6 months is nearly over & it’s time to head home. For the long flight hauls, I had an accumulation of points (flyer miles) as you might at my age 🙂 and wanted to use those points to fly business class for the long legs home.
Cairo had limited options, but the Qantas help centre advised Istanbul to be the 3rd largest transit hub in Europe; so a short flight to Istanbul would avail numerous flight options home using points. Transit through allowed a day & a half on the ground; so, here is
Istanbul in a day.
Basilica Cistern
Flight arrived at Ataturk Airport Istanbul at 1pm. I had arranged private transfers as public transport to Sultanahmet seems too complicated given the short time I had. An entry visa was required. 50 euro for an Australian, different prices for different countries. You would think they would ease off such a ridiculously high charge given their need to attract tourism again, but no, 50 euro for an entry.
Then I joined the immigration queue. 70 minutes later I got past immigration and headed for my bag, only to find it not on the carousel ! Â 90 minutes after landing and no luggage ?
Anyway, after the usual thoughts someone has taken it while I was delayed at immigration; it turned up. So out of the airport, found my driver and checked into my hotel a bit before 4pm. So much for an afternoon sightseeing Istanbul.
Boutique Hotel Saint Sophia
I arrived at the Boutique Hotel Saint Sophia to clear skies and a delightful reception, upgraded to a Balcony Suite, and the very helpful advice that everything I wanted to see was 5 minutes walk away; but closing at 5pm, so I dropped the bag and walked the very short distance to the Blue Mosque, then across the street to the Basilica Cistern before last entry. Neither required hours to explore, but both were worth the visit.
A simple dinner next to Hagia Sophia had me back at the hotel early evening, where I planned the following day and caught up on some sleep. Topkapi Palace entry was only 5 minutes walk away from this very comfortable hotel, Hagia Sophia only 10 minutes walk from Topkapi Palace, and Grand Bazaar only 15 minutes further walk from Hagia Sophia.
Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamani
After enjoying a relaxing Spa in Baden Baden Germany, I took the recommendation from the hotel manager to book the very nearby Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan Hamani for a traditional Turkish Bath & Massage. I booked that for 1.30pm to allow time to enjoy the spa, return to the hotel 3 minutes away, change and meet my driver to head to the airport at 4pm Whilst a busy days schedule, it all went to plan, mostly.
Topaki Palace was half closed for renovations. I like how they charge full price still though. Anyway, quite interesting, on a hillside that avails some excellent views across the river
Hagia Sopia was much grander than the simple but elegant decor of the Blue Mosque, again, large sections under renovation.
After the significant hassle of Egyptian markets, I was ready for the Grand Bazaar, but frankly, they were mostly polite with little hassle. Some very nice displays, reasonable variety; but not a patch on markets like Chatuchak in Bangkok, so it was just an enjoyable walk around.
Headed back to Ayasofya Hurrem for 1.30 and Sanai gave me the most relaxed and professional massage and treatment I have ever experienced. When you read reviews about Turkish Massages, a body scrub is likened to having your skin sandpapered; but not at Ayasofya. The mild body scrub followed by a bubble massage was heavenly.
You can read about the 110min treatment here, and their reviews here; but a 110min booking became almost 150min and I lost track of time, realising I had 3 minutes to meet my driver. Brilliant service by Sanai, my fault for not mentioning I had a deadline. It was pricier than most other massages available in Istanbul, but the cleanliness, ambience and service were absolutely 1st class and I would not hesitate booking there again should I return to Istanbul.
So I packed a lot in, met my driver (36 euro return trip) a little late, checked into Emirates for an A380 business class experience, and enjoyed a good nights sleep.
