# Trip Report RCI Grand Hyatt Istanbul (long)



## Conan (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks to the TUG sightings board, we’re back from a week at the Grand Hyatt, Istanbul.

We flew Delta non-stop from New York JFK to Istanbul IST, nearly 10 hours. We arranged by email Backpackers Travel comfortable and reliable personal transfer service, 25 euro cash to the driver from the airport and 20 euro return (we had euros on hand; otherwise we could have gotten euros from the airport cash machine where we got our Turkish liras). The better shops and restaurants in Istanbul take visa/mastercard but cash in liras is king and bank ATMs are everywhere.

Almost all our transport within Istanbul was by tram, funicular and (once) ferry. Rather than buy tokens specific to each transit system we bought an Akbil for 6 liras ($4) and recharged it periodically. It’s a little metal button in a plastic holder that fits a receptacle on every turnstile. Akbils are only sold at principal transit points but once you have one you can add value at the newsstand kiosks. We bought ours at Karakoy, the big post/telegraph building at the foot of the Tunel funicular (there’s also a location in Taksim but we didn’t find it). Also if you’re changing between funicular and tram the akbil gives you the second fare half price. It’s OK to share an akbil between two people so you only need to buy one. Taxi meter fares are reasonable, but you can be cheated, and in high demand areas the driver will refuse to turn on the meter and will require a flat fee.

I’ll review the Grand Hyatt on the TUG Review Board, but suffice to say it’s a 5-star hotel a few blocks walk from Taksim Square on the New City side of Istanbul. No idea how or why it was available as an RCI exchange—the front desk treated us as if we’d pre-purchased the week’s stay from a tour agency. Breakfast was not included and Internet in the room was expensive, 3 euros per hour or 10 euros for 24 hours.

Early October was the perfect time to visit, days in the C-20s/F-70s and nights in the C-teens/F-60s. Cloudy most days, light rain sometimes at night; when the sun shines you realize how unbearable it must be in mid-summer.

Istanbul is gorgeous and amazing. The streets, trams and ferries are full of people. You need to be comfortable ignoring the shoeshine men, restauranteurs, rug store touts and so forth who try to get your attention. The rest of the population is well-mannered and we felt safe everywhere. Queues at tourist attractions were manageable in October; it must be rough in summer. You pay TL20 ($14) per person admission at most museums and palaces (mosques are free). The Istanbul Archeological Museum complex is only TL10 (the Rick Steves Istanbul book is helpful there). And don't miss the Chora Church Museum (also called Kariye Camii) to see the early 14th Century mosaics that may have inspired Giotto and the Renaissance (Chora is a few miles from the main tourist area so go by taxi or book a tour).

We read up on Istanbul’s history before we came and it helped us understand what we saw. The Roman Empire was in decline when Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the 4th Century and made Constantinople the capital of the Church. Two hundred years later Emperor Justinian built a spectacular array of churches, palaces and city walls. The enormous domed church of Hagia Sophia was built in 537, a thousand years before Florence’s Duomo. Constantinople was impregnable until the 13th century when it was ravaged by Crusaders (Western Christians attacking Eastern Christians); the bronze horses you see at Piazza San Marco in Venice were looted from Constantinople in that attack. Meanwhile Islam was on the rise, and in the 15th Century Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks and became Istanbul. The Ottomans added minarets to the great churches so Hagia Sophia still stands, next door to the Blue Mosque (15th Century) and Topkapi Palace (17th Century) that the Sultans built from scratch.

We loved the food in Istanbul, especially via recommendations in Lonely Planet’s Istanbul Guide. The cuisine is built on grains (bulgar, rice, etc.) vegetables (eggplant, tomato, spinach, potato, etc.), fruit (lemon, apricot, etc.), spices (too many to name or know), and a bit of meat (lamb, chicken, etc.). Olive oil instead of butter; yogurt instead of cream. A good sit-down lunch or dinner for two without beer or wine cost TL40-TL80 ($28-$56). 

A bit about shopping and I’ll stop. Pashmina scarves are for sale everywhere. The label descriptions of wool/cashmere/silk content seem to be honest but quality varies, and you’ll pay TL10-TL20-TL60 ($7-$14-$40) accordingly. You can bargain over small items, especially if you’re buying more than one, but once you and the seller are giving numbers to each other it’s not easy to walk away. 

We visited two rug stores. The first time we foolishly were snagged by a tout and the experience was exactly like a Mexico timeshare tour. The second time we went to a shop recommended by the Lonely Planet book. The salesman there was courteous and professional. We asked for and got a 20-minute education, and if we’d had more time we would have gone back. Based on our experience and people we’ve spoken with, the price for an 8x12 foot (2.4 x 3.7 meter) new wool-woven-on-cotton handmade rug might be $2,000-$6,000 or maybe more. Rugs that are 10-30 years old in good condition that were handmade for a girl's dowry or family use (if you believe the salesman) might cost twice that. Genuine antique pieces cost more. 

You should go!


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