Selwyn Davidowitz

We are thinking of travelling to Istanbul in either May or August 2003.<BR><BR>Can anoyone advise me on what the weather will be like with regard to hot or cold, rain or sun and what humidity levels will be like.<BR><BR>Will there be hordes of tourists in the city duirng any of these months?<BR><BR>Another question is would you recommend staying in hotels or are there guesthouses or any other forms of accomodation that one can stay at in Turkey that you might recommend?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance.<BR><BR>Selwyn Davidowitz

Marsha

Dear Selwyn: My husband and I travelled to Istanbul in August 1998. The city is glorious and we enjoyed every minute, but temperatures were 100 degrees F and up! This might not have been so bad except that our luggage was delayed and did not arrive for 24 hours, so we were without a change of clothing. Now, when we travel, I pack one full change of clothes and all necessary toiletries in a carry on case. Marsha

RomyNL

We've just returned from a long w/end trip to Istanbul, and I should say that the city did not meet all expectations we had before the trip. We stayed in a &quot;****&quot; - guesthouse next to Blue Mosque and Aya Sophia, rooms were OK, but breakfast was the worst we had in the last 3 years. Personnel was also friendly till the moment of check-out: we have found out that they used an exchange rate very advantageous for them (which is very difficult to notice with all these millions of liras), plus they were very upset when we decided to pay with a credit card as they preferred cash. So next time I am in Istanbul, I will choose for a big hotel somewhere near Taksim.<BR>Of all the things, I would recommend two &quot;must-do&quot;'s: folclore dinner in the Galata Tower restaurant and visit of The Harem in Topkapi Palace.<BR>And the biggest disappointment: the city is not clean at all...<BR>As for a time to travel, I would recommend May.

Paule

Dear Selwyn,<BR>Without a doubt, go in May. I was there in August, and it was manageable, but the earlier month will be much more comfortable, and probably less crowded with tourists. Though even in August, I never found the crowds so bad that I was unable to enjoy my sightseeing. <BR><BR>The weather ranged from the 90's to an average in the lower-mid 80's. It rained soon after we arrived, so the temperature cooled down, but it was then damp for a couple of days.<BR><BR>I'm a fan of staying in the historical center of places I visit, and that goes for Istanbul, too. In Sultanahmet (the old town), we stayed in the Mavi Ev (Blue House hotel), opposite the Blue Mosque. It was a charming, comfortable hotel, good food, excellent service; I'd recommend the place highly. <BR><BR>Will you be travelling elsewhere in Turkey? I'd highly recommend a visit to Cappadocia if you are.

Terry

Hi Selwyn,<BR>My wife and I sspent 19 fantastic days in Turkey late May early June. Highly recommend May to no later than mid June.<BR><BR>Second what Paule said - Sshe along with others provided a lot of sound advice which really helped.<BR><BR>Not sure which Turkey/Istanbul RomyNL visited, sure doesn't sound like the same place we went to. We often remark on how clean we found Turkey and yes Istanbul. The people were very friendly and most helpful. Yes, as in any large city one must be aware of money changing hands, but we never had a problem in this regard.<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip, Turkey was one of our best trips.<BR><BR>

Carla

<BR>Hello <BR><BR>Istanbul is a lovely city and we had a <BR>very good time .We were in Istanbul last<BR>August and the weather was hot and I was told that in May or June would be the perfect time but I don't have any idea about humidity .The crowds come later.As for accomodations I highly recommend The Hotel Valide Sultan Konagi run by a wonderful family who<BR>make you feel at home .The rooms are lovely and the service is good .<BR><BR>I recommend you to search in their web-site which is www.hotelvalidesultan.com<BR><BR>enjoy your trip<BR><BR>Carla<BR><BR>

Kris

We went at the end of May and the weather was perfect in Istanbul. Not so hot that we felt we needed to wear shorts but warm enough for short sleeves. In the interior and coastal area (Cappadocia and Antalya) it was warmer but still not humid.<BR><BR>I didn't think there were too many tourists in May, rarely did we wait in line for anything.<BR><BR>I'd recommend staying at a hotel in Sultanahmet (Old city). We spent most of our time on that side, only venturing over to Taksim for one day. Most of the historic sites and bazaars are in Sultanahmet. We liked the Grand Yavuz. I booked through www.gtahotels.com and asked for a room on an upper floor with a view of the Marmara and got what appeared to be a newly renovated room with a lot of space for $45US per night.<BR><BR>The hotel I passed on was the Hotel Nena which looked nice but was more expensive. We saw it while we were there and it was nicely located.

omer

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xxx

Omer is a rip-off artist who can't even follow the rules of posting on this website. How could we trust him to lead us on a tour?

lisa

Hello Selwyn,<BR><BR>I normally see your name on the South African board! <BR><BR>We were in Istanbul this past August. It was very hot. If I had a choice, I would go in May. There were a lot of tourists - I think teh peak season is July and August so you may avoid many of them in May.<BR><BR>I highly recommend that you also go on the coast to Ephesus - they were the most incredible ruins.<BR><BR>I was there for a conference and they put us up at the Ritz Carlton so I cannot comment on guesthouses. BTW, I think it is better to stay on the Taksim side so you are not woken up at dawn by the call to prayer.<BR><BR>

jen

Hi Selwyn, how will Cape Town ever manage with you on holiday?<BR><BR>I was in Istanbul in April and early May. In April the rooftop terraces of the hotels and guesthouses in Sultanahmet were open but chilly; breakfast was not yet being served there. In May the temperature was perfect - sunny, low humidity, about 22C. There were a lot of tourists concentrated around the major attractions, but not hordes.<BR><BR>Depending on your budget you can spend 40 euro or 400 euro on the same street in Sutanahmet. The Uyan hotel is just around the corner from the Four Seasons. Other hotels which have been widely recommended are the Samic, the Spina and the Empress Zoe. <BR><BR>Personally, I loved hearing the call to prayer; it reminded me where I was. After the second night I started wearing earplugs, but I never wanted to move to a hotel further away from a minaret.<BR>

michele

Selwyn,<BR>Go in May. I was there in August ( loved all of Turkey)and it is hot and humid. We also had some rain which make it even stickier. May sounds lovely.<BR><BR>

abc

After the mid of may would be OK, before would be rainy. If you like HOT I recommend you go on August BUT NOT TO ANTALYA because you may burn in August temp. would be 130 Fah.<BR><BR>I prefer HALI HOTEL in Istanbul they have really nice room and also breakfast on the roof with beatiful wiev. http://www.halihotel.com (web page)<BR>If you go to Canakkale you may visit TROY and there is only one hotel there name HOTEL AKOL. Then you can go to Pergamum, there are some hotels ther but I recommend you stay in Izmir not far from Pergamum. PERGAMUM was one of the important city in Helen and Roman period that's why I recommend you go there and also this city has the earliest Mental Hospital in the world. After izmir (You can find many reasonable hotels in izmir like HILTON HOTEL) you have to visit EPHESUS and VIRGIN MARY'S HOUSE and ST JEAN CHURCH you may stay in Kusadasi KISMET HOTEL<BR>http://www.kismethotel.com (web page)<BR>then you may visit Prienne, Miletus and Didyma (You may stay in Kusadasi one day more to see these ruins) or Go to Pamukkale (Cottoncastle) one of the beatiful place in Turkey. If you want to be younger then now you can stay in here and swim in the special water. Or you may see the HIERAPOLIS. You may stay in Richmond hotel in Pamukkale.<BR>http://www.richmondhotel.com (web page) <BR>Antalya would be the next place you may want to visit. Spend more then 3 days<BR>there because there are many places that you must see. STAY IN THE OLD ANTALYA and here area the hotels name you migh be interested in. I prefer to stay in Turk Evi Otelleri or you may stay Hotel Alp Pasa or Marina Hotel. The you may drive to CAPPADOCIA VIA KONYA Stay in Cappadocia more then 4 days because there are many places to see. You may stay one of the CAVE HOUSE<BR>YUNAK EVLERI is the best or DEDEMAN HOTELS is the regular 5 stars hotel in Cappadocia. If you want Yumak evleri here is the web page of them.<BR>http://www.yunakevleri.com. After Cappadocia you may drive to Hattusha where was the capital city of Hititie or The capital city of Turkey Ankara. If you go to Ankara you must see the The civilisation Museum of Ankara beceuse this museum is the most impirtant museum in Turkey then drive to bursa or to Istanbul back.<BR><BR>HAVE A NICE TRIP IN TURKEY<BR><BR><BR>ABC

jen

Forgot to mention that guesthouses or pensions are spelled 'pansiyon' in case you're doing a search.<BR>Here is a website that give information about different hotel categories:<BR><BR>www.infoexchange.com/Turkey/WhereToStay/WhereToStay.html<BR><BR> The 'Special' category, or 'S', is the one with historical (Ottoman) or unusual buildings, such as caves in Cappadoccia.<BR>

Suzanne

We were in Istanbul 2 years ago. It was May and the weather was great. Not really hot but warm. <BR><BR>We stayed at Hotel Valide Sultan at Sultanahmet. We enjoyed staying there. It is almost next to all of the sightseeing places. <BR><BR>I hope you enjoy your trip. My husband and I would also like to visit Istanbul again soon.