Sagging, rustic and avoidable. That's what all the hotels in Istanbul looked to me as I searched on the internet for a place to stay a few months ago. Anything to escape the grit of Hotel Derici we had just left. But we needed an inexpensive hotel for our first night in Istanbul. Aha! The Divan City Hotel. While I can't say much about its location near the Levent district and not far from the Bosphorus Bridge, it was cheap at 50 euros a night. The Divan City was modern and chic, its lobby adorned with fresh flowers, frosted glass and steel. The staff, while not unfriendly, were busy and did not spare time for niceties. This was a business transaction. The hotel was full, the front desk attendant told me, there was no way they could accomodate my request for a room away from the highway. Nevertheless, our room was more than adequate -- even a "menu of pillows" from which to choose. By 11PM, we were curled in our beds, dreaming. The breakfast buffet in the morning had a good selection of pastries, breads, fruits, yoghurts and honies, as well as eggs and sausages. Since it was not included in the price of our rooms, we ponied up an additional 10 Euros. A taxi to Sultanahmet (Old City of Istanbul) was under 15 Turkish Lira in the morning. Büyükdere Cad. No:84, 34398 Gayrettepe district in İstanbul. Phone: +90 212.337.49.00.