DESTINATIONS — TURKEY
Let’s go retro: Period property Uyan Hotel
Double delight: Marti Istanbul has two hammams
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Anatolian Sky Holidays
offers three nights’ B&B at Best Western Empire Palace from £439, including flights and
transfers, for before March 7.
anatoliansky.co.uk 0844 273 3585
Kirker Holidays has three nights’ B&B at Hotel Sultanhan from £678, including flights,
Shore thing: Sumahan
on the Water
private transfers and Turkish visa.
kirkerholidays.com 020 75931899
Three nights’ B&B at Pera
Palace Jumeirah starts from £1,004 in May with Classic
Collection, including flights and private transfers.
classic-collection.co.uk 0800 008 7288
ISTANBUL: ASK AN EXPERT
Akin Koc, Anatolian Sky Holidays Take the local ferry for a Bosphorus tour.
It runs several times a day, is much cheaper than a private tour and provides a more authentic experience. Also, try the excellent street food. There are boats around the Galata Bridge selling freshly-caught fish in white bread for a fraction of what it would cost in a Bosphorus-front restaurant.
Rasme Ozdemir, Direct Traveller Pre-book excursions before departure:
our Istanbul Classics Tour starts from £49 with a guide, entrance fees and lunch. If you visit the attractions individually, it would cost a lot more.
Andrew Farr, Classic Collection
To maximise commission, 80 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 23 January 2014
combine a city break with a couple of days relaxing on the beach. Add a flight from Istanbul to Bodrum, Dalaman or Antalya.
Jane Baxter, Ilios Travel Be aware that the cheaper airlines
fly to Sabiha Gokçen airport on the Asian side and with traffic, transfers to the city centre can take over an hour. Fly with British Airways or Turkish Airlines and you come into Ataturk airport, which is closer to the city.
Patrick Millar, Kirker Holidays We always recommend a day
with a local guide to maximise the experience and boost agent revenue prior to departure.
Moving up the price scale and back to the Old City, the four-star Sultanhan is a 40-room boutique with 19th-century Ottoman furnishings, a Turkish hammam and unbeatable terrace views. The Bosphorus and Sultanahmet views from the Legacy Ottoman Hotel are impressive too, though its colourful past as an army barracks and home to the Istanbul Stock Exchange are equally interesting, making it a top pick for Anatolian Sky Holidays.
l SPLURGE: ROOMS WITH A VIEW The chance to stay in a former jail doesn’t come along often, but then most prison buildings aren’t as pretty as this one. The Four Seasons at
Sultanahmet is at the heart of the Old City, now transformed into a peaceful five-star property with 65 rooms set around a courtyard. Kirker Holidays has an offer on stays until March 31, with three nights including flights from £1,141, a saving of £200. Also boasting intrigue at
every turn, the Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah is famed for
its literary heritage – Agatha Christie is said to have written Murder on
the Orient-Express here, plus Ernest Hemingway and French novelist Pierre Loti were frequent guests – but its turn-of-the-century elegance and Golden Horn views are equally enticing. Those vistas can also be enjoyed from the rooftop of the luxurious Tomtom Suites, one of Ilios Travel’s most popular options, from £260 a night in May. The top floor of Marti Istanbul, designed by the first woman to design a mosque, is devoted to its large spa. It features two traditional hammams and a vast Roman bath; rooms range from €140 a night for a classic king, up to €4,124 for the ultra-luxurious Regal Suite. Also excelling in the spa stakes
is the Park Hyatt Istanbul – Macka Palas, one of Classic Collection Holidays’ favourites. Its spa suites feature a steam room and heated floors and designer divas can indulge at the hotel’s Gucci and Porsche Design shops. Perhaps one of the most unusual
properties, and one of Exclusive Escapes’ best-sellers, is distillery- turned-luxury hotel Sumahan on the Water. Set on the Asian side of Istanbul, this 24-room Bosphorus- front hotel enjoys some of the best views in the city. TW
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