Tucked away in a tiny side street so small our taxi driver couldn’t find it, Noble House Galata turned out be a wonderfully friendly and cosy guesthouse. From the moment we arrived to Turkish coffee and tea in reception we felt like we were staying in a friend’s home rather than a hotel. Staff are super attentive and go out of their way to help you have the perfect stay in Istanbul – as well as getting loads of local tips, we were lent a guidebook and public transport card, which made our first few days in an entirely new city a bit easier.

The guesthouse is made up of only eight rooms, each decorated with a different stylish and fun theme, ranging from the Sultan Room (with painted wall panels and quilted bedspread) to the chic Black Room where everything is, well, black. We stayed in the Hammam Room, which had a giant marble bath and shower and marble floors. While the rooms are small, they’re well designed, with the limited space encompassing a double bed, ensuite bathroom, flat-screen tv and safe.

Noble House has a rooftop terrace (which was being converted into a bar while we were there), and a lovely, peaceful courtyard that leads onto the street, so you can have breakfast while people watching. Breakfast here was definitely a highlight – each morning there was a delicious spread of freshly-baked pastries like apple-and-cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake and spinach-and-cheese borek (flaky pastry), eggs, cheese, olive tapenade, tomatoes and cucumber, fresh fruit, jams and bread.

We loved staying in the heart of Beyoglu, Istanbul’s young and trendy area, full of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Noble House is a five-minute walk from Istiklal Caddesi, the main almost-pedestrianised street in Beyoglu, which leads from Taksim Square down towards the Galata Tower and is lined with high-street fashion shops, ice cream stands, patisseries and restaurants and is overlooked by rooftop bars.

If you’re after a full-service hotel with room service and a gym then this small guesthouse isn’t the place for you. What we loved about it was that it was intimate, personal and quirky – everything a bit hotel isn’t. If you’re wanting to be close to the action of Beyoglu this is a hard location to beat – it’s right near everything (including the Tophane tram stop) but being on a tiny side alley means that you don’t get any street noise.

Noble House Galata

Rates start from €65 per double room, including breakfast and free WiFi.

Contact [email protected], www.noblehousegalata.com

The fabulous breakfast spread, which was different every morning.