She is a mine of useful iformation for a newcomer in the maze of tourists´ Istanbul. The hotel occupies an old townhouse sensitively restored by the Greek designer-artist Nicos Papadakis, making skillful use of historic textures and details. The lobby sits above a cİstern of Ottoman -or perhaps Byzantine -origin. The interior is decorated with Byzantine-style paintings, enlivened by Warm colours and plenty of Turkish kilims All rooms have hardwood floors and four-poster beds. A highlight is the garden -a small gem which incorparetes the ruin of a 15th century bathhouse next door to immensely picturesque effect. The terrace bar commands a full view of the sea of Marmara. At night the illummated bulks of the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque loom spectacularly over the roof deck. Zoe Empress Zoe shared the crown of Byzantium 1034 to 1050 with three successive husbands (and the otherwife of the third). A famous mosaic in the Hagia Sophia depicts her alongside an emperor with a clumsily replaced face and name. Her palace probably inciuded the grounds ofthe present hotel. Rates are in Euros