Istanbul

Forty years ago (gulp!) was my first trip to Istanbul and I fell in love with the city then, it was so strange and everything about it was exotic to a California kid straight out of high school. There's been a few return visits since and this trip was one of the whirlwind type that in my business we call "fam trips". Four travel consultants, one Paris tour guide who is a mutual friend, and 3 packed days of touring in Istanbul - it took us almost as long to get there and back!

Mid-November and our weather was amazing, almost warm for our first full day and we had a lot of ground to cover. Staying at the Four Seasons Sultanahmet in the old part of the city made comfort easy to come by. Created from a century old Turkish prison, you'd never guess that now - the rooms are good sized, different layouts room to room with varying views of side streets, courtyard, some even had views of the Hagia Sophia - very light with high ceilings, warm colors, and wonderful art throughout. It has a welcoming almost residential feel on arrival.

We met our guide for this adventure, Esin, and started off with a vist to the Topkapi Palace , it's Harem and Museum. It was the center of the Ottoman government and court, the Turks ruled most of Europe and the Middle East from here. Inside the Harem section (which was where the extended family lived, not just all the women!) the marble and tile covered rooms and hallways are just beautiful. The museum is an amazing collection of jewels, gifts to the Sultans, almost too much to absorb. What surprised me was the crowds, particularly for November, is there a low season anymore? Have to put Topkapi on my Netflix list......

And easy walking distance, we next went to the Hagia Sophia, built by the Roman Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It's the oldest domed cathedral in the world, people of Constantinople thought its dome was hung from the sky. It was a church for 9 centuries, a mosque for 6 centuries, and has been a museum since 1935. Inside is just awesome, it takes your breath away when you first enter - the space is just so huge.

Next stop was the Underground Cistern, another engineering marvel under Emperor Justinian. Built in 532, apparently the water was piped in and stored in these cisterns for use in the palace and the city itself. Scenes in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love were filmed here so now I have to go back and watch that one too!

Lunch at Hamdi Restaurant on an outdoor rooftop - views of the water and the Blue Mosque with delicious kebabs and mezze, the small plates that start the meal. I could just eat all the mezze dishes and be happily satisfied - salads, grilled veges, breads and dips, so many ways to cook eggplant.

That evening we went for dinner to a very different part of the city, in the Nisantasi area. It was about a 30 minute taxi ride and a world away from the old city - very chic and upscale, all the designer stores are here as well as boutique hotels like the Park Hyatt. Somewhere I've got the name of the restaurant (found it! called Kosebasi) as it was quite good and I'll recommend it when planning itineraries. And who knew there was good wine in Turkey?! So many terrific restaurants, not all expensive either and the hard part is deciding which one to try.

Day two and the only day of our trip that the Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar would be open so we had dedicated the day to shopping! First stop was the Spice market where not only can you buy spices by the bagful (and oh, the smells) but all kinds of cheese, dried fruits, nuts, olives, breads... in any city, the food markets are my favorite visits. I came home with enough saffron for the next 3 years. From there we headed into the Grand Bazaar - in business since 1461, there are over 3500 shops with everything from gold and silver jewelry to carpets, ceramics, leather - some high quality and some just tourist junk. It helps a lot to have a guide who knows who's who depending on what you're looking for. As shopping makes my head spin it was easiest just to go wherever everyone else was going and watch - although I did end up with the most lusciously soft gossamer thin pashmina to add to my collection. But that was only because we all decided a day later that we should have bought them and our amazing guide was able to find the store owner and have him come to the hotel wih bags of choices! Now there is the true test of a great guide.
For a more traditional meal, try Havuzlu inside the Bazaar - we had lunch there and I don't think it was simply shopping exhaustion that made the food so delicious.

During the day our luggage moved to the Four Seasons on the Bosphorus and we rejoined it at the end of the great shopping excursion. What a completely different hotel - contemporary, stylish, and the view, wow. The original palace building has the only rooms that directly face the water with fabulous floor to (high) ceiling windows. There are 2 wings on either side of the palace building which were built when this became a hotel, and the bulk of the rooms are here with side views. There's a beautiful spa here and outdoor heated pool - only guests at either hotel can use the facilities. I loved both hotels but for me, I preferred the history, character and intimacy of the Sultanahmet hotel. However most in my group thought they'd prefer to return to the Bosphorus and all of it's pleasures at the end of a day of touring, particularly in the heat and crowds of the summer.

The boat ride on the Bosphorus is a fun thing to do - but not at night like we did, way to chilly and you can see pretty lights but no idea what you're looking at! But we did end up at a terrific fish restaurant - a whole huge fish cooked enclosed in a salt crust and served flaming! It's fun trip to do during the day, you can see both the European and Asian skylines and shore, and the Golden Horn is full of water traffic so it's a very enjoyable hour and a half excursion.

For the last day we visited the old Hippodrome site and from there, the Blue Mosque. It's a working mosque but you can visit except during the five daily prayers. It's famous for it's blue tiles, called Iznik, but even more so because of it's Ottoman architecture. I think the Hagia Sophia is more stunning inside and the Blue Mosque more so from the outside, just a personal point of view. Our last visit was to the Dolmabahce Palace, a piece of Ottoman Baroque architecture which became the seat of power when the sultans moved from Topkapi in the 19th century. The one piece that stuck in my mind was a 4 ton crystal chandelier and the engineering that keeps the ceiling from collapsing into the grand ballroom.

Istanbul, a mosaic of cultures. The sounds of the muezzin call to prayer five times a day, the smell of roasting chestnuts from the sidewalk stands, the crush of traffic, women in headscarves walking by a Prada store, the new and the ancient. It's a fantastic city, a place one could return to over and over and continue to find something new to discover. I have to go back, again - there's still so much I haven't seen!

Istanbul photos

Istanbul Nov 2010

Kona, Hawaii @ Mauna Kea Hotel

In 1960, Laurance Rockefeller came to the Big Island of Hawaii to scout beachfront sites for a potential resort. When the Mauna Kea opened in 1965, it was the most expensive hotel ever built at that time - he said that "every great beach deserves a great hotel". And that beach is still the best beach on the island, nothing like it with a long soft curve and quiet swells. There's good snorkeling when the water is quiet, paddle boards to try, or just swimming from end to end if you're so inclined. Personally, I just like to get a lounge chair and spend the day between reading a beach novel and floating in the swells!

The hotel was closed for over 2 years and completely renovated, opening again in December '08. I was lucky enough to visit and take the first hard hat tour that November when it was still hard to envision what the finished product would be. So over the Labor Day weekend this September, we got reacquainted with a hotel that we knew well from many past stays.

I was so happy to see that all the art Rockefeller had brought to the hotel is still there. The Buddha is always my first stop, to say hello and thank for bringing me back to Kona. All of the antique Hawaiian quilts have been cleaned and restored and are back on display on the hallway walls. The open air lobby still with the dark blue tile floors and dark woods is completely refurbished - some people feel it's too dark but I find it very cool and serene, nice on a hot and humid arrival day.

The biggest change is to the rooms as they've all been totally redone. Lots of white while still keeping the traditional Mauna Kea orange motif, just toned down to a warmer rust color in the pillows and throws. Beds are super comfortable and the rooms have been completely redesigned. There's now a large flat screen TV and all the plug ins you might need, hidden behind an attractive wood sliding panel on the wall. Ipod docking stations too for those who need to have their music - for me, the music of the waves is all I want when I'm in the islands but each to his own!
The ocean view rooms are the same footprint as before and the bathrooms have been completely redone as well. Now there is a new deluxe oceanview category room, these have a much larger bathroom with huge soaking tub, rain shower, and it's own separate verandah - I'm not sure I get that but the idea is that you can have private massage or spa services there if you like.

Not just the rooms but all of the restaurants were taken down to the studs and redone, a new spa, new gym, new building for the golf club house and new restaurant there too. I don't golf but the course was also renovated and from what I've been told, while the views are still fabulous the course is even tougher than before! We did eat at all but one of the restaurants and while I can say that the food overall was very good, the prices are up there. Since you'll probably have a rental car if staying here, give your wallet a break and drive 10 minutes to the Cafe Pesto in Kawaihae for a great meal at half the price.

Many guests have stayed here year after year and have brought their families with them. One of the nice extras that the hotel does is a complimentary family photo, so that if you come back again and again you've got a record of the kids and grandkids as they grow up at the resort.

A couple of years back when staying at another resort further south, we discovered Kekaha Kai State Park. It's about a 25 minute drive from Mauna Kea, then a terrible unpaved road access for about 2 miles that takes another 20 minutes in a rental car. But the beach is worth it, we call it Turtle Beach because the first time we went, there were a couple of turtles in the waves with us! This time just one popped his head up to check out the tourists. During the week there's hardly anyone there and if you go early you might have the sandy white cove all to yourself.

It was a short couple of days but easy to relax and get on Hawaii time when you've got that beach to lure you away from all your cares. The Mauna Kea is still a grand hotel, and while it may not be for everyone it has a certain "sense" of Hawaii that's hard to beat.

Kona photo album

Click below the photo to see the rest:

Kona Sept 2010

Costa Rica

Just returned from a short trip to Costa Rica to visit the Four Seasons Resort on the Papagayo Peninsula which is on the northwest coast. It's the only hotel on the peninsula (and the top full amenity resort in Costa Rica) with 2 beaches, a championship golf course, 4 tennis courts, an award winning spa, and 4 different restaurants. The list of potential things to do includes snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking, bird watching, fitness classes - the gym is two floors with state of the art cardio equipment on one entire floor. Full day options off property (more about my zip line adventure later)include a day tour to Granada, Nicaragua for colonial history or a full day to Tenorio Volcano National Park and the Rio Celeste - known for it's beautiful blue water if you want serious hiking or river rafting. There's another beach club for guest and residents only about 10 minutes drive away with more pools, beach and restaurant. The hotel takes you by complimentary shuttle or you can take a 25-30 minute hike. You could spend a week here and not be bored!

It's a wonderful resort, 155 rooms, suites, and residences so the only problem is choosing! The service throughout is superb. All of the guest rooms are in 3 four story buildings. Huge rooms, 600 square feet, with 200 square foot terraces - beautiful dark hardwood floors which I love because I'm always barefoot so these were cool and smooth. All the terraces have a very fine mesh screen that you hardly notice - but really appreciate (there are bugs, this is the tropics!). Suites with multiple bedrooms and private plunge pools are scattered on the hillsides, as well as the private residences that are managed by the hotel with kitchens, plunge pools, incredible views, full resort privileges. Families or couples traveling together have lots of options here.

This time of year is known as the "green season" although this far north in mid July, that generally just means morning or afternoon showers, sometimes with thunder and lightning. The upside of this time of year is that everything is so lush and green. In the dry season during November to April, there is no rain but many of the trees drop their leaves so it's not as lush. Our first day was a tropical storm so it was a downpour but still 85 degrees so a great time to experience the spa! I'm not a big spa person so not the best to evaluate in terms of comparison to other spas but I loved this facility and my massage was great.

The day we decided to try zip lining was sunny and clear so off we went to the Witches Rock Canopy Tour. After signing the release forms (essentially if you're crazy enough to try this, don't blame anyone else!) we were strapped into harnesses and clips, given helmets and big leather gloves, and led off up the trail to the first platform. Eleven platforms with wire bridges hundreds of feet off the forest floor, hikes and ladders, and up to half mile zip lines between each platform. It was strenuous and challenging and after my first panic attack, exhilarating! If you ever wanted to be Tarzan, this is for you - try it.

Insider Tip - a must do is the Trail of the Giants golf course tour. This is a guided visit by golf carts to see the signature holes which have fantastic views and the secret is that you also see the most wildlife here - iguanas, monkeys, coati (sort of a racoon), birdlife. It's a lot of fun whether or not you're a golfer and you learn quite a bit about the ecology of the area too.

A new option for guests here is the opportunity to participate in a community outreach program. As we were a group of 14, our project was to paint the outside of a local school. The resort provided the transportation so we arrived to find everything ready for us to get started - paint, brushes/rollers, and gloves. It was a holiday but there were a small group of kids there, shy and giggling and cute as could be in their uniforms. We got to it and in under 2 hours had given it a new look - it wasn't a professional job by any means but we did our best and made it fun. They were really appreciative of our efforts -I have to say it did look better than when we arrived! The volunteers at the program match up a guest request to participate with an appropriate project depending on how much time the guest wants to donate, how many people are involved, etc. It's a great way to give something back and see the results while enjoying this beautiful country.

It's fairly easy to get here, flights arrive at Liberia airport and the ground transfer is about 40 minutes on good roads. I wouldn't hesitate to include the Four Seasons in a more comprehensive Costa Rica itinerary, but it's just fine all by itself for a long week's vacation - great service, multiple restaurants with good food, beautiful accomodations,sandy beaches and warm sea water, the choice to be as active as you want or do nothing at all - what's not to like about that?!

Costa Rica Photo Album

click below the photo to see the album

Four Seasons Costa Rica trip

Peru and Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu - you've seen photos in travel magazines, watched specials on public television, but nothing really prepares you for seeing it live the first time. It's almost an anti climax because there's a sense of deja vu, that you've already been here. Until you start climbing around the site and it starts to sink in, that you're walking on the same stones as the Inca high priests who engineered this amazing place.

But let me back up to the beginning of this trip which was in early June. We flew on TACA Air through San Salvador about which I knew nothing! It turned out to be a sparkling clean relatively new airport, the connection ran like clockwork even though we didn't speak Spanish and couldn't understand a word. Arriving in Lima a bit jet lagged, not from the time change as that's only 2 hours, but from taking a red-eye flight. The drive into the city takes about 40 minutes, not very pretty till you get to the better areas where our hotel, the Miraflores Park, was located. It's a fabulous hotel, one of the best in Lima, huge rooms looking out on the coastline - lovely rooftop pool, full gym, and a yummy breakfast buffet. After a nap we explored the nearby mall, a very big deal and the first of it's kind there, built cliffside over the ocean. It was a rare sunny day for Lima in June and we had lunch while watching all the paragliders! But the local markets are much more fun for shopping.

From Lima we flew over the Andes to Cusco which has a higher elevation (11,000+ feet) than Machu Picchu, so you take a little time to acclimate to the elevation here. First clue- there's complimentary oxygen in the airport! Cusco was much bigger than I expected, and much prettier. Plaza de Armas is the central square filled with flowers and people strolling, cobblestone streets leading off the square. The Cathedral here is stunning, more ornate gold leaf and silver and jeweled altars than many I've seen in Europe. Our hotel was the Monasterio, originally a 16th century monastery in the heart of the city. It was just charming with beautiful gardens among the huge stone cloisters. And if you are short of breath, you can get oxygen pumped into your room! When you arrive you're offered coca tea which isn't bad. I had a low grade headache on arrival for a couple of hours but the tea seemed to help.

We spent a day exploring the city and Sacsayhuaman (sounds like "sexy woman"), huge stones fitted together so tightly you can't put a piece of paper between them.It's believed this was a ceremonial site, and the Spanish used it for a quarry after defeating the Incas. Above this site we had our own ceremony with a shaman, a blessing for Mother Earth in the native Quechua language - luckily our guide could translate which made it a very special experience.

As we left Cusco early in the AM there was frost on the ground. Taking just an overnight bag (no room for luggage on the train), we went by road for about an hour and a half to Ollantaytambo where we boarded the train to Aguas Calientes, another hour and a half. Beautiful scenery, changing rapidly - the mountains were raw, jagged, straight up in the air, jaw dropping. Arriving in the small town of Aguas Calientes, we boarded buses for the 25 minute trip up the mountains to Machu Picchu - all switchbacks, I lost count of how many! Whether you take the economy train as we did or the luxury Hiram Bingham train, you still have to take the bus at the end. Unless you opt for the 4 day hike in version. There are 2 good options for hotels in town, but the only option at Machu Picchu is the Sanctuary Lodge where we were lucky enough to stay for the night. It's a simple lodge, pretty small rooms with adequate bathrooms but not uncomfortable. You're paying for the privilege of being right at the site, first in the entry line in the morning and not taking the bus up and back. Don't expect views of Machu Picchu from your room, the buildings are not within view of the ruins.

We got there about 10am, checked in, and headed into the park. I didn't know what to expect, if it would disappoint after seeing it in photos for years. But it was all that and more, it's just hard to grasp that you're seeing it with your own eyes. What they built here, how they did it, what they knew - it asks as many questions as it answers. After a delicious lunch back at the lodge and a short rest, we had another guided hike in the late afternoon. At the top of the site, as the people empty out and the light lessens, it's so mystical that you can begin to imagine life here. So another dream becomes real, to set foot in Machu Picchu.

5AM wakeup call and a quick bite before heading into the park for a sunrise hike - going to the Sun Gate, hopefully to get up there at sunrise to see the city as the Incas did when they entered this gate. Challenging! Lots of uneven stone steps at the beginning and then a gradual steep grade, about 1000 feet elevation change on uneven surfaces. But it was spectacular, as the sun climbed over the mountain peaks parts of the city became lighter and the mists began to clear. After hiking back down to a hot shower and breakfast, some of our group decided to try the hike to the top of Huayna Picchu - not me! Straight up, narrow stone steps carved into the peak, no railings and it's straight down - what?? Bragging rights and terrific photos were not enough reasons so the rest of us did another guided hike late morning before having lunch and starting the return trip to Cusco. We spent another night at the Monasterio, reuniting with our luggage, then back to Lima and home.

Random interesting facts - potatoes originated in Peru and there are over 3000 varieties, the Spaniards brought them back to Spain in 1560.
The hats you see on the woman are very important, they indicate their level of schooling. Brown/black and a low crown - finished 6 years of elementary. A tall white hat indicates 11 years of schooling.
Lima airport is less crowded if you arrive and depart in the evenings. And don't forget to allow time to pay your departure tax - lines can be painfully long.

Peru Photo Album

Click below the photo to see all of my pictures

Peru