The Pera Palace Hotel. Photo; Wikimedia Commons. Photo on Home page: Netflix

When travellers stepped off the super-luxurious Orient Express train at the end of their journey from Paris to Istanbul - or Constantinople as it was then - the Pera Palace was where they stayed. It was built solely for their pleasure.

When it opened, in 1892, it was a miracle of modernity. In Istanbul, only the Sultan’s Palace (Topkapi Palace) had electricity before the Pera Palace. Only the Eiffel Tower had a ‘birdcage’ lift of the same style, which whirred guests to the sought-after bedrooms on the upper floors, where views of the Golden Horn are at their best.

The Beyoglu district close at the end of the 19th century, when the Pera Palace was under construction. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

And during a recent four-year restoration the full effect was recreated with a mix of neo-classical and art nouveau styling, jewel-bright velvet furnishings and huge dangling chandeliers. Perfect once again for afternoon tea in the jewel-bright Kubbeli lounge and champagne cocktails in the Orient Bar. Then, step past the uniformed doorman on to Meşrutiyet Caddesi and you’ll find yourself in the heart of the Beyoglu district‘s vibrant nightlife.

The Kubbeli lounge at the Pera Palace. Image: Wikimedia Commons

Some of the most intriguing names from history jostle for position on the Pera Palace guest list: Greta Garbo, Leo Tolstoy, Jackie Kennedy and - unsurprisingly since the Orient Express was famously used by secret agents - a duo of notorious spies Kim Philby and Mata Hari.

No wonder crime novelist Agatha Christie, who visited often in the late 1930s, was inspired by her experiences to write Murder on the Orient Express, her best-known novel. Whether she actually wrote it in Room 411 as is often claimed or hid in the hotel during the time she mysteriously vanished from her Berkshire home is a matter of speculation.

Room 101 contains a stopped clock showing the time of death of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first president and founder of modern Turkey, who stayed in the room many times before his rise to power.

A photograph showing Atatürk swimming off the Istanbul coast was displayed during the hotel’s restoration

Photo: Ersoy Emin

After the Ottoman Empire shared in the German defeat of World War One, a mixture of English, French, Greek and Italian soldiers occupied the city. This, together with the arrival of floods of European artistes and emigrés in search a living, triggered a decadent atmosphere as new bars, restaurants and theatres sprung up. The Pera Palace was at the epicentre of the scene. Next door, the famous Garden Bar entertained revellers with everything from drag acts to opera performances to boxing matches.

It is this fascinating period that forms the backdrop for an eight-episode Netflix series Midnight at the Pera Palace (which draws from the history book of the same name by Charles King). Without giving too much away, the tale begins when a young female journalist time travels back to 1919 during a night at the hotel and stumbles upon a murder that could have disastrous consequences for Atatürk and the whole of modern-day Turkey.

As well as receiving a whirlwind history lesson, you can expect to see the hotel in all its glory, and recreations of Constantinople’s chaotic streets and nightlife. The action has deliberately fun shades of Agatha Christie - and it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities that the author will make an appearance,

Murder and the Orient Express - perfect summer viewing.

perapalace.com. netflix.com

The Orient Express’ Paris to Constantinople route. Image: Wikimedia Commons