Istanbul - Wax Poetic

Advantages: So many wonderful sights, clean and easy to get around, reasonable prices
Disadvantages: Smoking in some places put us off our meals

...Istanbul sightseeing. This is a review of my experience and really there is so much to see and do you need to read a few of the great reviews on this site, as I did before we went in order to make your own mind up as to what you want to experience for yourself. There is no way I could go into depth about every sight, I have tried to create a desire to go and a taste of what is there. WHEN WE WERE IN ISTANBUL: We spent five days in Istanbul just before Easter 2009 and we stayed at the Orient Express Hotel in the Sirkeci area of old Istanbul. (Another separate review) Istanbul is the only city built on two continents and split by the sea. The Bosporus is the section of water which unites the two continents and joins the Sea of Marmara to the Black sea. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The first thing that struck me as we drove from the Airport to... Read review

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Advantages: Fascinating, historic, romantic, magical, nowhere else like it
Disadvantages: Must go at the right time, can be very busy

...One of the world's biggest cities, Istanbul is almost too diverse and too historic to sum up in one review. One could spend weeks in this fascinating metropolis and still barely scratch the surface. The city is at once bewildering, enchanting and exciting and exploring it can sometimes feel like hard work but your efforts will be rewarded many times over. I can only give a very general overview of Istanbul here, it's unrealistic to think that one could give any more in a couple of thousand words but at the end I'll give some suggestions for reading and viewing material that I think will complement and extend what I want to say about the city. Istanbul has a population of around 12 million - more or less; the authorities don't really know how many people actually live there because hundreds more people arrive from rural areas every... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent seafood, good value for money, good tourist location
Disadvantages: I'm about 20km away from it

...INTRODUCTION On my business trip to Turkey, I get to go to Istanbul centre at the weekends if I?m lucky. There aren?t many decent restaurants where I am staying and so any chance to find one is very welcome. It was when walking around the tourist mainstay of Sultanahmet that myself and a colleague had to choose somewhere to eat, which was proving tricky, as the Lonely Planet recommendation for the area didn?t seem to exist any more. As this area is one of Istanbul?s main tourist traps, this threw me a bit. Restaurants in big city tourist areas to me guarantee several things; proximity to sights, high prices, outside tables, insistent restaurateurs and menus disappointingly tailored for tourists. The choice came down to which one we instinctively liked and I favoured Pasha, as it seemed to have a decent seafood menu, so in we... Read review

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