Alaçatı and Istanbul, Turkey
Rowing on the Bosphorus in the early am was a highlight of the trip. Great way to see such a beautiful city.
- More about your Oliver Guide: Beth Sheffner Scheer
- Trip type: Adult, Family, Group getaway, Solo, Beach, City
- Activity level: moderate
- Ideal length of trip: 10 days
to & from
Turkish Air has nonstop flights to Istanbul from SFO and other major cities. Great airline. Istanbul Airport is HUGE but very modern and efficient. From Istanbul, you can catch a domestic flight to Izmir which is the closet airport to Alaçatı. Drive to the coast about 45-hour.
Where to Stay
ISTANBUL
- The Bank Hotel Istanbul – (hotel that used to be a bank). Great service. Prime location.
- The Peninsula Istanbul 5-star-luxury-hotel-bosphorus – right on the Bosphorus river. Stunning.
- The Four Seasons Bosphorus *Great rooftop deck for a drink.
ALACATI
- Alavya Hotel: One of my favorite boutique hotels ever. Great setting, beautiful garden, pool and the food is incredible. They have yoga classes in the am that are wonderful.
Where to Eat and Drink
Food in Turkey is incredible. Breakfast has everything (incredible bread, fruit, yogurt, cheese, olives, and eggs). Most hotels will have a full breakfast.
- Grab a cocktail on the roof deck of the Four Seasons or The Peninsula hotel. Great views.
- Do the Two Continents Food tour (Asia and Europe). Take the ferry back to your hotel.
- Cuma – Great for lunch. Casual.
What to Do
- Go here for an incredible Turkish Hammam. Beautiful, marble, meticulous. What is a Hammam? A relaxing ritual that involves a series of rooms with different temperatures, soaps, and scrubs to cleanse and regenerate the skin.
- Sailing on a Gulet (traditional Turkish yacht). Luxury Yacht Charters or Med Sail Holidays *Pack your bathing suit and sunscreen
- Shopping – Jennifer’s Hamam – the most beautiful towels and linens.
- Alacati – e-bike trip. Bike House Alacati or Cycling Go Turkiye So much fun. Great way to see the region.
- Take an evening cruise on the Bosphorus — you can have cocktails and or dinner. Great way to see the city.
- Visit Istanbul Modern – incredible modern art museum.
- Cukurcuma neighborhood for antiques/shopping.
- Rowing on the Bosphorus — one of the highlights.
Inside Scoop
Traffic can be really bad in Istanbul so if you can walk vs. drive.. do it. If you go to the market at night, you can take the ferry back to central Istanbul.
Many stores take US dollars so don’t exchange too much money.
- Cultivatetravels.com planned this trip for me. Incredible attention to detail and so flexible. Highly recommend checking it out.
What to Pack
Istanbul is not a formal city but people do look chic when they go out. When in doubt, cover your legs and shoulders given that it is a Muslim centric country. Summer is very hot. Fall is a great time to go.
- Comfortable shoes, long skirts and long dresses. You must cover your shoulders and head in all the mosques so bring a scarf or buy one there.
Alaçatı and Istanbul, Turkey - Suggestions from the Oliver Community
I visited Istanbul in November with Indagare — loved being there off season when it was easy to access the Old City without crowds and visit sites such as Topkapi Palace and Basilica Cistern (must see!) and shop the Grand Bazaar. I was very impressed with The Peninsula and would opt to either stay there or to do two nights at the Four Seasons Sultanahmet (old city) and two nights at the Four Seasons Bospherus (on the water) as this would make it easy to see two parts of the city without spending as much time in traffic. As Beth notes, people dress for dinner and are generally not seen walking around in workout clothes or the super casual attire seen in the States. Smoking is (oddly) common so be sure and ask for a non-smoking floor at your hotel.
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