Our Travel Diaries on an iPhone series continues with our Style Editor’s recent trip to Turkey.

The first thing you have to know about going to Turkey is that you have to take Turkish Airlines. They are amazing. You can check in for your flight online well in advance of your trip, and you get to choose your seats for no extra fees. As part of your fare you also get checked baggage and food – almost unheard of for a reasonably short flight (London > Istanbul)! The food on the flight is really delicious – none of that dried out, tasteless, semi-warmed stuff and they also have great in-flight movies which include Academy Award-winning movies!

Landing at 5 am means that although normally the hotel will send someone to pick you up, at this hour the hotel tells you to jump in a yellow cab and they’ll pay the fare when you get there! One thing to note is that the taxi drivers will try to overcharge you. IK’s driver was really chatty, taught her a few words in Turkish but then pulled up a few yards from the hotel and asked her for the fare which was more than the hotel had advised it should be.

IK’s travel tip: “When I arrived I wasn’t sure how much money I needed so the staff at the exchange counter told me I needed probably about 1500 Turkish lira for 3 days there – that’s less than $200.”

For this trip, IK’s accommodation was the Wyndham Grand Levent which turns out to be one of the most divine hotels you can stay at… On arrival there is a security station, like the ones that you go through at the airport where they screen your bags; Turkey takes its security very seriously so you’ll see these in places like the shopping malls too. For early check-in, you pay €60 which isn’t too bad and definitely worth it if you want to drop your bags and make the most out of your day.

IK stayed on the 11th floor of the hotel, which even at that height has amazing views over Istanbul. The rooms are absolutely stunning – think huge floor to ceiling windows with city views, a large bed with soft, plump bedding, armchairs and a flat screen TV that has your name on when you arrive. The bathrooms also are incredible, set up with the latest technology everything is controlled by a button and it really feels like you have the spa in your own bathroom. There is a full Turkish Spa on the 6th floor where guests can use all the facilities for free and paid treatments are available – you’d be crazy not to get a traditional Turkish massage when you’re in Turkey.

Taking the train into the town is really easy, you can access the station through the hotel (yep, you don’t even need to go outside!) Everyone is really helpful and either local people or the station staff will help you purchase a ticket, but everything is really well signposted so you should be able to work out where you’re going pretty easily. The train fares are cheap, you’ll pay roughly $2 for a couple of trips but if you’re coming from New York you should note that it’s not like the Metro there where you can use your Metro Card on the train and bus, you need separate tickets here.

When you’re ready to head home it’s good to know that the airport has a mini port in Taksim (which is like the leisure district of Istanbul) so you can drop your luggage there and pick it up at the airport before your flight! No carrying bags around the city or having to go back to your hotel before going to the airport. You can pick your bag up really quickly and easily when you get there, and they wrap your luggage so that no one can get into it. All in all, traveling to Turkey is really easy and pretty stress-free as long as you give yourself plenty of time to get through all the levels of security.

“I absolutely loved the hotel, it made me want to come here all the time. And the bathroom – I love bathrooms anyway, and this one was amazing. It all feels so luxurious and the hotel is in a great location for exploring the city.”

Side notes:

  • The water here is harsh so pack plenty of good moisturizers to stop your skin getting too dry.
  • Try not to stare at people fresh out of surgery. People come here to get plastic and dental surgery as the doctors are good and not wildly expensive so there will be women with nose job bandages and men with fresh hair transplants just walking around.
  • No-one tells you it’s a hilly city. There’s a lot of walking and a lot of walking up steps. All the better for walking off the Shwarmas and fried fish sandwiches.
  • Go with someone you know, or someone you know who is Turkish or local if you can – it helps beat down the extortionate tourist prices and scamming taxi drivers.