Destination Golf Turkey 2015 2015 | Page 13

Istanbul Istanbul is not just a city of 2,000 mosques, 157 churches and 18 synagogues, it is also home to some of the hottest nightlife in Europe. The hippest places are within easy reach of each other on the European side of the Bosphorous. Su Ada has the edge on the private yacht scene as it is offshore. It is vying the to be crowned the trendiest night spot in Istanbul. Such places may not be cheap, but they are always popular. The restaurant with the best view in town is Hamdi. It has been serving inexpensive local produce made with the best local ingredients since 1970. Mustafa Bey’s family has expanded the restaurant and it now boasts 500 seats across three floors. The food is highly specialist - minced meat pizza, yoghurt starters, and no one else serves pistachio kebab like they do here. Don’t miss it. There is lots to see while you are here. For those with only a short amount of time, Guide Yirdiray Kirmizi quickly identifies 25 stops on a city tour to beat all city tours. There are five mosques, three churches, four parks, four viewpoints, three museums and other attractions. not hire a bike and escape to one of the distant beaches for that truly remote experience. Istanbul is a city break but one with its own private island. Experience the reliquary (Patriarchate at Fener), the beautiful (St Giorgio), the aesthetic (St Savior in Chora), the spiritual (Church of Panagia of Blechernae, is a leafy green, out of the way treasure), the unusual (Tekfur Palace), the bustling (spice market) and the sublime (the huge underwater cisterns near Hagia Sophia). One of Istanbul’s hidden treasures requires a thirty minute ferry ride. The sultan’s resort island of Büyükada offers a taste of the resorts to be found around Izmir, almost 600km to the south. Were it not for Istanbul on the horizon, Büyükada could be a distant Mediterranean red-tile hideaway. Why Destination Golf Turkey | Page 11