Wake up to colorful Turkish textiles not only covering your bed, but also forming a luxurious canopy over your "sultanīs bed." The clean, modern room is furnished in the 18th century Ottoman style. You open the window to hear the dueling muezzins from the neighboring Blue Mosque and the other mosques of the Sultanahmet district, and see the colorful markets on the street below. As you climb the steps to the outside rooftop terrace decorated with bougainvillea and jasmine, you get a view of the sparkling Sea of Marmara on your left and the Blue Mosque on your right.

This is the scene at The Sultanīs Inn and the new Naz Wooden House Inn, two intimate, moderately priced hotels in Istanbulīs Sultanahmet district run by Fatih Sapci. I stayed more than a month at the Sultanīs Inn (including during Sept. 11) and from the first day was treated as part of the family.

Fatih also owns a travel agency that provides outstanding and fairly priced tours throughout Turkey, so your every need as a tourist can be taken care of while youīre having breakfast.

I highly recommend Sultanīs Inn and its "cousin" a block or two away - the newly opened Naz Wooden House Inn, which is a replica of the famous Ottoman wooden houses and is built against the old walls of Istanbul, close to the Topkapi Palace and other important sights.

Naz Wooden House is $50 to $80 per double. Both hotels include breakfast and airport pickup.

Contact: Sultanīs Inn, Mustafa Pasa Sokak No. 50, Kucukayasofya Mahallesi, Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey; phone, 011-90-212-638-2562; fax, 011-90-212-638- 3922;
e-mail: sultansinn@hotmail.com
Web: www.sultansinn.com
Naz Wooden House Inn, Akbiyik Degirmeni Sk. No. 7, Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey; 011-90- 212-516-7130; fax, 011-90-212-638-3922;
e-mail:reservation@nazwoodenhouseinn.com
Web:www.nazwoodenhouseinn.com

ROSIE COHAN - San Francisco Chronicles