Turkish Delight!

Each summer when the kids head off to sleep away camp for a month or two (depending on when there friends are going) I usually get on a plane and take a holiday to an exotic locale – this past summer I went to Italy for three weeks (see 2:15 Shuttle blog).

Two summers ago my ex and I decided to go to Turkey for our holiday.  I was always the travel planner (actually love this part) so once the location had been decided the rest was up to me to plan.

Street car in Taksim (Istanbul) - they are pint sized!

Hhhmmm – Turkey, surprisingly it had always been on my list of places to go, but I’d never actually made it there.  There were times when it had been so tantalizingly close - Greek Islands, but never quite there.

My plan was to split it into two distinct experiences – a mix of urban and beach so we could satisfy both sets of expectations and sensibilities.   Clearly Istanbul was number one on the list in terms of the urban center to visit – with its “cross roads of the ancient world” and modern day “east meets west” backdrop this had to be the starting point.   

My first step after booking our flights (using points of course) was to choose a hotel.   Now you might think that to be a simple task but when you’re TW not so much.   Oh no, it’s a rather laborious and some might even venture to say “convoluted” approach.

Where to stay?   Do you want to be in or close to the action?  Are you okay with crowds of other tourists?   What’s considered close but not too close?  What do you want to see while you’re there?   What is public transit like?  Is there a subway/underground train system?   It seems at least 64 questions need to be answered first and I’m only at the “where to stay” stage.   Holy crap this could take a while!

Clearly I started with my hotel loyalty partners, and to my great surprise they had quite a good selection of hotels available across the city with my brand (Marriott).  My list of priorities were – (1) the hotel had to be away from the maddening crowds, but only just far enough that it wouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to be in the heart of the action by local transit, (2) quick access to a subway train system for mobility around and across the city, (3) modern conveniences were also high on the list – newer hotel, air conditioning an absolute must (long gone are my hostel days ;-), especially at the peak of the summer...   Not too much to ask.

Then of course is taken into account by triangulating hotels based on customer ratings, star ratings and at least the same or similar prices on a minimum of two travel sites – just to ensure I got the best price :-)  

Sunset Grill & Bar advertisment

At the end of the day I found a great hotel in the Levent neighborhood of Istanbul on the European (west) side of the Bosphorus, and home to one of the main business areas in the city.  I’d never heard of the “Edition” brand of hotel until this booking, it’s a competitor to the “W” brand (higher end contemporary) by Starwoods.   

From the moment we arrived into Istanbul and were greeted at the airport by a driver from the hotel in a Mercedes 500 series long wheelbase sedan (thank you very much!) it was an unbelievable experience – in fact it was my best hotel experience…ever!

When we arrived at the hotel, the doorman greeted us by name as we stepped from the car, wow that’s pretty amazing I thought.   However, I assumed that he knew which guests the driver was picking up from the airport so instantly dismissed it as “well that’s his job”.  But all bets were off as we walked from the front door to the check in desk.  Each person from the hotel seemed to know us by name…   The greeter, the check-in staff, the concierge, the housekeeping staff all greeted us by name.   Now that was very impressive and quite amazing, as the hotel was reasonably busy.

Entrance to the Grand Bazaar - Istanbul

What floored me next was that the Concierge had gone ahead and made us a reservation at a very hard to get into restaurant for later that evening.  The Sunset Grill & Bar was located in an exclusive neighborhood that had spectacular views that overlooked the Bosphorus.   This enchanting terraced oasis was made even more spectacular by the open air terraced dining area and the soft sounds of local musicians serenading the dinner guests.  

Not sure we could have found a better location or indeed hotel for our stay in Istanbul, especially to match the level of service, amenities or location (it was literally 50 meters to the subway entrance from the hotel circle).   Just a great all around choice!

Yes a week to remember, especially the sounds, sights and smells of the Grand Bazaar, the amazing and ornate Topkapi and Dolmabahce Palaces, Hagia Sofia, the famous Blue Mosque…too many others to mention.  You can’t forget the delicious food and the very friendly people.  Of course we hiked for hours each day in the hot August sun, but loved every minute of the experience, including the boat trip up the Bosphorus.

For the second week I had booked us into a resort in the town of Bodrum down on the Aegean coast.   We caught an early morning charter flight from Istanbul to Bodrum, which was actually only about an hour in the air.   It was quite amazing to see the transformation of the countryside, coming from the lush plains of the Bosphorus and the Marmara Sea (smallest sea in the world) to the extremely arid coastline of the Aegean Sea. 

The town of Bodrum was the home to the Knights of St John, who had initially been headquartered on the island of Rhodes.  They needed another stronghold on the mainland and so they began constructing a castle (Castle of St Peter) in the early 14th century.   It still stands today on a rocky peninsula that juts into the sea.   

Castle of St Peter in Bodrum - Turkey 

Our resort was perched high on a mountaintop that overlooked the old town, with the castle clearly visible along with a broad expanse of the coastline and many nearby islands.  I had chosen well (even if I say so myself ;-) it was a gorgeous setting – from the broad white washed compound walls that surrounded the resort, to its lush gardens filled with fragrant and exotic flowers, the myriad of palm trees and the large, refreshing saltwater pool that overlooked the town far below.   Could have easily been construed as paradise!

One of my travel shortcomings is that I can only suntan for so long before I become antsy, that happened about day two of this portion in the trip and so I decided to venture into the town and do some exploring by myself.   

Each day and night you could hear the distinct and melodious call to prayer from the local and ancient mosque in the city.  I’m not sure exactly how the sound carries so far or so crisply but for me it’s a sound that’s so haunting and melancholy at the same time.   

As I explored the ancient town with all of its winding alleyways and narrow streets it really hit me that I was walking in the footsteps of history.  After all, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world was located a short walk from the town – the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus).   Clearly this part of the ancient world had been fought over – won and lost by rulers, kings, knights, generals and dictators since time immemorial. 
  

Colors of the ocean from the castle wall - Bodrum

Later that afternoon as I sat leaning against the castle walls I felt very much a peace. There were very few tourists out and about (perhaps because of the heat - 40C or 104F, but all I could hear was the sound of the wind softly whistling along the castle walls, the occasional shriek of the sea birds high in the sky and they pitched and dove toward the iridescently green ocean far below.  Closing my eyes I could almost sense the history around me – quite eerie really.

Now as I reflect on that week of exploring the town and its environs I think it was a combination of colors and contrasting shapes, sounds, smells and the inexorable beauty, which seduced me so simply.   

Its easy to see and indeed understand why Turkey has been at the cross roads of the world since ancient times…my two weeks were unforgettable!