262857 Mon Jun 23 06:03:29 -0700 2003 15 26 International 0 1388805 In Istanbul we will be thankful for a traditional but good hotel not too far from the center for two well traveled adults Mon Jun 23 06:03:29 -0700 2003 0 Peer Dyke 1 1388806 Hotel Pera Palas. The double rooms are about 100$ a night. Built in the 1800's for the passengers arriving off the orient express. I stayed here years ago, before it got a bit spruced up but I'm sure it's still great. Very old world charm/elegance and enormously deep bathtubs. If you google the hotel name - you'll get info and a reservation form etc. Mon Jun 23 09:56:19 -0700 2003 1388805 0 djk 1 1388807 Please, as an American, I advise you to be careful where and what you eat. American health a safety measures are not taken into consideration in places that do not have a refrigerator, or a bathroom for that matter. One of our biggest complaints is food poisoning, please be carefull and enjoy your trip! Mon Jun 23 10:43:10 -0700 2003 1388805 0 Fayez Kata 1 1388815 We stayed in the Blue House three years ago and liked it enormously. Very reasonably priced and ideally located. Our room looked out onto the Blue Mosque -- an incredible sight day or night. As to food, be sure to drink only bottled water and make sure that it is opened in front of you. Eating only cooked food and avoiding raw vegetables washed in tap water will reduce the liklihood of your coming down with a case of the Sultan's revenge. One doesn't go to Turkey for the food. France it is not. Nonetheless, the best yogurt I've ever had was in Istanbul. Also, be sure to try their eggplant dishes. Tasty indeed. Mon Jun 23 17:16:59 -0700 2003 1388805 0 Elzoe 2 1388846 A good caveat Tue Jun 24 15:08:16 -0700 2003 1388815 0 Kiln 1 1388831 My friend and I ate all over Turkey in July, from Istanbul to Ankara to Kas to Ephesus, traveling by car through cities big and small for three weeks. We never had problems with food and we ate just about anything anywhere, although we did drink bottled water exclusively. The in-city restaurants are fine if not memorable. If you stick with traditional Turkish food it can be quite good - eggplant, tomatoes, lamb, breads, stews, etc. We had some of our best meals in smaller, unassuming and cheap restaurants off the beaten path, not the ones catering to tourists in the area surrouding the Aga Shophia and Suleyman's Palace with all of the food displayed in the windows and the touts trying to usher you in. One of the treats of Istanbul is the plethora of sweet shops-- there is one on every block. Beautiful pastries, puddings and fresh and varied turkish delight are all worth a try. You can get truly amazing rice and chocolate puddings throughout Istanbul along with great coffee and tea in these shops. In the countryside, our favorite lunch was to pick up fresh tomatoes, fresh farmers cheese similar to feta, and a fresh loaf of bread at small local markets and picnic -- a Swiss Army knife came in handy. Cold beer was also readily available. Dried fruits and nuts are also plentiful at local stands and great to have in the car. Honey and bee pollen is also easy to come by. Hard boiled eggs, feta, olives, bread and sliced tomatoes constitute a typical breakfast served at most B&Bs. Near the coast the grilled fish was fabulous when we could find it. If you focus on fresh and local, you should be fine. If you are in Istanbul during the International Music Festival, don't miss out! We saw top Spanish Flamenco, Bulgarian singers and dancers, and Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio at the Sultan's Palace! Truly a fantastic experience. Loosen up and you'll have a great time there. Tue Jun 24 10:56:04 -0700 2003 1388805 0 Ellen 2 1388847 Are you turkish? or of middle eastern decent? Tue Jun 24 15:08:55 -0700 2003 1388831 0 Larry Felder 3 1388871 No, I'm a middle aged white American woman who likes to experience the countries I visit. Wed Jun 25 09:45:17 -0700 2003 1388847 0 Ellen 1 1388838 We stayed at the Turkoman Hotel overlooking the Blue Mosque (I assume by "center" you mean Sultanameht, although most folks that live there would not consider this the center; its more the tourist center as it is where many attractions are located) and liked it a great deal. The location was good and there was a great view of the blue mosque from the breakfast terrace/bar upstairs. Prices were around U.S.$100. per night. There is a discount if you pay cash. Apparently many archaeologists stay here as it is close to the archaeology museum. Here is the link: http://www.turkomanhotel.com/ I dont know how other posters got fixated on water and sanitation, etc, but we had no problems in Istanbul. It is much cleaner than many other places we have visited in Europe, including parts of Italy and Spain. I also thought the food was quite good, if you take some time in selecting places. Most places are not serving up complicated fare, but the grilled meats can be fantastic. I also highly enjoyed the mezze at a number of places. Post again if you want me to dig through some notes and give you the names of places we liked. I highly recommend picking up the Time Out Guide to Istanbul. In addition to the sights, it has very good sections on restaurants, bars, accomodation, etc. Oh, definitely make time for a visit to a hammam. Tue Jun 24 12:52:09 -0700 2003 1388805 0 TJ 2 1388849 We get 'fixated" because it ain't America. It is not clean, by any means, and many have fallen ill by their food selections. True, if one takes care to drink only bottled water and dine in places that are packed to the rafters with other diners, not just those that are there for the refreshments, then all should hopefully be ok. Istambul is not Greece anymore. It is a middle eastern country. Some Americans may take certain things for granted at home that can prove to be harmful abroad. Just a word of caution, that's all. Tue Jun 24 15:35:08 -0700 2003 1388838 0 Fayez Kata 2 1388857 I too am confused by the multiple posts warning about sanitation. I've been to Turkey five times and never had a moment's trouble after eating or drinking anything that was put in front of me. (Except for complications of extreme gluttony!) It's true that "you are not in the United States," but it is certainly easy enough to get food poisoning in the US as well. For instance, my sister got a whopping case of campylobacter poisoning in Boston that knocked her out for months, and was far worse than anything picked up in any of our travels around the world. Back to Istanbul. If you do a search of this board, there are quite a few postings on the city with good restaurant recommendations. As for hotels, in the mid-priced category I can recommend the Hotel Ibrahim Pasa in Sultanahmet. If you are willing to spend more, try hard to get into the Four Seasons in Sultanahmet, which is phenomenal. It may be possible to get good Internet rates there, so give it a shot. If you are looking for a somewhat more "world-class" place, i.e. non-Turkish but comfortable and with all 5-star conveniences, then I can also recommend the Swissotel Bosphorus near Taksim. Tue Jun 24 17:31:22 -0700 2003 1388838 0 Julie 1 1388842 We stayed at the Kybele Hotel and were treated very well there and thought the food in Istanbul was very good, some of the best beef ever. No one had any problems with sanitation, although an older lady was not too happy with the common toilets. We always tell people to be aware if a restaurant is within a certain distance of a mosque, they will not offer alcohol. After long hours sightseeing we often were thirsty for a beer only to sit down and be disappointed. The mosque is not always apparent. Link: http://www.istanbulshotels.com/kybele.htm Tue Jun 24 14:00:48 -0700 2003 1388805 0 susan blair 1 1388906 Empress Zoe in Sulthanahmet for it's warmly decorated rooms, marvelous little garden off the breakfast room for morning dining, and delicious breakfasts (with the best coffee you'll get in Turkey, other than Turkish coffee that is).But be aware that while the best "traditional", ie. Turkish-flavored accomodation, is in Sulthanahmet, the best food is elsewhere --- Galatasaray, Taksim, Uskudar, Ortakoy, and up the Bosphorus in ferry-reachable small towns like Sariyer. Every meal we had in Sulthanahmet was a real disappointment, and our last trip we chose to stay elsewhere for closer proximity to good food.Also -- sanitation is no problem in Turkey! One of the best things about Turkish food is the beatiful salads --- arrugala (roka), butter lettuces, tomatoes and cucumbers with olive oil and lemon you add yourself. And at humble establishments, always a fresh tasty chopped salad with lemon and olive oil. We've eaten from Istanbul to Van and Trabzon to Antalya and never had a problem. Thu Jun 26 21:18:31 -0700 2003 1388805 0 foodfirst 2 1388917 Lemon is a natural antibacterial disinfectant... Fri Jun 27 11:39:33 -0700 2003 1388906 0 Kiln 1 1388921 Agree with foodfirst about Empress Zoe -- we stayed there at Christmas and it was delightful. The website is linked to below. Link: http://www.emzoe.com/ Fri Jun 27 12:50:36 -0700 2003 1388805 0 Winot 1 1389265 I would recommend the hotel Ibrahim Pasha, close enough to walk to Aya Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, the palace, tourist information office, everywhere. Very nice, English speaking management. Rooms a bit small but immaculate and nice breakfast room and very quiet stylish place. Nearby to eat, I would recommend Sabattin (sp?) a fish restaurant, very "Turkish" in what is otherwise a nice but catering to tourist neighborhood (it was recommended by a local at a lovely shop called Sofa which sells many Turkish decorative items, much nicer than traditional souvenirs that you find everywhere, but I have also seen that restaurant listed in maybe it was www.frommers.com or www.fodors.com or maybe www.zagat.com (even zagat has a "best" of Istanbul place in their website). Don't be afraid if you go to Sabattin, there is no menu and it is one price for a series of appetizers brought to your table and a choice of two fishes and a desert and maybe even the wine was included but it was still reasonable and all of it fresh and delicious and great "beautiful people" watching from the outdoor seating. We were sure we were getting ripped off as tourists but then we noticed that is what everyone else had too! Also, Medusa (search the internet for its website) for more traditional Turkish dishes in a pretty restaurant. We are from Chicago and both would be very attractive choices even compared to restaurants here. Enjoy Turkey. We had a wonderful trip there just this May and June. Thu Jul 17 17:09:50 -0700 2003 1388805 0 Laurie Ann