I arrived in Istanbul via Turkish Airways yesterday morning…an immensely pleasant flight whose food matched all the hype I had heard (best airline food in economy and onboard chefs!).  One important aspect of flying Turkish First Class is that they provide you with VIP meet and greet upon arrival, whiz you through Visa and Passport control and then provide you a private transfer into the city.
And where to stay?  I have two linchpins in Istanbul — my guide who I have used for years here, Serhan, and Burak Aydin, concierge at the Four Seasons Bosphorus.   Serhan adores the FSBosphorus (in part, if truth be told, because he lives directly across from the hotel on the Asian side and can, therefore, more carefully care for our clients!); Burak had an interesting comment to make about the FSB — “For those between 20 and 40,” he said, “our hotel on the Bosphorus is just perfect.  Near to all the new and great restaurants, good nightlife..” and, when I whinged about the traffic, he continued, “and at that age they don’t complain about the traffic!  Four Seasons Sultanhamet, on the other hand, is wonderful for those in their 50’s, 60’s and more.  They can walk to the classic sites and return home during the day to put their feet up.”  I love them both and, as another great FS friend of mine said, they represent the two sides of the Istanbul coin.  So, last word, stay in both on either end of a trip to Turkey!
(One moment at FSB worth reporting…when sitting out at the pool to shake off the jet lag, a charming attendant came up to me bearing a silver tray, a white cloth and a little spray bottle.  “Madam,” he said, “may I clean your dark glasses?”)
It’s a wonderful city this — “pumping”, as Burak says…so busy with tourists and construction and design-forward openings that it makes your head spin.  All of which is wonderful for Istanbul and the Turks who suffered mightily in the last decade from a whole series of unfortunate and tragic events.  But I do hate the traffic and, because there was nothing I really HAD to see during the day, I played it quiet on my oasis by the Bosphorus.  But come 9:30 last night, we hopped in a car with Serhan and driver and zipped around the city seeing a selection of old favorites, checking out some new hotels, and ending up at midnight, drink in hand, on Serhan’s balcony gazing across the Bosphorus at the minarets and domes and floodlit palaces.  The highlight?  My favorite mosque in the world — Sinan’s Rustem Pasha — 10:15PM, just before last prayers, aglow with its magnificent Iznik tiles splashed with dragons and tulips,  lit with scores of lights, dome decorated with fading painted scrolls.  And no one was there, not even a guard.
So, we have just added a new Istanbul by night excursion for our travelers!