Our Guide to Staying In Istanbul

September 24th, 2022

Istanbul, Turkey

Sasha & Eric Hathaway

After being in the Western world for well my entire life, the buzz and bustle of Istanbul was a dream. People from all over and in every direction in constant movement.

Shop owners urging you to buy their clothes, try their teas and Turkish delights, and will capture you with whatever sayings necessary. You quickly learn that the second you make eye contact with one, they will chase you down the street with whatever product they’re selling and although it may sound annoying, they do it with the biggest smiles on their faces and make you feel entirely special – even though they do it to every tourist walking by.

The smells of food cling to the air as there are kebab restaurants every 5ft and the linger of the sweet Turkish treats is endless as every glass window you walk by is stacked to the brim with the most decadent deserts you have ever seen. 
 

Our Adventures

1. Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar.

2. Basilica Cistern & Unexpected Carpet Shopping – As we were walking along the streets, debating whether to take the bite and visit the tourist sites: Basilica Cistern & the Hagia Sophia, even though they were packed with people and the lines were ridiculous, we ran into an obvious salesman but eager to help as long as we visited his families shop afterwards.

3. Sultanahmet Mosque – need to see at least one and this has an amazing view of the city. It’s also the oldest and largest of the mosques in Istanbul.

4. Take the Tram – we ended up exploring the city by metro our last 2 days and it was awesome. 

5. Walking the streets of Balat & Fener.



 

Resturants

1. Aheste – Eating in what feels like an underground cave and having traditional Turkish food with a modern twist had to be one of the coolest restaurant experiences and atmosphere’s we have experienced yet. Dim lighting, cave walls, and impeccable service it felt as if you were transported back to the time of Sultan’s in Turkey. The offered both a tasting menu and regular menu so of course we opted for the 6-course tasting menu which was stacked full of calamari, lamb, and other classic Turkish ingredients and some of the best food we’ve ever tasted.

2. Hunkar- Our first night we landed, exhausted and insanely hungover from my pub crawl the night before, we somehow still managed to rally and headed down a lively street filled with restaurants and some of the best salesmen you’ll meet. Bargaining with you to come to their restaurant, claiming it’s the best food in town, and throwing free food and drink offers at you if you “just come in and eat.” 

3. Barba Vasilis rum meyhanesi – awesome Greek restaurant 




 

Clubs

Seeing as I had entered my 20’s in Istanbul, we of course had to check out the nightclub scene. After pampering ourselves for a few hours in a typical Turkish Hammam Spa, we headed off to the first spot of the night Sortie Night Club: a lavish club right on the water, overlooking the Bahadosh, and filled with women in stylish dresses and men in suits. Wearing a pair of trousers and Birkenstocks, I felt entirely underdressed but that wasn’t going to stop me from having my night. Within an hour I was 3 shots of tequila and 2 cocktails deep and of course swinging my hips and getting down to the music. 

1. Taxsim Club IQ – Small club down a side alley street with great music, dancers, and cheap drinks. Once again though the place was filled with tables and no dance floor.

2. Sortie Night Club – A high end spoofy place with a somewhat unfriendly staff and no dance floor. However, the music was great, and the view was even better. Dad spent the night flirting with a woman from Saudi Arabia where we truly got a glimpse into the life that people from those areas live. Arranged marriages, culturally not acceptable to date, and travelling to find a man. 



 

Resturants