Getting ready for a big night out – Hairdressers!

Istanbul women are well groomed. Always. Regardless of financial situation, religious affiliation, social standing they always do they best they can. Here are some tips to how this is achieved, hairdresser etiquette and how to look your best in Istanbul.

However natural, underdressed and undergroomed I am in London, as soon as I step off the plane in Istanbul one of the first things I do is to go to my hairdresser. Depending on how pretentious they are they are called Kuafor, Coiffeure, or Hair Design!

In Turkey Kuafors are in every neighbourhood, like your local grocer. I’ve never been to a hairdresser you need to book your hair appointment. You turn up and placed in a virtual queue. They are very efficient. Even if all the hairdressers are busy, they assistants or their assistant’s assistant (there are scores of them as they operate an apprentice system) would start on your hair, washing your hair, combing, getting it ready. Nearly all hair treatments from a simple blow dry to full highlights is done by at least 2 people, a master and an apprentice. So if you go just for a blowdry it takes you about 20 minutes from start to finish. Many Istanbul ladies I know go to hairdresser at least 2 days a week, especially before going out or even just meeting with friends on a Saturday afternoon. Neighbourhood hairdressers are cheap, clean, skillful. You can pay as low as £5 for a good blowdry. Who wants to wash their hair at home!! I would go to a more well known salon for highlights or a fashionable haircut. Don’t be surprised when the lead stylist attends a couple of women at the same time. They manage it very well with their assistants and are very efficient. This is how they keep their prices low, the traffic in and out of the salons is staggering, especially on a Friday afternoon.

Istanbul ladies also have impeccable nails. All hairdressers offer manicures and pedicures. And the good news is you can have your nails done while you are having your hair done. The beautician has a mobile stool where she stores her equipment under the seat in little drawers and with her assistant (of course!) she takes care of hands and feet while you have your hair done. So it is quite normal to have 3-4 people working on you at the same time, you do feel pampered!

The beautician can also thread your eyebrows while you are at the hairdressers seat and all salons have a small room reserved for all waxing services. The only service you need to book is the make-up, especially in the summer at weekends (the wedding season!!)

Couple of tips :
* The hairdressers tend to do ‘bouffant’ hair, tell them do keep it straight if you don’t want it, I find many hairdressers a bit old fashioned when it comes to styling in the end, but then Istanbul girls love big hair.
* If you don’t want your cuticles to be cut, tell (or motion/sign/gesticulate) that you only want them pushed, they are a bit too heavy handed with their tools. Also please check if the salon sterilize their tools properly, most salons I’ve been to sterilize them.
* Have highlights only in good salons, otherwise they don’t tend to blend properly and you get odd colour combinations!!
* If you don’t want bleaching with highlights (like me) tell them before, ask them if they have natural dyes if you prefer it. (they call bleaching Loreal!)

Tipping : You have to tip EVERYONE. The usual method is putting money in the pockets of the hairdressing staff and put it in the drawers of the manicurist. In total it should add up to about 10 – 15% of the total and you distribute according to their seniority. I hate all this tipping, trying to remember who attended your hair, trying to chase them in the salon (although most hover around the till while you are paying) so I leave the total amount at the till and tell the main hairdresser that I left the tip. He usually knows how to distribute.

I’ve been going to the same hairdresser for years and years but I also go to simple neighbourhood hairdressers for a quick styling as well if I don’t have time to travel.

MOS and Erdem Kramer are the 2 main exclusive chains in Istanbul. MOS operates a scheme where they train a hairdresser and then they open a new salon in partnership with their trainee. So not exactly a franchise system but a new partnership. There is the Tony and Guy chain as well.

I have been going to the main MOS salon in Nisantasi to start with the my hairdresser there opened his own salon in Etiler, in the Hillside gym and social complex of the Alkent residences. Murat, the owner speaks very good English and has lots of expat clients. He does not work on Mondays as his weekends are very busy but the salon is still open. He also has a very skillful colourist and he can use natural dyes.
http://www.moskozmetik.com/etiler.php?k=1 Phone : Tel: 0212 352 86 19

The Akmerkez mall has the great Erdem Kramer hairdresser, which may be more convenient but I have not personally been there.

The main MOS salon is in Nisantasi, an upscale Istanbul neighbourhood home to Armani, Cartier, Dior and many more.

http://www.moskozmetik.com/macka.php?k=1

Also most if not all malls have a good hairdresser.
But I would not worry too much about going to a local hairdresser for simple procedures like styling, manicure. You need to look your best for the Istanbul nights.

Cool Istanbul with babies – Part 1, essentials

Well, now I have 2 of those, I should share my experiences of another side to Istanbul, Istanbul with babies!
Istanbul has some serious drawbacks to traveling with babies, but also some delightful bonuses. I hope to make this an informative and factual post, trying to answer the most common questions asked in travel forums. This first part is the essentials, I hope to add another post later on suggested activities.

Moving about :
Istanbul is a hilly city, a very hilly city, with windy narrow roads built naturally over the years. Pavements are narrow, sometimes non-existant, and usually very high to prevent cars from parking on them, and very little ramps. In more commercial and touristic areas the shops also spill onto the pavements with their wares, chairs, advertising, etc. There are cars parked everywhere. Most roads on hills are cobblestone. All this makes it pretty difficult to push a stroller. If your babies are small it is better to bring a baby carrier, wrap or similar or a very lightweight pushchair to negotiate the obstacles. Only flat areas in the European side can be found by the seaside, the walk along the Bosphorous between Kurucesme and Hisar (the Rumeli Fortress) passing through Arnavutkoy and Bebek is especially pleasant. In Bebek there is a very good playground with safe equipment and environment, most Istanbul playgrounds would not impress any British Health and Safety officer.
Also along the Maramara sea, just down from Sulatanahmet is a wide walkway and is flat.
The Asian side, near the sea of Marmara is much flatter, Baghdat Street has wide pavements, proper ramps, good traffic, and wonderful shops and cafes as well!! Between Suadiye and Gozetepe is the liveliest section. Along the Marmara sea, parallel to Baghdat street is a wide green strip with parks, exercise areas, which many residents enjoy regularly. Between Bostanci, all the way to Fenerbahce is great, this is a couple of kilometers, and in Fenerbahce there is a lovely park where you can watch the sunset over the minarets of Sultanahmet across the water. The Marina in Kalamis is also a great walk.
On the European side the great parks of Yildiz, Emirgan and Ulus are also very hilly, if your children can walk then they are great fun.

Transportation:
Taxis are ill equipped in Istanbul to say the least. There are new laws that children under a certain age should be in carseats and taxis need to comply, but even in June this year, a year after the legislation, this was not the case. Older taxis don’t always have working seatbelts at the back. There may be a seatbelt, but the attachment is usually buried in the seat and cannot be used. If they have a working seatbelt they are usually too short to wrap around the carseat. On top of this taxi drivers, and I have been in thousands of taxis, mostly drive like maniacs. They accelerate and decelerate abrubtly, even in heavy traffic, they change lanes constantly and drive very fast when they can. In Turkey I rather rent a car and on my numerous visits in the last 2.5 years with babies I’ve never put them in a taxi.
Tram is modern, not high and great with a pushchair, as is the metro. People help you all the time with the pushchairs. Buses are a bit more difficult but also a possibility. In rush hour all these modes of transport are busy but other times they are not. Ferries are fun, a bit difficult to get on to, but once you are on it I am sure the children will love them, especially if you are at the back out in the open the seagulls diving to catch the simit thrown by the passengers.

Feeding:
The most asked question is milk, so let’s start with that. Aptamil is the most common formula. The packaging is identical so very easy to buy, they even have a box half the size of the regular box so ideal for holiday. There is also SMA but more limited. Cows milk is available everywhere of course. But most of it is UHT (ultrahightemperature) so long life milk. Fresh milk is either called ‘taze sut’ (fresh milk) or ‘gunluk sut’ (daily milk) and not everywhere stocks this. Istanbul is very hot in summer so I choose to buy the UHT milk instead of the daily milk, where I can’t be sure about how it was kept. ‘Tam Yagli’ is full fat milk and it is green. Pinar, Sek Sut are good brands. UHT milk comes in cartons and they are not in the chiller cabinets. You don’t need to keep it refrigerated until you open it. They also sell them in individual cartons which are good when out and about, with the straws. Fresh milk comes in plastic standard packaging, but be careful not to buy Ayran, which is a yoghurt drink and confusingly comes in similar packaging.
Baby jars are not as varied in Turkey because they are not very widespread as they are expensive for most people. Turkish babies eat family meals from very early on and fresh fruit and vegetables are cheap and varied. Bebelac is a good brand for jars, baby cereals, baby rice. Milupa (who manufactures Aptamil) is another good brand. Milupa also has organic fruit juice range for babies that come in handy cartons. Danone has very tasty baby yoghurts, plain and with fruit. Dil peyniri is a great soft cheese like mozarella and is great for children as it is lower on salt.
To make formula you can bring a small travel kettle but in Turkey I buy Hayat’s special water suitable for babies, they have pink caps to differentiate from the regular water, they are small (200ml) and in a multi pack of 6 they even provide a spout you can attach to the bottles making it easy for older babies to drink water from, brilliant!

Food when out and about:
This is where Istanbul is a great city for babies. Turkish people love babies and babies and kids are seen as an integral part of society so where adults go children follow. No need to single out baby friendly restaurants as there is no such concept, they all are! With the exception of a few fine dining restaurants like Zuma, Ulus 29, etc, children are well accommodated. Most will have highchairs though some of these may not be very safe (custom made) but more and more they but Ikea highchairs which are great. There are no children’s menus but they would mostly cook whatever they want for the children. Most restaurants would have or make simple pasta dishes, grilled meat, vegetable soup, rice and most babies love the warm crusty Turkish bread. My babies eat anything from Lahmacun to shish kebap to the numerous vegetable dishes cooked in olive oil. So don’t be afraid to ask exactly what you want, but be careful to always ask them to put NO SALT as Turkish cooks are a bit heavy handed with salt.
Simit is a great street food, similar to bagels with sesame, but if you don’t want to give street food to younger children there are specialist cafes usually called ‘Simit Sarayi’ (Simit palace) and you can have delicious simit with tasty fillings or plain. My 10 month old loves simit and would chomp on one for ages. Both of mine also love mini sesame breadsticks for snacks.

Baby Equipment:
Johnson is found everywhere for bath, nappy cream and other care products. ‘Prima’ nappies are Pampers and is the most widely available and you can find Huggies. Most wipes are international brands. I buy the non-scented pure wipes and I can find these in Istanbul. Local brand wipes tend to be heavily scented. I would recommend to bring your own nappy bags (they don;t sell them) and swim nappies (insanely expensive). For sterilizing, you should bring Milton cold sterilizing tablets with you.

Pharmacies only stock a small selection of baby items like formula, dummies, bottles, nappy creams, nappies, but supermarkets like Migros, Tansas, Carrefour are very good with a huge selection. However Pharmacists are great when you are in need of basic medical help, they also carry out basic first aid, they mostly speak English so I would not hesitate to consult them.

Please feel free to comment and add to my essentials list and ask me any question you want. Traveling with a baby is difficult so I hope I can help to make it a bit easier for you.

Ideas for a 2 day advanced visit to Istanbul

This post is not very useful if you’re planning your first visit to Istanbul and as this is MY blog it is a highly personalized itinerary but last month I had 2 days to spend in Istanbul without the babies so here is how I spent it:
Arrival 8pm, drive directly to Mikla restaurant’s rooftop bar (on top of Marmara Pera hotel in Beyoglu) Mikla has the advantage to have 360 degree views where you can see the old and new Istanbul standing on one spot. The historic peninsula looked stunning at sunset as well as the brilliantly lit business district on the opposite direction.
Dinner at Mikla. The food is very good here, very skillfully prepared. The sommelier was very happy to discuss with us the new Turkish wines we were not familiar and let us try our shortlist. The Corvus Blend no4 was indeed excellent. The service though is hit and miss and non attentive. After dinner we took a stroll in Asmalimescit and as much as I love this area, in the last 12 month it has exploded into all the streets around it and got sooooooo crowded we decided not to stay for drinks.
Next morning, after a visit to the obligatory hairdresser to achieve a more groomed look expected of Istanbul ladies, lunch in Bebek to the lovely Kirinti (see my post on Bebek!) The weather was very hot and humid so decided to spend a couple of hours shopping in Kanyon mall which turned into all afternoon, most of the time to be spent in Harvey Nichols and Vakko,
Then metro to Osmanbey, came out of the Pangalti exit and made our way to Nisantasi for a stroll and coffee but ended up eating an early supper in Grissini’s cool garden. Nisantasi, specifically around Abdi Ipekci street and the newly pedestrianized Atiye sokak has gone under a great makeover, with proper pavements, limited valet parking blocking the narrow roads and much more pleasant walking experience.That evening the sunset drinks were taken at the roof of Swissotel where we were staying. Really beautiful views and you can have dinner here as well. After dinner the night was completed in Nu Teras in Beyoglu, again soaking in the wonderful views.

Third and last day: Breakfast in Tunel in House cafe, just at the entrance of Sofyali Sokak. Predictably delicious.
Walk along Istiklal Street, checking the new Salt gallery and some bookshops, then turn right into Galatasaray sokak and down the hill into Cukurcuma. Cukurcuma is a great bohemian neighbourhood of windy cobblestone hilly streets, old buildings and lots and lots of antique, second hand and quirky art and fashion shops. We continued on to Cihangir where there are many beautiful small cafes to spend a lazy afternoon in. But we hailed a taxi and went downhill to Tophane for Istanbul Modern museum. The museum has an excellent terrace cafe and restaurant where you have one of the best waterside views of the Bosphorous, the Asian side and Sultanahmet peninsula. The permanent and temporary exhibitions were very interesting and has change loads since my last visit so it is always worth visiting again.
Running out of time we took a taxi to the airport, checked in our bags and took another taxi to the lovely Beyti restaurant in Florya, 10 minutes from the airport. This is an Istanbul institution, situated in a very elegant villa/konak and serves very high quality meat dishes (do not call them kebaps, My Beyti would be most offended) and a couple of very well chosen Turkish accompaniments such as vegetable dishes, begendi (hot aubergine puree) ic pilav (a tasty rice dish) and mouth watering desserts. This restaurant has been host to so many government heads around the word and celebrities they have no space left on their walls in the foyer for the photos and the gifts.
For me this was an ideal way to spend 2-3 days in Istanbul, visiting old favourites and discovering new ones (Atiye sokak in Nisantasi that I will write in more detail) eating, drinking and shopping.

Here are some web addresses :

http://www.nupera.com.tr/nuteras/

http://www.beyti.com/tr/default.asp

http://www.miklarestaurant.com/

http://www.kirinti.com.tr/

http://www.theguideistanbul.com/listings/restaurants-cafes/grissini-1012.html

http://www.istanbulmodern.org/

http://www.cukurcuma.net/

Truth about travel advice websites

I have been a destination expert for Istanbul on a very well known travel website ‘advising on trips’ worldwide and one which is supposed to be impartial and based on traveler experiences. My aim was, like in this blog, advice travelers on a side of Istanbul they cannot find on travel guide books that usually tend to concentrate on more tourist locations, and miss out on the real living heart of a city like Istanbul. But unfortunately I had to recently stop writing there as a principle. The main reason is the Istanbul forums lost their integrity and some of the so called experts are only there to market businesses they are associated with. I’m sure not all travel advice sites are like this but they are such powerful tools for people to decide on their very prescious holidays, it is no wonder stealth marketing has creeped into them. Anyway, I hope to update this blog much more frequently now as after 2 years of a kind of absence from the cool Istanbul scene (and 2 babies!) I am now back. And even hope to add to my blog cool Istanbul for cool kids!!! Writing this post from beautiful Turkbuku with the full moon rising and hoping to see the lunar eclipse later into the night. Please keep your questions coming, love the comments here and I try to answer each and every one.

Update (5/8/2011)
This was posted in Lonely Planet Thorntree forum yesterday, which is very relevant to the topic so I wanted to share it

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2089606

Update (8/8/10)
Those of you who know me from the ‘Travel Advice’ website, I am no longer a member there as the moderators kicked me out for expressing doubts of the integrity of the DE they are protecting (refer to the comments below)

Update 28/10/2011
I knew it was not only me who thought travel advice websites are losing their credibility. I just saw a listing for a TV programme to be aired in Channel 4 in UK on Monday 31st October at 9pm called ‘Attack of the Trip Advisors’

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/attack-of-the-trip-advisors

I’ll let you know what I think of it afterwards.

Bebek – A Bosphorous Gem

You’re young, trendy, beautiful, dressed head to heel in designer labels, got into your sports car with your mates in similar attire. Where do you go on a lovely summer Saturday afternoon? Why, to Bebek of course!!! 

Bebek is a picturesque bay on the European shores of the Bosphorous, with cafes, restaurants, boats, expensive flats and villas and pretty people. Oh and the sprawling campus of the Bogazici (Bosphorous) University (which this blog writer is a proud alumni of)

Bebek has always been a popular destination to spend a wonderful weekend afternoon in but over the last couple of years it has become terribly popular with new cafes and restaurants opening at every corner.

Although by the Bosphorous, you cannot really see the sea from the main road in Bebek, as the buildings are built at the edge of the water, blocking the views. But the ground floors of many of these building, sometimes whole buildings are cafes and restaurants so the view from any one of them is spectacular, most of them at the edge of the water so you feel like you are on a boat on the Bosphorous.

Popular places on the water side of Bebek :

These are just a small selection, you need to go there to discover for yourself!!

Divan Brasserie : This is an old café of the famous Divan patisserie chain. Once you enter, you need to go one floor down to the main café area and there you are at the same level as the water. Floor to ceiling glass doors open in summer for a terrace feel. This is not the trendiest place in Bebek but still one of my favourites for the stunning location, the wonderful freshly baked pastries and simple but tasty café food of salad, sandwiches and a choice of main courses. You can spend a couple of hours easily here with your newspaper, laptop, book or friends. The ground floor patisserie sells wonderful mouth watering food. http://www.divan.com.tr/gastronomi/bebek/default.asp?sxx=0

Starbucks Bebek

Starbucks : Starbucks, recommended and trendy usually do not belong to the same sentence but if you see

this Starbucks you may change your mind and agree with me!! I am not a huge fan of Starbucks but this one is in the most stunning location, on a couple of terraces over the Bosphorous with great views. Food and drink is, well, Starbucks but the service is more like a café, they even have a ‘small’ choice of coffee, smaller than the usual ‘tall’ as Turkish people find their large milky coffees too big. Free wifi is a bonus. Its summer terrace is the place to be with a cold frappe under the green starbucks umbrellas.

Bebek Hotel Terrace

Bebek Hotel : This small old hotel has a lovely terrace with a popular bar and a nice seafood  restaurant called Les Ambassadeurs http://www.bebekhotel.com.tr/

Other restaurants on this side are Bebek Balikcisi (a good seafood restaurant) http://www.bebekbalikci.net/indexenglish.html and Bebek Point , another seafood restaurant http://www.makaragroup.net/default.asp?pid=4&lng=1

There are many more cafes on this side but the only other one I will mention is the old Bebek Kahve, near the park and the mosque, which was standing there on its own before all the others, faithfully serving the Bogazici students with copious amounts of strong black tea and backgammon. I heard it went upmarket now which is a shame.

bebek Point

 The water side of Bebek is nice, with views, etc but when you sit in one of those cafes it means that you can’t see the street and the people and more importantly they can’t see you!!!

 Popular Pavement Cafes :

Now these cafes are the place to be. With pavement terraces and tables these places are ideal locations for people watching, if you can ignore the continuous traffic fumes of course. The most popular ones are:

Lucca : Great trendy modern café, with a small terrace area (ok, ok pavement if you’re going to be pedantic).  For good café food, afternoon cocktails and celebrity spotting http://www.luccastyle.com/index_eng.htm

Midpoint : A large popular restaurant, part of a popular chain. Very crowded at any time of the day, not one of my favourite places, but people seem to love it!

House Café : Juts off the main road, House café has many branches in all popular locations of Istanbul. Eclectic décor, good food and service, this is always a nice place to be.

A new place just opened near midpoint, an old building converted into a restaurant with a lovely garden, terraces but can’t recall its name at the moment, will report on this soon. Also ‘Kirinti’ is building a brand new place near Midpoint which I can’t wait. Kirinti started off as a small ‘bufe’ in Moda and was the meeting point for the Asian side with mouth watering sandwiches and in the last couple of years got very popular with branches in Nisantasi and Baghdat Street.

Other Bebek Institutions:

Bebek Badem Ezmecisi

Bebek is also renowned for its ‘Badem Ezmesi’ which means marzipan. Sold in a small shop called ‘Meshur Bebek Badem Ezmecisi’ specializing in marzipan for a very very long time. The taste is wonderful, even if you don’t normally like marzipan like me.

Minidondurma : This is a tiny tiny ice cream shop (about 1sqm) which has been going on for around 40 years serving excellent home made ice cream. A must do in bebek. http://minidondurma.com/

Gunes Dondurma : Another ice cream shop at the edge of the bay. We used to come here when I was a kid so remains as one of my favourite ice cream places in Istanbul for their hot chocolate and pistachio dipped home made ice cream.

Bebek also has a few small shops and boutiques such as the Vakko accessories shop for scarves and ties, a lovely olive oil shop and 2 excellent greengrocers, famous for being the most expensive greengrocers in Istanbul, hence Turkey (I thought they were outrageous as well, that was before I moved to London and seen the price for a pound of cherries!!!)

 Bebek Bay is fairly small and the buildings on the water side finish with the ice cream shops and then there is a nice walkway by the Bosphorous to the north towards the Rumeli fortress and this is a lovely walk after all that ice cream, cocktails and marzipan.

Bebek Bay

Bebek is very popular on the weekends and the road very narrow which means that the traffic is always horrendous. Many of the cafes have valet parking, the roads are narrow and hilly (some literally one car wide, you need to tuck your mirrors if you have a wide car) and people like driving (or rather standing still in traffic) in their cars up and down which adds to the traffic. If this is something you wish to avoid, on weekdays the place is much lovelier. Nighttime in bebek is nice as well, for dinner, after dinner drinks or for a lovely coffee but this is not a destination for a night of clubbing. Ideal for a chilled out Istanbul summer evening.

Going down to Bebek and sitting in one of the seaside cafes is one of the first things when I go to Istanbul and I would really recommend this as part of a general trip to the Bosphorous, starting from Ortakoy up to the Rumeli Fortress on a lovely sunny day, spending a couple of hours in the cafes in Bebek on the way and to see Istanbul living at its best.

Istanbul on Sea – Turkbuku, Bodrum

I know this blog is for cool Istanbul but so much of ‘cool’ Istanbul residents move to Turkbuku in the summer and I’ve spent a fair amount of time myself there this summer that I thought I’ll dedicate a post entry to Turkbuku before the summer is over.Turkbuku is on the north side of Bodrum peninsula, but is very different to other Bodrum resorts of Gumbet, Torba, Turgutreis, etc. It is mainly a Turkish resort, very upmarket and outrageously expensive. It is similar in feel (though not in look) to St Tropez, Miami Beach, etc with expensive yachts, celebrities (Turkish and International), expensive restaurants, exclusive beach clubs, big villas, VIP clubs.
Turkbuku is a new resort. 15 years ago there was a small village and one restaurant on a jetty (Mey), well, things have changed.
Turkbuku is on a beautiful bay, quite big, with its neighbouring bay Golkoy. They brought the 2 bays under the same administration last year and started calling in Golturkbuku but no one calls it that!! Turkbuku it is. Golkoy is quieter and laid back.
Now Turkbuku is not for everyone but there are many lovers of Turkbuku (myself included)
Turkbuku bay is divided into 2, divided by the river flowing into the sea. If you’re facing the sea, the left side is the happening side, the right side, well, the more relaxed (read not smart enough)
On the smart side there are jetty after jetty of bars, restaurants, beach clubs and night clubs, all in one place. Let me explain – during the day they are beach clubs where you either rent a bed or gazebo for the day or pay an entrance fee, then they are sunset bars around 7, they become restaurants around 9 and bar and club after midnight.

After you spend a week in Turkbuku, you would feel like you have jet lag as the day begins around 1pm and end around 6am.
There aren’t that many hotels in Turkbuku as the main crowd from Istanbul either have summer villas there or come with their yachts (ideally both)
The hotels are of very good quality:
Ada Hotel : a beautiful small boutique hotel of the Relais and Chateau group with an exquisite Turkish Bath. A little uphill, but with a jetty beach club and free shuttle service. http://www.adahotel.com/
Maca Kizi : A very established hotel and beach club at the end of the bay. Very popular. http://www.macakizi.com/
Maki Hotel : Next to Maca Kizi with a popular beach club. http://www.makihotel.com.tr/
Divan Palmira : In the heart of all action, with a nice pool area, nice beach club and a great bar. An old favourite with many people, some who spend the whole season there. http://www.divan.com.tr/hotel/palmira/default.asp?sxx=0
Iber Princess Hotel : A large hotel, at the end of the bay, on its own small picturesque peninsula. Modern hotel but has a wonderful beach club. This summer the hotel became All Inclusive and went a bit downmarket with the clientele (packet tours etc), only the private villas are still OK with their own VIP beach. http://www.turkeyhotelsguide.net/iberhotelbodrumprincessturkey.html
Kuum Hotel. Opened this year, weird modern architecture, very minimalist and a great beach club http://www.id-mag.com/article/kuum/
Ev Hotel : Minimalist villas, Ian Schrager style, on top of the hill. Very trendy, very expensive. http://www.designhotels.com/hotels/europe/turkey/bodrum/ev_bodrum_turkey

 Top Beach Clubs 2008 :
 Beach clubs in Bodrum are the place to be during the day unless you have your own boat or invited to a friend’s boat. They usually charge 75YTL to 100 YTL entrance fee, but whatever you spend inside is taken off this so it is a way guarantee a minimum spend for you. If you spend more then this, you must pay the extra.

Maca Kizi, http://www.macakizi.com/
Maki, http://www.makihotel.com.tr/
Bianca http://www.biancabeach.com/ – large beautiful and fun. Great bar scene around 6pm where the beautiful people of Turkbuku flock for the sunset party. Has a great Greek Tavern at nights.
Iber Princess Hotel – very pretty but clientele gone down this year.
Kuum Beach – The highlight of 2008, great location, beautiful sea, great service. My favourite. With a new hotel http://www.id-mag.com/article/kuum/
Lola and Ada – next to each other in the bay, small jetties, but don’t have minimum spend, you hire beds for the day for around 6YTL. Good bar and restaurant service in both.

 

Top Restaurants and Clubs
Shipahoy : The top top top club is Shipahoy and has been for years. A beach club during the day, in the evening it transforms to the hottest place to be. http://www.shipahoybodrum.com/
White barrels act as bar tables and the few seats are bottle service only for the VIPs (which are plenty in Turkbuku) Large tip is needed to secure these. Hundreds of people, young and old, decend here ta night to drink the expensive cocktails (25 – 30 YTL each) and sort of shuffle to the great club music later at night interspersed with Turkish tunes.
Guverte. At the unpopular end of the bay, they host popular Turkish singers and performers all summer. Program starts around 1.30am, set price for music and local drinks, price depends on the performer.
Fidele : Great restaurant, next door to Shipahoy, mainly seafood, with their signature mezes and main courses. http://www.fidelehotel.net/indextr.htm
Divan Palmira, Macakizi, Maki hotels have good restaurants.
Many many more restaurants along the bay from Casita Manti to Changa, Bodrum Manti, all have their main locations in Istanbul.

Dress Code : Turkbuku is unique and have its own dress code among all of the holiday resorts. It is a weird mixture of dress down beach with designer wear. I’ll speak about women here as men don’t care what they wear, linen shirts, shorts, t-shirts, flip flops, anything dress down goes. It’s the girls who go mad!
Beachwear is designer label bikinis, the smaller the better, preferably with sequins and sparkly bits on. On top of the bikini, a trendy loose kaftan of any colour, , short or long, again with sequins. This kaftan can either be designer or bought from ‘Ipekce’ shop on the Turkbuku bay, selling Indian sourced kaftans and jewellery. On top of the kaftan you need chunky cheapish jewellery of glass, beads, semi precious stones such as turquoise, amber. Large bracelets, necklaces hair accessories, anklets, they don’t need to be taken out while swimming, though I fail to understand how they can stay afloat with so many stuff on!! Hair this year was big. It has to be styled so that it looks like you’ve just woken up, put a hair clip on and came down the beach, which can only be achieved after careful grooming. Some women wear high heeled wedges and some wear trendy flip flops, either is acceptable, depending on how tall you are I suppose.
Night time, this uniform is more or less kept, maybe a pair of shorts and a longer kaftan sometimes, not necessarily. You only need to add a lot of make-up and you’re there!!
Typical Day in Turkbuku :
Wake up at 12.
Beach club around 1.30pm
Beach party in beach club, or sunset drinks in Shipahoy or Divan : 6 – 8pm
Home for rest, wash and change
Dinner : 10pm – 12
Bar : 12- 2am
Club or watch performer : 2- 5am
Morning eat in Bodrum Manti : 5- 6am

 

Not much English is spoken in Turkbuku and menus are usually in Turkish but the quality of food and service is very good as they depend on repeat customers. This place is the choice of many celebrities from Olivier Martinez to Cavalli to Uma Thurman and Paris Hilton. What can I say, they liked it.  

 

Have fun in Turkbuku!!

Al-Jamal for a special night out

If you want to have a fun and uninhibited night in Istanbul that will stay in your memory long after your trip, you can’t go much wrong with Al-Jamal

Al-Jamal changed so many locations and merged with Cahide, then got separated, then Cahide closed so here is an edit of my previous post on Cahide and Al-Jamal!!!!

http://www.capamarka.com.tr/

You are in Istanbul, with its exotic charms and reminiscence of 1001 Arabian nights, you’ve been to the Topkapi palace and the Harem and then you want to have a night out in style in sumptuous surroundings, a great feast and a host of belly dancers but don’t want to go to a tourist trap. Then Al-Jamal is the place for you.
Al-Jamal is a themed restaurant taking its food, décor and music inspirations from Turkey, Middle East and Morocco.
The décor is wonderful. Topkapi Palace Harem comes to life in this smallish restaurant with sumptuous fabrics, gold, copper and silver accessories, coloured glass lanterns, colourful tiles, every inch decorated richly and luxuriously. The lighting is dim and romantic.
The dinner is a true feast. It is served as a set menu. They start with tens of small dishes, from Turkey, Middle East and North Africa, every one very unique and tasty, served exquisitely in delicate dishes. The main courses are set as well, delicious meats and rice served in copper plates. Dessert is one of the highlights, consisting of helvas, baklavas, and milk puddings. Some desserts come in fez like containers. Then (if you still have any place left) they bring an optional tray of Turkish delight. They bring it on a trolley with long sticks of Turkish delight in a glass jar, when you pick the types you want, the gloved waiter picks them and cuts them into pieces with silver scissors. I would recommend you to skip lunch (even breakfast) if you plan a visit to Al-Jamal. Unlimited local drinks are included and the total cost is around 120YTL.
Now for the entertainment, after all this is why many people go there. Music is soft to start with, with Turkish and Arabic tunes. Then 2 singers come out (there is no stage) and sing a couple of songs to get things going.

Then after dinner is cleared it is time for the belly dancers. First a wonderful male belly dancer makes an apeearance. He is by far the best dancer of the night. After him, not 1, not 3 but 5 women belly dancers, dressed in different coloured belly dancing costumes start dancing among the tables. They take turns at each table and if they sense that the table is willing to tip them, they stay longer, even go up and dance on the table. The belly dancers are given tips by putting the notes in their bras, bra straps or tucked into their waist. (with the male belly dancer, on his waist obviously but due to his belly dancing skills this proved very difficult!!!) It is usually the men who tip the dancers but women can tip as well. You can tip starting anything from 10YTL up to hundreds if you feel like, but then they will never leave your table!!
Many women and some men dance with the belly dancers. After about half an hour the belly dancers leave and by this time most tables would be up and dancing. The music gets louder and they also play many popular old and new Turkish songs that the Turkish guests sing along to. Towards the end of the night the whole place party together as if in a house party. The night ends early here around 1am.
For a fun and memorable night out, straight out of the pages of 1001 Arabian Nights, this is the perfect location.

The new location of Al jamal is not one large room but a maze of interconnecting rooms of 3-4 tables each which makes the place more intimate but does not distract from the atmosphere. They are now located on the hill called Akaretler, near the W hotel going up toward the Swissotel.

Address : Suleyman Seba Cad. No 42/46 Akaretler, Istanbul

Phone : +90 212 236 50 17

Reservation is a MUST

As with other Istanbul nightlife spots people dress up. This is not a touristic restaurant and Istanbul people go to this club dressed to impress.

This restaurant group also opened a new place called Nahide Palas, kind of replacing Cahide, with the focus to recreate 60s and 70s Istanbul evening entertainment of Gazinos with live music acts, but I’ve not been there yet, though I heard many good things about it from family and friends. Will post a review soon!

UPDATE (10/2011): Al Jamal is now closed, in its place the same owner opened another restautant called Arabesque with a Lebanese theme and similar entertainment so you won’t be disappointed. The owner Izzet Capa gave interviews to a couple of magazines saying there Al Jamal has been replicated by a number of other restaurants and he likes to be at the forefront of Istanbul nightlife. He likes to do things other people are not doing to stay desirable and keep the discerning and easily bored Istanbul clientele interested.
Last week I went to Nahide again and it was great, unfortunately due to some national tragedies the entertainment was kept to a minimum, out of respect which was completely understandable. But the food and the atmosphere was top notch.

Meyhane Etiquette

Turkish food is varied with lots of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and great desserts. The restaurants are specialised for meat, fish, home cooked dishes, sandwiches, etc. Many people coming to visit Istanbul get disappointed with the food because they can’t find the great authentic restaurants that locals eat in and have to make do with second rate tourist fare. Another reason is they don’t know how to order the great dishes in a restaurant as true Turkish restaurants differ in eating style and habits to regular European restaurants. This is what I want explain here by describing the ‘meyhane’ etiquette in Turkey.

Meyhane literally means ‘drinking place’ from old Turkish. So people go to Meyhane to drink but in Turkey alcohol is closely linked to eating and they cannot be thought of separately. If you go to a typical meyhane thinking of a quick meal of a starter, a main course and a glass of wine, meyhane is not for you. You also should not order from a menu and if this makes you uncomfortable, you again should stay away from a meyhane.

A Meyhane is a restaurant that serves a selection of mezes (small dishes mostly vegetarian) choices of main courses and desserts in an informal environment, to be consumed with alcohol, mainly raki (the local strong anise favoured spirit) or sometimes wine, sometimes with musicians in a relaxed and noisy atmosphere. It can be very expensive high end, or very cheap in a small shop in a side street, the essence of a meyhane does not change. You usually see large tables of friends chatting, singing, eating, socializing with other tables and waiters.

Meyhanes may specialize in seafood or meat or may be mixed. There will be no menu. Most meyhanes either charge a fixed price for the whole dinner including unlimited raki or local wine, or will have fixed prices for all mezes and then for all main courses so they just count them up. A la carte pricing is rare. In most meyhanes around Taksim, istiklal street, fish market, Nevizade, Asmalimescit you get a set menu. Ranging from 30YTL all the way up to 100YTL is normal.

When you sit at your table, they bring the water and bread, ask for your drink order and then they start bringing the starters, which usually would be set and they will not give you any choice. Typically 5-10 mezes, sometimes up to 20 varieties in small portions are bought to the table. They may change daily depending on the chef’s pleasure, or seasonally depending on availability. Mezes are shared by the whole table, not individual. Cold starters are nearly all vegetarian, such as various vegetables cooked in olive oil, yoghurt dishes, salads, pickles, salsa style dips. In seafood places you may get octopus, prawn as well or in a meat place maybe cold meat slices but rarely. You should take your time with the mezes as this is actually the main part of the meal. A sip of raki, a bit of meze, lots of conversation and singing is the usual way of getting through the mezes. This may take an hour or more.

After the cold mezes, come the hot mezes (this course in Turkish is called ‘ara sicak’ meaning middle hot course) . At this point you may have a choice but the choices are told to you by the waiter. The table chooses, 2 or 3 hot starters. These could be small casseroles, fried calamari or mussles, borek, small meatballs depending on the meyhane. Meyhanes all have their own specialities.

After hot mezes is the time for main course. This course is chosen individually and is one each. Usual main courses are grilled meat, meat on skewers, grilled fish, chicken. They are not as heavy as in Kebap restaurants. Some people decide to skip this course if they’ve eaten too much meze and I am one of these people as I always like the mezes more and main course is usually an anti climax for me. Also I need to reserve space for the desserts!!

By this stage a lot of raki or wine will have been consumed and the noise in the meyhane would be loud, singing even if there is no music, maybe musicians and if things get really fun, some dancing around the tables, even on the chairs. Some meyhanes provide tef (a small musical instrument of a round loop with sort of bells/round metals) to keep rhythm and even little drums called darbuka.

Dessert usually consists of a plate of seasonal fruits and a plate of heavy desserts such as selection of baklava, kadayif, pumpkin dessert.

Then follows Turkish coffee. When ordering Turkish coffee you have to specify how sweet you want it.

Sekersiz : no sugar, I’m on a diet despite the three thousand calories i just consumed,

az sekerli -I’m on a diet but the coffee is too bitter so can you put just a bit of sugar,

orta sekerli  – OK, i like sugar, put a little more,

cok sekerli – more sugar than coffee in the small cup!!!

Recommended Meyhanes:

It is very difficult to recommend meyhanes in Istanbul as there are hundreds with really good food, good atmosphere, for every budget and everyone have their favourites. So instead I will list a few that I’ve been to and enjoyed:

Asmalimescit Balikcisi : http://www.asmalimescitbalikcisi.com/

Great little place in the heart of Asmalimescit, lively fun few streets just off Istiklal Street where Istanbullus head for a good evening out. Good seafood based food with meat and vegetarian options for main course, live music, only about 10 tables, always popular and always fun. In summer hey put 3-4 tables outside. Reservation essential as it is a tiny place.

Yakup: http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/turkey/istanbul/review-36906.html

Again in Asmalimescit, an old meyhane, reasonably priced, big, noisy and ever popular. To see a more traditional meyhane.

Istiklal Meyhanesi: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Istiklal-Meyhanesi/20886817032)    http://www.istanbulrestaurants.com/detail.php?id=1815  

This is a fun fun fun place. Decor neutral, with old tables chairs painted white, great food, friendly service and wonderful entertainment with great gypsy musicians. Fixed price of around 70YTL including unlimited raki, local wine or beer. At the end of the night our table was on the chairs with musical instruments and belly dancing accessories dancing and singing.

Kokosh : http://www.istanbulrestaurants.com/detail.php?id=907

This is a slightly more expensive place with a small stage for musicians and it is a location people go to have fun. Food is good, fun is very very good.

Kallavi : http://www.kallavi20.net/en/index1en.html

A great traditional meyhane serving Turkish and Greek dishes. They also have live music of traditional Turkish ‘Fasil’ with traditional musical instruments and singing. It would be a great experience. Kallavi is in Beyoglu as well, close to Taksim square, on a side street.

Others

There are many meyhanes in the Beyoglu neighbourhood (all the above meyhanes were located around there). Main streets to find them are Nevizade (behind the fish market), Cicek Pasaji, Asmalimescit. ‘Boncuk’ is highly recommended in Nevizade. You can strall along these streets and places and pick a meyhane that you like the look of.

 

Another location for seafood meyhanes is Kumkapi. This is by the shores of Marmara Sea, close to Sultanahmet, on the way to the airport. The area is huge, street after street of meyhanes, with tables on the streets in summer and street musicians. Very informal and fun but I heard a lot of complaints that quality varies. Some serve substandard but overly expensive food. If you don’t go to a recommended place it is difficult to find which ones are good. Tourists may be ripped off. You won’t have a similar problem in Beyoglu.

Greek meyhanes are also very popular with the entertainment of mainly Greek music by Turkish musicians, the food is similar and theie style is identical to Turkish meyhanes. I’ve not been to one in Istanbul for a long time, I’ve been to a few in Bodrum so I cannot recommend a recent Greek meyhane, I’ve been to Zorba a couple of times but it’s probably closed now.

Also have a look at this website, though in Turkish it is the main meyhane promotion website: http://www.meyhane.com/

Meyhanes are informal, you don’t need to dress up but Istanbul residents have a different understanding of dressing down, they will still be smart.

 Sherefe!!!!

Istanbul Summer Superclubs – Reina, Sortie, Suada

In the summer, Istanbul nightlife move to the shores of Bosphorous. Unique to Istanbul are the ‘superclubs’ which are kind of entertainment complexes under the same roof (well under the same sky as they are open air) They have restaurants, bars and a club which makes them a great place to go early at night and stay until the early hours of the morning. Sortie have regular events, concerts, cinema showings, especially on Sundays so it’s worth checking their website from time to time. 

Here are the top 3:

Reina: www.reina.com.tr

 The oldest of these clubs, and after years still the most popular. It has a number of restaurants in including Turkish, Seafood, Chinese, Greek, Italian, 2 bars and a large dance floor. It is situated in Kurucesme by the Bosphorous and have wonderful views.  For early evening drinks, the place is quiet with a chilled atmosphere and music. It is not a time for people watching and posing.

Dinner service starts around 830 (starts earlier but would be empty) and continues until about midnight, some of the restaurants are for late night eats and stay open all night. I can recommend Kosebasi for a good Turkish Kebap, or the new Greek restaurant Varaulko by a famous michelin starred chef.

If you want to go just for the bar, unless you have reservation, or buy drinks buy the bottle, or know the manager, or pay a huge tip, you cannot sit at the tables but have to stand up around tall bar tables or around the bar. Even if you are standing in a corner, it is waiter service though. Waiters find you anywhere, bring your drinks promptly and get their payments. It is very efficient. The bar areas become a club later in the night, around 1am. There is a dance floor and resident and visitor DJs play a mixture of Turkish and International hits. The music is very middle of the road, aimed to please everyone as people from all age groups visit Reina.

Reina is expensive. Drinks over £10 per cocktail. Food depends on the restaurant. The doormen have been critisized as being rude. I’ve always been to Reina for dinner and then stayed on late so did not have deal with the doormen as having a reservation guarantees your entry unless you are so under-dressed and scruffy that they may refuse entry.

Reina is full of posers, people with money there to show off as in many top clubs around the world. If you don’t like that sort of thing Reina is not for you. People, especially women are really dressed up and I like going to Reina even for the people watching. Not many people dance but sort of shuffle on their feet which is funny to watch but a lot of people let their hair down and have a great time as well.

The views are breathtaking and if you have the budget, spending a night out in Reina would be a great experience that you won’t forget easily.  If you don’t have the budget, you can still dress up, come to Reina around 730 – 8 and have a cocktail and watch the sunset surrounded by the beautiful people of Istanbul.

Reina is also open in winter but offer limited service indoors with only the Reina restaurant but is is still very popular with a late night bar and club.

Sortie : www.sortie.com.tr/

100meters from Reina, it is very similar in style and concept so I won’t repeat the general features, you can refer to what I said about Reina above. As posy and expensive as Reina and as difficult to get into late at night.

It has many restaurants including a good Turkish restaurant, Japanese, French, Brazilian, Chinese, International cuisines as well as a wonderful Fish Restaurant. I would highly recommend the fish restaurant Fishmekan. Most of these restaurants have their main location outside Sortie as well and I like Mori, Mirror and Sahan.

Suada (water island) : www.suada.com.tr/en-US/

Suada is really special. It has a unique position of being an artificial island in the middle of the Bosphorous. It used to be a sports club but for a couple of years its’ been rented out as a pool/bar/club complex.

During the day it operates as a beach club with an Olympic sized pool. You can only imagine the wonderful panoramic views of Istanbul on all sides, being in the middle of the Bosphorous. You access Suada with the complimentary boat service from Kurucesme. You pay entrance fee for the pool and can enjoy it all day, with happy hour drinks in the afternoons on Saturday and Sundays.

In the evenings it is very similar in concept to Reina and Sortie (see above)

The place has many restaurants including a cafe, Italian, Turkish, International and Seafood. Mezzaluna, the Italian restaurant have many branches around the city and is very good. I would try tor Turkish Kebap restaurant as well, you can’t go wrong in this stunning location. Suada has a number of bars and it becomes a club alter at night.

I would highly recommend Suada, for a day out, evening drinks or a full night out just for the unbeatable views of Istanbul. It hosts regular ‘beach’ parties during the day and have many performers such as Ayhan Sicimoglu and Latin All Stars, a Turkish Latin band on Wednesdays (they play at Reina on Sundays).

Dresscode

Dresscode for all these clubs at night is similar. Unfortunately you need to look the part of you want entry to these clubs, especially late at night.

Women dress up. Revealing dresses, short skirts, skimpy tops all acceptable, even expected. Top labels, expensive bags, strappy high heeled sandals, jewellery, you can really go over the top. In the summer colourful dresses are seen as well as black dresses. A minimum would be nice jeans, a sparkly dressy top and high heels. You will not see a woman wearing trainers or flat shoes. You’d be surprised how many girls have their hair done, at least blow-dried and there is lots and lots of make up.

Men usually wear jeans, black cotton trousers and a smart long sleeved shirt. There are some younger men with smart designer t-shirts. During the week there will be men in suits but only if they are coming after work, suit and ties are not needed and not seen on weekends unless coming from a wedding. Oder men wear tailored trousers, a crisp white shirt or polo shirt and sports jacket. Lots of linen is acceptable, similar to Italy. Very smart trainers are sometimes acceptable if you are a trendy youth but you may be refused entry.

Transport

The traffic around these clubs which are only hundreds of yards apart is horrendous between 9pm – 3am. Police is doing their best but when thousands of people arrive in their cars to be valet parked this is difficult. Taxi is the best way and taxis wait outside until early morning. Of course the only socially acceptable way to get into Reina is by your own Boat :-) but this may not be an option for most of us.

 Have fun in Istanbul  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE (Oct 2011)
I was in Istanbul last week and we went to Suada, to eat at Suada Balik and it was a great night out in winter as well as in summer. The weather was quite good for October so it was semi-open but with lots of heaters and we had beautiful mezes and lufer (bluefish) which is in season right now. There is also Suada Kebap and another seafood restaurant still open, as well as the bar. The boat trip was quick, again heater in there so don’t hesitate to go to Suada in winter

Istanbul Nightlife – general info

Istanbul nightlife is varied, fast changing, seasonal and fun fun fun!

In the summer nightlife moves outdoors and towards the water. Large waterside bars and clubs open all along the bosphorous and restaurants and bars open their gardens, terraces, even move locations. The popular summer locations are Ortakoy, Kurucesme, Arnavutkoy along the Bosphorous, and Asmalimescit area off Istiklal Street.

In winter the same clubs, bars and restaurants move indoors and into their winter locations. Top areas for nightlife are along Istiklal street and Nisantasi.

On the Asian side Baghdat Street and Moda/Kadikoy areas have wonderful cafes, restaurants and bars but few late night bars and clubs, which is true for all of Asian side. there are few exceptions but for late night clubbing you have to be in the European side.

Typical times for Activities:

Sitting leisurely in cafes all around town : 2 – 7

Early evening drinks popular in most European countries is not very popular in Istanbul. People usually go back home to get ready. Some bars especially hotel bars may get busy but this is usually expat businesspeople.

Dinner : 8.30 – 11.30

Bar and Cocktails 11 – 2

Clubs : 2 – morning

Early morning eats : 3 – 6

There are many places in Istanbul that operate as first as a restaurant, then as a bar when they clear the tables and the as a club when the music gets really loud. Which is a good thing as you can stay in the same location and avoid queues to enter later at night.

Dresscode for top Clubs (such as Reina, Sortie, 360)

Dresscode for Istanbul’s top clubs is similar, winter and summer. Unfortunately you need to look the part of you want entry to these clubs, especially late at night.

Women dress up. Revealing dresses, short skirts, skimpy tops all acceptable, even expected. Top labels, expensive bags, strappy high heeled sandals, jewellery, you can really go over the top. In the summer colourful dresses are seen as well as black dresses. A minimum would be nice jeans, a sparkly dressy top and high heels. You will not see a woman wearing trainers or flat shoes. You’d be surprised how many girls have their hair done, at least blow-dried and there is lots and lots of make up.

Men usually wear jeans, black cotton trousers and a smart long sleeved shirt. There are some younger men with smart designer t-shirts. During the week there will be men in suits but only if they are coming after work, suit and ties are not needed and not seen on weekends unless coming from a wedding. Oder men wear tailored trousers, a crisp white shirt or polo shirt and sports jacket. Lots of linen is acceptable, similar to Italy. Very smart trainers are sometimes acceptable if you are a trendy youth but you may be refused entry.

Istanbul Shopping

1. Nisantasi
Upscale Shopping District in Istanbul
The main shopping street is Abdi Ipekci Caddesi where you can find upscale shops of Turkish and International brands and many great cafes, restaurants and bars.
Also worth visiting here are Bronz sokak (another street), Reasurans Pasaji (an arcade of shops and restaurants) and tesvikiye caddesi where you can find Armani, Gucci, and other shops, also great turn of the century architecture.

2. Kanyon Mall
Great shopping mall of very interesting modern architecture in the new Levent district of Istanul. Easy to reach bu metro, this mall houses Harvey Nichols, many Turkish and International brands, cafes, restaurants, bars, bookshops, etc. Worth visiting here : Konyali restaurant, D&R book/music shop, Ottoman empire shop for funky themed t-shirts, Harvey Nichols, Pasabahce for excellent glassware and gifts, Agent Provocateur for underwear.

3. Bagdat Street (Bagdat caddesi)
Shopping street in the Asian side of Istanbul. This wide boulevard style long street (once on the silk route) is a great shopping area for all kinds of shops from reasonably priced local favourites to international brands to high end shopping. Wonderful cafes for every budget and taste it has a very lively atmosphere and very local, outside the usual tourist trail. It is a great day out to cross the bosphorous with ferry to Bostanci and starting from the Bostanci end of Bagdat Caddesi all the way down to Feneryolu (a couple of miles) walking on the wide pavements and joining the locals strolling the shops and cafes in a leasurely atmosphere. Good Turkish Shops here are Vakko, Derishow, Mudo, Yargici, among hundreds of others.

4. Cukurcuma
Shopping street for antiques and ethnic items. Located near Istiklal Street, you can find quirky antique shops, vintage items, ehtnic crafts in this street. It is a bit difficult to find but once you find it you will not be sorry.

5. Shopping Malls of Istanbul
Istanbul has a history of shopping malls of course with the historic Grand Bazaar but the modern malls are very impressive and great for shopping for every need. They are always open from 10am to 10pm every day and can be found in every part of Istanbul. Apart from the wonderful Kanyon mall mentioned above, the other notable ones are Akmerkez in Etiler, Metrocity in Levent, Cevahir in Sisli, Profilo in Mecidiyekoy, Galleria in Bakirkoy (nearer to the airport) and many in the asian side. These are all generalist malls. Address Istanbul in Caglayan is a new chic mall for all interior design, furniture, home items. If you want fabrics and home furnishings in great resonable prices visit IMC, near the old city in Aksaray, it is an old shopping arcade but very big and you can find great varieties and great bargains.
All the large generalist malls have many cafes, restaurants and food courts, some have cinemas and places to entertain children.

6. Istinye Park Shopping Mall
This is the newest edition to Istanbul’s trendy modern shopping malls. It is a very interesting place, quite different to the other malls, I can describe it as Kanyon plus Metro city plus Akmerkez plus a modern spice bazaar all in one. You can find anything from Gucci to Beymen to Boyner to the cheapest brands and there is a Spice Bazaar style marketplace complete with fruit/veg, spices, organic honey, olive oil, soaps etc.
There is an outside entrance on the top floor like a round piazza and this is where the most expensive international brands are. Then you go inside and the lower you go the cheaper it gets and at the lowest level you find the bazaar. Great food options, Borsa is very good for traditional Turkish cuisine, at the top floor outside, placed next to YSL, Chloe, Gucci, etc, very similar in look and style to Konyali in Kanyon, I would highly recommend.
There is a big food hall as well as other cafes including the lovely House Café.
The only negative so far is they did not finish to connection roads so there is lots of traffic around and no metro yet. Getting there would be difficult for visitors staying in Sultanahmet as it is very far. The best way to get there is to take the metro to the last stop and get a taxi from there and please visit on a weekday outside rush hours!

Istanbul Blog

Istanbul is a big, exciting, exotic and a complicated city. Many visitors to Istanbul get to see only a small part of it and usually miss out on the really cool stuff. Once the must see historic sites and museums are done, most visitors struggle to find the real Istanbul, the trendy and happening Istanbul that travel and lifestyle magazines are talking about.

I am from Istanbul, now living in London and travel frequently to Istanbul. Over the years I gave advice to many friends from London and over the world who were going to Istanbul and travelled to Istanbul with some. They were always grateful for the help and appreciated a local’s point of view.

I’d like to share these tips with you on this blog, and update you on what’s new and what’s hot in Istanbul.

Kozano