Tower,
Thank you so much for the pictures! We have become more assured of our safety for this trip as we have done research. Comments from you and others have helped. Thanks!

Whichever hotel you end up staying in, you will have a fabulous time. In fact, I loved Istanbul so much that I've just booked a return trip in April. I'll be staying at the Hotel Erboy again, and they were kind enough to reserve the same room I stayed in last month!

Enjoy and safe travels!

Glad you found my report of use!

We also stayed at hotel Alp. Very quiet little side street. Great location. Wonderful restaurants right around the corner. Five or six minute walk to Hagia Sophia and Blue mosque. A couple of minutes more to tram.

We are nearly a decade older than you. We walked around very late at night and felt perfectly safe everywhere. We've always loved Italy and Spain, but Turkey is now our favorite country, would love to live there.

If you can go to Cappadocia for a couple of days, it is a magical & amazing place. If you decide to go there, it is easy to fly RT from Istanbul. The balloon flight over Cappadocia was fantastic.

Ruins of Ephesus are quite astounding.

The only thing that was not pleasant was the aggressiveness of rug salesmen. Don't respond in any way, or you will be caught for hours while they try to make a sale.

Mscleo,
Did you book through the hotel? When I tried the first week of May it came up unavailable.

Sassafrass,
We also love Italy and Spain. We were originally going to Costa Brava. We got our interest peaked in Turkey from an old NY Times article we saw. Since we have been to Spain a number of times we started to research Turkey
We are planning two nights in the Cappadocia area, and if budget allows a balloon ride. Not sure if we will have time for Ruins of Ephesus or not this trip. We have ten days and nine nights and would like to see a lot without rushing. Again thanks to all for sharing your thoughts and making us comfortable with the safety issue.

Plan three nights for Cappadocia, whether or not you take a balloon ride. Otherwise you will be missing a lot. There's the outdoor museum that takes up a morning or afternoon, the underground city, and other outdoor sights.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4208685619/

Michael,
Thanks for the slide show, just watched it for the second time. I will watch it again as our trip comes closer. We will try to get three night in Cappadocia.

Hubby & I were in Turkey this past October. Absolutely loved the country. Stayed at the Hotel Erboy. Great service, rooftop terrace overlooking Bosphorus & Hagia Sophia, free Wifi in the room and walking distance to many of the sites.

Also visited Cappadocia. We stayed at the Hotel Kelebek in Goreme. We had a room that had a huge private balcony that overlooked the city. Loved, loved the hotel. We booked our tours and balloon flight thru them. It was our favorite area of Turkey.

We(hubby is 62, I am 58)never felt unsafe in Turkey, even walking after dark. Food is wonderful and reasonably priced.

Commenting on here to 'bookmark' as my mother-in-law is giving my 22yo daughter flights to Istanbul for her Christmas present - and it's my present too! I shall read all the links to trip reports in due course, and be researching all the hotels mentioned. I think we will travel in April or May, before it gets too hot. And I have to take my holiday allowance before the end of May.

Stu T - it seems I am following in your footsteps again. First the former Yugoslavia countries, now Turkey! I look forward to reading your report and seeing your pictures.

BarbAnn,
I will have to re check Hotel Erboy for availability. I will also look into Hotel Kelebek in Cappadocia sounds like you had a great trip. We are now going to add the third day to Cappadocia after reading so many good things about it.

Based on recs from people on Fodors, we stayed at Hotel Esbeli Evi, a fabulous cave hotel. They picked us up at the airport and arranged everything - drivers, food, etc. at prices less than I had been quoted on my own. It was an easy, short (15 minutes) walk to the shopping and restaurant area or Urgup. We walked back to the hotel very late after dinner two nights and felt perfectly safe. If you can manage it at all, the balloon flight was a highlight of all our trips. We used Butterfly Balloons.

Harry - I've just checked for availability on the Hotel Erboy site, and it shows they do have rooms available for the first week in May. I would put your dates into their search screen and see if you're able to see the availability, as well. Their website is: http://erboyhotel.com/

Also, if you pay in cash for your stay, you receive a 7% discount off the rate, and the hotel does not care if you pay in Euro's, US Dollars or Turkish Lira. They have an exchange desk on site, and the currency conversion was very favorable. I paid in US Dollars - no problems at all.

If you stay three or more nights, a one-way transport from the airport is complimentary. If you stay for 5 nights or more, there is a complimentary evening meal at their restaurant. Also, their breakfasts are complimentary and is quite plentiful.

We (in our 60s too) stayed at the Zeynep Sultan Hotel (www.zeynepsultanhotel.com), excellent location near tram line just below Hagia Sophia. Quiet, safe street and nice rooms. The only downside to us was no view of the Bosphorus like we had on an earlier trip (Hotel Sebnem - more expensive and in a much more touristy area.) It looks like there are very good reviews on Tripadvisor and Booking.com.

mscleo,
You are right when I go to their site there is availability. When I go to booking.com they show no availability. I have used booking.com before with no problems. Lesson learned best to check hotel directly. Did you find it best to use euro or Turkish Lira during your last stay?

JuliaT..April/May is a very good time to go..beat the torrid heat. Try to stay at Esbelli Evi as Sassafrass and I did (at separate times!!). It's a great experience. As she said, an easy walk to town...You'd do well to have car in Cappadocia..also very easy driving to see all the major sites. Try not to miss a little further drive to Ihlara Valley...dramatic (see pics). Have fun, I know you will. Next, think about following my footsteps into Romania and Bulgaria. I'll ply you with pix when you decide.

Harry, after 33 responses, you're very well-armed with pertinent and detailed information. Now go and enjoy it!
Stu T.

Harry, I used U.S. Dollars to pay for my hotel stay and then after I checked into the hotel, I walked down to the end of the block (where the tram is located) and used my ATM card to withdraw Turkish Lira. I used Lira for the remainder of my trip - no problems at all.

Hi Stu T

Thank you. Actually, I will be returning to Bulgaria in January for the 5th time - but to ski. I may know the ski resorts well, but I've never explored out of them Each year I tell myself I will take a day trip to the Rila Monastery or spend a day in Sofia but then the magic of the mountains gets to me and I cant tear myself away from the slopes. Maybe I will in Jan 2013.

I also always mean to write a ski-trip-report because although I know virtually every American skiing in Europe will not bother with Bulgaria, it might just help the few fellow Brits like me who discover Fodors and want to ski but have to do it on a budget. Anyway that's off-topic, so my apologies.