Side Hotel Istanbul

... to get dressed and come to the lobby. There's an emergency". Drowsily, but with haste, I dress, and thinking that there is a fire, open the door and ask "Why?" Composed, the hotel clerk softly answers "There are men in the hotel with guns"

After some hours flight, I arrive in Istanbul. It's almost 4 a.m.!!! German Wings flies to the airport of Sabiha, on the Asian side of Istanbul. This fact makes me feel great, it's the first time I am in Asia !!! The airport is small but very modern. All ...

... small change as some ticket machines do not give change.  We strolled along the very lively Istiklal Avenue and experienced a very different side of Istanbul from the other side of the bridge. A visit to this part is a must for all visitors. There ...

... to the famous bean place and has a minestrone soup and the chicken grill...I then had to grab my bags and walk over to the Side Hotel and check back in ... had a quick siesta then raced back to the Metropol to say goodbye to Anita, Josh, Marcus, Kirra ...

... air so we sought shelter downstairs. We saw a great deal of castles and other important buildings on the shore line. The Asian side of Istanbul is dotted with nice houses as this is the richer neighborhood of town. Further the tour was not much more than ...

... and the ride was absolutely lovely with a sunny day thrown in to make it even better.  We paralleled the Asia side of Istanbul and the waterfront was lovely.  We also passed by the other three islands finally arriving on Princess Island around ...

... mind that Istanbul is divided between two continents by a strait that forms parts of boundary between Asia and Europe. Asian side of Istanbul was inhabited only in last 100-200 years because of huge immigration. We preferred to travel in a regular ferry ...

... . Unfortunately, we had our second trip mishap, camera versus cobblestone street (street wins).  Our plans to visit the Asian side of Istanbul were thwarted.  I need a camera for the next 3.75 months… but first, I think better with ...

... out and get a bit of food for dinner on the train. I stopped before we set off for the train station on the Asian side of Istanbul.  Almost everyone took the van to the train station, but Catherine, Martin and I opted for the ferry so Kamil took us ...

... the funiculaire up the hill (designed by a Frenchman in the early 20th century). It was interesting to see a more local side of Istanbul on a Friday night.  We picked a huge restaurant with good food and wine, but more interestingly, it was a ...

... over Istanbul and the Bospherus straight.  We have taken a local ferry that runs as a subway would, to the Asian side of Istanbul and back for a mear 3 Turkish Lira.  We have visited the Topkapi Palace with ahhh and amazement, seeing one of the ...

... cruise ships docked today and that pretty much makes the port and tourist areas extra busy. The ship is docked over the other side of Istanbul and it is a short tram (yes TRAM) ride to the old city. The trams are great run fairly regularly and cost 1.5 ...

... Incredibly satisfied, we went our separate ways with Linton and the others heading to the hostel and Jim heading to the Asian side of Istanbul, where he proceeded to be ripped off by a shoe cleaner while exploring its steep streets. On his return we began ...

... to visit few historical places & to get student identity card from T.M.T.F. since I had to meet members of Istanbul Lions Club we first went into Para Palais Hotel, the office room of Lions. I was received by an office bearer & was presented with Istanbul ...

... me of the Puerta del Sol area of Madrid. Not quite the Times Square of New York, but it is somewhat the "Center". The European side of Istanbul is more lively and where most, if not all, of the action is. It is also where most from the Asian side come to ...

... . We passed some very trendy looking waterfront areas, including the most expensive nightclub in Istanbul (the Reina), the most expensive hotel in Istanbul (500-10,000$ a night), a sad looking floating restaurant, with Steve still looking at boats.   ...

... mixed between bags - lacy knickers in the boys bags and boxers in the girls!   We went for a fabulous trip to the Asian side of Istanbul and were invited to have a free coffee in a café to help encourage other people to sit down so we had a great ...

... to a world acclaimed restaurant named Ciya.  We wouldn't have known about this far flung restaurant (located on the Asian side of Istanbul) if it weren't for our dear foodie friend Michael who recommended it. What we didn't know is that chef Musa ...

... much time to walk around. We took the funicular down the hill from Taksim and took the tram over to the old side of Istanbul. We walked through these fun twisting streets with lots of interesting restaurants and shops. Of course I would have loved to ...

... Corendon into a different airport. When Meggie and I landed it was our first time in Asia as we landed on the Eastern side of Istanbul. It was late Friday night, and after a 30 minute drive into the city we arrived at the hotel. Her parents ...

... Ahmet Çelebi put wooden wings to his arms and flew from the tower to the city of Üsküdar, across the straight to the Asian side of Istanbul!! Hard to believe if you see what a huge distance it is.  We opted to skip the line to go up the tower and ...