ISTANBUL ON THE CHEAP III-HOTEL YUNUS EMRE
Continuing our review of Sultanahmet's bargain basement hotels and hostels, here are another couple contenders that' ll leave more cash in your travel budget for the things that really matter during your cultural immersion in Istanbul--like souvenirs and great meals.
The Hotel Yunus Emre is a wise option for the budget traveler. Why? Because it offers all the comforts of home, including satellite TV, wireless Internet access, a/c, hair dryers and breakfast for about $90 per double.
Under the attentive management of Maria and Bülent Irem, the Yunus Emre boasts pleasantly pastel and pristine rooms, as well as ample bathrooms. There's also a rooftop terrace that faces the grand Blue Mosque. Head ther to watch the sunset over a scalding glass of hot çay.
The Emre's are reputed for offering world-renowned Turkish hospitality. And they'll even help you with a host of services.
Antique’s special service extends to free transfers to and from Atatürk airport when booking three or more nights and exclusive travel packages.
NEED TO KNOW
ADDRESS: Sifa Hamami Sokak 30, Sultanahmet
PHONE: +90.0212.638.4562
EMAIL: info@yunusemrehotel.com
STRICTLY SPEAKING
What time is it? = Saat kaç? (pron. sahat cahtch)
ISTANBUL ON THE CHEAP II-ORIENT HOSTEL
Backpackers heading to Istanbul will love the Orient Hostel International . It's the ideal base for an inexpensive Istanbul stay. The Orient boasts dormitory-style lodings, singles and doubles for ridiculously inexpensive rates. Internet access and a travel agency are also featured.
The Orient's added bnonus is its onsite travel agency that'll help you save even more with daily tours to the historical battlefields of Çanakkale for about $100. Or longer tours to the southern Aegean region to check sites like the ruins at Ephesus and the house of the Virgin Mary .
The place is best known for its great views at the Terrace Café & Restaurant. Nightly entertainment includes belly dancers and music of all genres. Here you'll also find a bar and the rudimentary ample collection of hookah pipes.
NEED TO KNOW
ADDRESS: Akbiyik Cad. 13, SULTANAHMET
PHONE: +90.212.517.9493
EMAIL: info@orienthostel.com
RATES From $25 for dormitor-style lodgings
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Bed = Yatak (pron. yahtak)
ISTANBUL ON THE CHEAP-ANTIQUE HOSTEL
Mark Evans, Planet Eye's director of community, has thrown us writers a challenge: To collect as much info on inexpensive lodgings, bites and tours available in our respective cities.
Istanbul offers tons of ways to save on transportation, hotels and eats to help you save money without making you feel like you're counting every penny.
Although I've mentioned some of the best places to stay in Sultanahmet in previous posts, I've bartely skimmed the real deals on the historic peninsula. So let's start with hotel bargains:
How to book and what to expect from your hôtelier
The rules of engagement in Turkey's largest metropolis are as follow: hotel rooms typically include breakfast; if you book way early you'll find way better deals; for an exhaustive listing of deals on accommodations in the city, check out www.istanbulhotelreservations.com; and, plan to travel between the months of November through March to avoid high season rates.
Antique Hostel & Guesthouse
The best for the buck is Antique Hostel & Guesthouse. Known for its lavish complimentary breakfasts, Antique has redefined the hostel experience to include satellite TVs, Wi-Fi access, and A/C in all its sparkling clean dormitory-style rooms, singles and doubles. Preferred by young adults, it does get loud particularly in the early evenings. But at just over $100, the rates for the triples that overlook the Sea of Marmara cannot be beat.
And for the best tip of all, if you book three consecutive nights with Antique you'll get free transfers. All you have to do is ask for the service. It'll save you at the very least $40 on taxi fare to and from the airport.
NEED TO KNOW
ADDRESS: Kutlugun Sokak 51, Sultanahmet
PHONE: +90.212.638.1637
EMAIL: info@antiquehostel.com
RATES: from $19 for dormitory-style accommodations
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Travel = Seyahat (Pron. sayahat)
GLOBAL GATHERING: GET YOUR GROOVE ON!
The world’s larest dance music festival is occurring this weekend on Istanbul's Black Sea resort of Kilyos
Previously held in England, Ukraine, Romania, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and South Africa, the Global Gathering Festival has chosen the hip city of Istanbul to hold it annual fest.
Some 25,000 guests are expected to attend the two-day event (08 & 09/08), which will feature the sounds of techno, house and trance music's biggest names. More than 40 are expected to attend. On Friday (8/08), the international sounds of Eric Prydz, Sasha, Sanim-live, Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schulz, Christian Varela, and Eston among many others will be featured. Saturday, Calvin Harris- live, Dubfire, Axwell, Above & Beyond, Umek, Nic Fancuilli, and James Algate will rock the house.
The festival's location is a famed campsite on the Black Sea's gorgeous golden sands at Kilyos at Seanery Beach. This year's festival will feature many activities, a first for this traveling festival.
So bring your tent, your dancing shoes, and, perhaps most important of all, plenty of energy to party well into the night.
ESSENTIALS
TICKETS: Available through BILETIX (Day: 75TL/person; Both Days/120TL; 2 Days w/ Camping: 150TL/person)
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Music = Musik (pron. as it's read)
JAVA STUDIO--An American In Istanbul
Writing to you from the Aegean coastal city of Peliköy along the Bay of Edremit--the inspiration for Homer's Iliad, I wish you the best of summers wherever you are!
For those who miss the states while in Istanbul, check out Jennifer Gaudet's Java Studio, Coffee Shop and Art Gallery. This ample-sized café is infinitely more than a coffee joint, as its name evokes. Sure there are sumptuous libations to be had--nine specialty teas, custom coffees, and iced drinks, in addition to quick snacks and luscious cakes. But Gaudet's love for Turkish indigenous art, and upcoming artists, shows through the collections of apparel and trinkets she smartly displays. There are also several English books about Istanbul and Turkey for the inquisitive mind.
To top it al off, her waitstaff is always cordial and speak English. Gaudet, a Canadian expat, has created an environment out of a former carpet shop in a sidestreet of Sultanahmet that feels just like home when you're half a world away from it.
Another of Java Studio's draws are the lectures enerally held during the weekends. This Saturday (08/09), for instance, Dr. Sylvia Wing Onder will be discussing "Traditional Turkish Family Relations and Social Life" from 10 a.m. to noon. Dr. Onder teaches Turkish language and culture at Georgetown Universitiy in Washington DC. She's also written a book, We Have No Microbes Here: Healing Practices in a Turkish Black Sea Village.
A benefactor at heart, Gaudet donates up to 20% of proceeds from sales to education for children in the community. ESSENTIALS
ADDRESS: Cankurtaran Mahallesi, Dolbasti Sokak, 13A Sultanahmet
PHONE: +90.212.517.2378
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Cake = Pasta (pron. as it's read)
MODA-A DISTINCTIVE QUARTER IN ANATOLIA
The prettiest enclave on Istanbul's Anatolian coast, Moda boasts tons of cafés, a park, some history, and a breathless view of Sultanahmet just across the Bosphorus
Set amongst plane trees, the enclave of Moda was known for the retired army generals who called the pretty grid home. Today, its streets are filled with sidewalk cafés that get jammed packed come the first days of summer.
Moda's nostalgic atmosphere continues on its headland with a few tea gardens overlooking the Sea of Marmara and Kalamis Bay. About a dozen stalls selling homemade jewelry and knick-knacks--pashminas and hats--border the alley along the teahouses. There's also a child's park, where mommies and nannies play ball with toddlers, and just refurbished buffet. The rocks that line the sea have inspired romanticism for generations; many an elder has proposed to his significant other at this very spot.
Koço, Moda's 80-year-old fish restaurant, is famous among old Istanbullus for Its fried calamari and tarator sauce, as well as its fried Albanian liver served with thin slices of raw onion. Everyone knows about the spectacular view of the Sea of Marmara and Princes' Islands from its lofty terrace, but few are aware of the tiny Orthodox sanctuary hidden beneath its main dining room. It's been there for eons and the diner's been evolving around it.
Moda's also the place for ice cream. Ali Usta and his team of brothers, sons and nephews scoop out more than four dozens flavors, like mastic and sour cherry, to awaiting crowds.
Little remains of Moda's famous beaches--like Kadinlar Plaji--where young ladies until the late 40s would bask in the sun while wannabe suitors dived artistically on either side to gain their attention. Now a coastal road replaces the wooden docks which doubled as a sunbathing pier. But the best thing to do in Moda remains watching the sun set bright red over the minarets and domes of historical Sultanahmet. Alternatively, it's also a great spot to watch the full moon rise overKalamis Bay to the east.
ESSENTIALS
If traveling from the European side, hop on a ferry boat to Kadikoy. Once there, turn right until you see the pedestrian esplanade that hugs the Sea of Marmara. Walk about 15 minutes and you'll see a grassy hill. Climb the stairs and you'll arrive in the historical Moda Tea garden.
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Sun = Gunes (pron. gunesh)
HIDIV KASRI
Rarely visited by foreigners, the Hidiv Pavilion boasts a swanky buffet-style restaurant, acres of fragrant pines, and an spectacular panorama of the Bosphorus from its tower.
Locals come here to brunch along Hidiv Kasri's marbled terraces, but the singular attraction remains viewing the panorama from atop its tower. The ascent can only be achieved by riding the rickety elevator that chugs to the top of the spire. It's not open to the public, but asking management kindly will let you in. The tower's terrace, halfway up, can be reached by climbing the serpentine stairs. The view reveals the northern part fo the straits.You can see the undeveloped entrance to the Black Sea on a good day. Seen Enough? Then, it's time for a bite or a drink.
Hidiv's restaurant boasts indoor dining space that's pure late-Ottoman style in decor--gilded high ceilings that feature stunning stained glass panels. Below a collection of marble fountains and pools refresh on torrid days and add to the mystique of this antique building. Its outside terrace is set along Istanbul's largest rose garden and a monumental fountain.
This turn-of-the-century mega abode was commissioned by Abbas Hilmi Pasha, an Ottoman governor to rule Egypt. Built by the Italian architect Delfo Seminati in 1907, it boasts the European architecture inside and out of its 9,000 square-foot living space. It's located in a large grove (Hidiv Grove) above Çubuklu on the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus.
The been managed by the municipality of Istanbul since the 1930s, after the governor left Turkey. Reopened to the public in 1982 after a long renovation stint by Türkiye Turing ve Otomobil Kurumu. Two years later, it opened as a hotel, restaurant and café. Today, the facilities are run by Beltur, the municipality's tourism branch. As such, no alcoholic beverages are sold on the premises. ESSENTIALS
ADDRESS: Cubuklu Yolu No:32 Beykoz
PHONE: +90.216.413.9644 - +90.216.413.9664
HOURS: Daily from 9 a.m. to midnight
STRICTLY SPEAKING
Panorama = Manzara (pron. as it's read)