geranium-framed balcony with table and chairs.

Three retired friends, Bora, Murat and Murat started the hotel because they love people, and they’re hands-on with its running. It’s clear that Peradays is a labour of love for them, rather than just a business. They were so helpful, organising an early-morning breakfast when we had to catch a taxi to the airport at 6am, and letting us leave our bags in reception when we came back to Istanbul for a few hours in between flights. It was great to talk about Turkish politics with Murat #1 over glasses of raki, and feel like we were staying with a cool uncle rather than in a hotel.

Doubles from €100, which includes breakfast (you also get an 8% discount on your rate if you quote this blog). www.peradays.com