Istanbul, Cappadocia & Ephesus
June 1 to 9, 2012
Trip Highlights
- Spend three nights in lively, exotic, and sensory-overloading Istanbul —the crossroads of Europe and Asia
- Marvel at Ephesus — quite possibly the best-preserved ancient Roman city
- Explore the wonderfully weird landscape of Cappadocia, land of the whirling dervishes, with its cave dwellings, underground cities, and ancient Byzantine art
- Download Detailed Itinerary
INTRODUCTION
This fascinating trip starts out in mesmerizing Istanbul — crossroads of Europe and Asia — with its tantalizing sights, sounds, and smells. UNESCO has designated the historic areas of the city as a World Heritage Site. Three nights here are then followed by a journey into the Turkish interior where the wonderland of Cappadocia will continue to keep your eyes popping. There are unique landscapes – and then there is Cappadocia. In addition to its fairy landscapes there are Byzantine frescoes in famed cave churches which are among the most moving expressions of early Christian art in the world. We finish our adventure with an in-depth visit to magnificently preserved ancient Ephesus, which was once the second-largest city in the Roman Empire.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Following is a description of the accommodation we intend to use for this tour. We have made a special effort to select unique properties. We reserve the right to change accommodations, but the quality will always be the same.
Istanbul – 3 nights
Our selected hotel, consisting of 17 suites, brings you a touch of Parisian chic in the centre of the Cinhangir district of Istanbul. Voted one of the world’s best 100 hotels in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine November 2008, the hotel has also been featured in magazines such as Wallpaper and Monocle. In a city renowned for ancient minarets and bustling markets, the hotel comes as a refreshing oasis featuring world class modern design that still pays homage to the city’s roots. Just as Istanbul sits with one foot in Asia and one in Europe, so too does this accommodation provide a meeting of east and west. Mingling elements of warm Turkish hospitality and inspired local designers with modern technology and luxuries, it provides you the makings of an unforgettable stay where the hotel itself becomes part of the vacation experience. It has been placed on the 2009 Conde Nast Traveler Hot List.
Cihangir is a quiet, trendy neighbourhood with a bohemian flair. Like SoHo in London or New York, the area is filled with cafes and boutiques popular with local artists and expat hipsters alike. It’s an oasis of calm in this bustling city. It’s walking distance to the main business district, the Istanbul Modern Museum, and famous sights such as Taksim Square and Istiklal Street.
There are curved headboards on the beds, artistically carved wooden banisters, functional laptop desks and elegant wardrobes all featuring a floral motif designed for the hotel. Sheets for the king-sized beds and towels for the bathroom were commissioned from linen specialists in Denizli, a Turkish town famous for producing high-quality fabrics. The marble bathrooms feature Corian sinks and a six-head rain shower for the most serene water experience. The lounging area in each suite has a leather sofa and marble coffee table. Also provided are an LCD TV, an excellent DVD collection, CD/DVD player, iPod docking station, and soundproofed walls. There’s also free WiFi Internet, a study desk, and a safe for valuables.
Cappadocia – 3 nights
A superbly decorated hideaway on one of the more residential back streets of Ürgüp. our chosen property is a recent upscale addition to the town of accommodation scene. A veritable museum of Greek and Armenian antiques, works of art, and family heirlooms from the Ottoman past, the hotel — hewn out of caves and a former church — is the dream child of the owner, whose passion for antiques led her to create her own storage facility. You’ll feel yourself back in an earlier century, a world away from modern cares, yet with the comforts— even luxuries— of the 21st century, and only a few minutes’ stroll from the center of Ürgüp. Rooms reflect a sort of medieval aristocracy in the richness of the textiles draped over heavy stone walls and invaluable antiques. Surrounding an open central courtyard, each room has a slightly different theme. The well-appointed roof terrace offers views over town; the restaurant prepares traditional Turkish cuisine with an Armenian twist.
Sirince – 2 nights
Our chosen property is perhaps the complete antithesis of the accommodation in Istanbul. It’s tradtional and rural, but very comfortable. A complex of renovated houses at the top of Sirince’s hillside offers total immersion into the daily rhythm of the village life. At the upper edge of the hillside is the main pavilion, which contains the reception area and smartly decorated guest rooms with nouveau Hellenistic frescoes and antique furniture. A further six restored cottages are accessed by a stone staircase, terraced below the main pavilion. We’ll use a combination of cottages and rooms in the inn to accommodate our group. The accommodations supply plenty of comfort and elegance without ever losing the friendly touch. Gourmet dining is provided in the garden restaurant, and there is a white marble swimming pool and free internet. The inn has a fabulous view over the village rooftops and across the olive groves of the valley. The property has dozens of fig trees, plenty of olives, some walnuts, three huge chestnuts, a few rows of cherries, some mulberries and apricots, peaches, apples, quinces, pears, tangerines, almonds of several varieties, pistachios, raspberries and blackberries, and a vineyard of about 1000 stocks. Guests are welcome to roam the grounds and eat their fill of whatever happens to be ripening just then.
TOUR GUIDE & TOUR MANAGER
For the third consecutive year we have scheduled an excellent Turkish tour guide to travel with our group for the entire trip. She has been working in tourism for 27 years, first as a full-time professional tour guide (20 years), and then she and her husband took over the management of a small hotel in Capadoccia. She recently opened a restaurant and cooking school in that area and also served as host for the History Channel’s “Cities of the Underworld.” Having spent some of her youth studying in the United States, she has good familiarity with Americans and their way of life.
Our scheduled tour manager has led 10 trips for Venture Out and will travel with the group from start to finish. He is American of Syrian background and used to live in Yemen and Damascus where he did Arabic language studies. He is by far one of our favorite tour managers and has led trips for us in Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Syria.
