Turkey in TK Business (including Istanbul, Goreme, Dalaman, and other coastal areas)
Jan 16, 2014, 9:07 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 396
Turkey in TK Business (including Istanbul, Goreme, Dalaman, and other coastal areas)
The Route:
Costs:
Ticket to Turkey: 100,000 United miles + 45.30 in taxes and fees; phone booking fee waived
Overall costs in Turkey including transportation and activities: About $1,000 per person plus 75,000 Club Carlson points for a hotel in Istanbul
The trip:
The trip began with DTW-IAD in a United Express CRJ-700 followed by a stay in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at IAD. I was very impressed by the VA Clubhouse. They offered a very limited food menu, but my chicken tikka masala was good and there was full drink service at the table. Also, the lounge features a correspondence station which offered free high quality stationary, envelopes, and a table for writing. My only complaint was not thinking to include stamps at the station, which necessitated a trip to the post-office in Turkey to mail off paper letters to friends I felt compelled to write just because I was so taken with the stationary. After folding them in thirds, I sealed all of the letters with the provided airplane paper-clips for the hell of it.
IAD
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
Upon boarding, we were glad to see an equipment change from an A340 to an A330 which features TK’s new, lay-flat, fully modern business product. I am only posting a few pics from the trip from IAD to IST because the light wasn’t optimal, most of the cabin went straight to sleep and I didn’t want to disturb anyone with the beeping or flashing of my auto-focus honing in, and finally I was shooting with my fixed 45 mm, f/1.8 prime lens, which, in the right circumstances, makes some beautiful photos, but due to the small field of focus turns out to be entirely impractical for taking pictures of food or much else on a plane. Sorry for failing FlyerTalk, but if that’s why you’re reading the report, scroll to the bottom where I have a much more thorough photo review of Turkish’s long-haul business product. In contrast to the wonderful catering out of ISYT, my overall verdict on the food leaving from IAD is that it was adequate but nothing exceptional.
Decent meze ex IAD
My travel companion and I took a lot of joy in the new theme of, “candlelight dining,” featuring a flickering LED “candle”
After getting to IST, we hung out in TK’s domestic business lounge for a few hours. The lounge was below what I was expecting given TK’s reputation for top-notch catering, but it was a fine way to kill a few hours.
[b]TK domestic lounge at IST
737’s loading up for domestic flights
I was blown away by the service provided on TK’s domestic business service for a one hour flight.
[b]Welcome beverage; other options included a mint lemonade and, if I correctly recall, a pomegranate based drink
Delicious, filling, and a treat for a one hour domestic flight
Disembarking in Kayseri with air stairs
Please contrast that with the service provided on United’s 50% longer flight to IAD in first.
We stayed at the Hilton Kayseri thanks to a FlyerTalk trade, and the hotel was perfectly serviceable before heading out on the drive to Goreme, Cappadocia.
Goreme
The Dark Church, Goreme
Goreme is situated in a bleak looking region of central Anatolian desert. It is famous for its numerous buildings that have been carved directly from the soft rock of the area. It turns out that these sorts of buildings were intrinsically defensible, and Goreme has been home to many groups seeking refuge including early Christians during periods of persecution.
We stayed at the Local Cave House which was a nice, reasonably priced hotel with a decent breakfast and location.
Local Cave House
Local Cave House
Local Cave House
The big tourist thing in Goreme is hot air ballooning. Reportedly, it’s one of the best locations in the world due to the very interesting geography including numerous narrow valleys and the “fairy chimneys” which, in my puerile opinion, are so blatantly phallic that even the term “fairy chimney” takes on a euphemistic quality. The chimneys form sort of like the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon, Utah; a tough layer of stone protects much softer stone beneath from the erosion of direct rainfall and forms these sorts of towers. Of course, the very soft underlying stone is what lent itself to carving buildings out of and what made Goreme a reasonable place to form a settlement in spite of its being in the middle of a desert. Certainly, there must be a higher ratio of hot air balloons per permanent resident than most anywhere else in the world. Personally, I was inclined towards hot air ballooning, but my travel companion (who had been before) flatly declared ballooning to be, “very, very boring” and preferred horseback to explore the valleys. Horseback turned out a lovely, if a little rougher, way to see the area. One of the unexpected perks was that, when riding on horseback, you really don’t have to look where your feet are pointed. Instead, you can just gaze out at the passing landscape while your horse (hopefully) does the hard work of making sure you don’t tumble off of a cliff. We utilized the Dalman Brothers Ranch. Although our guides did not speak much English at all, they seemed like very competent horsemen and the horses appeared well cared for. We enjoyed checking out some of the other animals kept at their “ranch.”
Hiking near Goreme
Fairy Chimneys
Heavy balloon traffic in the mornings
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Next, we flew on a $90 (refundable!) fare from Kayseri to Dalaman. The Turkish Airlines tradition of exceptional catering continued in coach, even on a one hour domestic flight.
Pretty decent snack; it’s kind of pathetic that no domestic carrier will offer this even on very long domestic routes like ORD-HNL
Picking up our rental car in Dalaman proved an interesting experience. We were picked up at the airport by the local company referred by Fox Rent a Car (although it appears they also provided service for Europcar, even though Europcar quoted a price four times higher on their website). We had requested a compact car and they rolled up in a full size diesel Fiat minivan which seemed large even by American standards. The representatives’ first request was to see our confirmation email; they needed to know the price to charge us because they had forgotten to write it down. After settling on what seemed a fair figure passed on my recollection of the reservation details (this went surprisingly well; I thought for sure it was going to be the basis of an arduous negotiation), they requested payment in cash. We could have paid in cash, but obviously I needed the insurance from my credit card, so we negotiated a ride back to their local office where the credit card machine was stashed. When returning the car, we were told to drop it off at a certain gas station at a certain time. On return after filling up with the diesel, and waiting around wondering when the rental representatives were going to show up to take back the car, a man in oil stained overalls approached me with a live Samsung Galaxy 4 with a man on the other end saying in broken English, “sorry, needed to go to Izmir. Leave car with my uncle. He can give you a ride to the airport.” A month later, I have not seen an $18,000 charge for a missing Fiat Punto show up on my credit card, so, uh, I guess the whole episode worked out. It certainly was less “professional” and required a degree of blind trust beyond what I would be uncomfortable routinely providing even in a society I knew well and spoke the language natively, but at the same time, it seems that there is a considerable cultural expectation of interpersonal trust as well as prohibitions against theft which I was pleasantly surprised by and enjoyed experiencing first hand.
The trusty Fiat Doblo
We stayed for several evening in Oludeniz at the Symbola Resort, which was a lovely villa with a very enjoyable breakfast and terrific views of the coast in the morning.
Looking out at Oludeniz
Breakfast
Within 15 minutes of arriving in Oludeniz, a gregarious gentleman seized upon us as tourists and started hawking paragliding. This was an activity that we had hoped to investigate in the town, but after not seeing any other outfits operating, we agreed to go with this outfit in spite of my inclination to say no to anyone that solicits me first (especially as an obvious tourist). We were able to go for around 150 lyra each, which did seem to be a significant discount compared to the “in season” prices. In fact, it seemed that the paragliding companies were cooperating in sharing a mini-bus from the town to the launch point over 6,000 feet above town. Although we were given a brief orientation by a sort of chief pilot who spoke clear, fluent English, I was eventually matched up with a pilot that I had serious difficulty understanding. This led to a botched first launch attempt which frustrated both of us where I nearly twisted an ankle (he says he told me to start running, I heard something else entirely).
Launching itself is very simple: when a sufficient amount of wind is blowing upslope, you try to get the canopy lofted and sorted, then begin to walk or run down the slope until the lift/forward speed/wind speed equation works out that the canopy wants you to descend slower than you could run down the slope. There were about 5 seconds after launching where our ability to gain lift versus the slope seemed uncertain and I feared I might be seriously injured, but then we turned away from the mountain, and I didn’t experience any fear after that point.
Flying itself was spectacular. I could feel the air was turbulent, but it was far gentler than airplane turbulence (probably because your airspeed through different air columns is much slower). We were gliding in a spot that is purported to be a world-class location, and indeed, there was a strong cloud base and a large lenticular cloud formed over the mountain we launched from. It seems like we were able to quickly ascend about 1,500 feet above the launch site and play around for a while up there including fast turns and spinning descents at what my pilot reported as 2.5-3 G’s. My pilot assured me that he was able to stay lofted virtually indefinitely in almost any weather conditions at this site due to strong, consistent winds coming up off of the Mediterranean and smacking into this 6,000 foot peak. After we turned towards the coast and got over the ocean, the pilot allowed me to take the controls and practice a few gentle turns before he took over again and corkscrewed us nauseatingly back towards the beach.
Parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing
I'm the one in front
The beach at Oludeniz seen from above in the photo above
Above “Butterfly Valley”
Above “Butterfly Valley”
Above Fethiye
Over the next several days, we explored the coastal region between Dalaman and Kalkan. A few highlights are included below. Just as with the Symbola Resort in Oludeniz, our lodging was invariably wonderful. I’d like to provide special recommendations for The White House in Kalkan and The Escape in Gocek. Both are run by very hospitable British ex-pats. Even though they were ex-pats, I felt I learned more about Turkey by staying with them because we could converse fluently in English. Both of them frequently hosted parties of native Turkish guests and had interesting insights into various issues of secularism, Erdogan, head-scarves, how Turks view the United States, etc.
Tlos
The Saklikent Milli gorge
The White House, Kalkan
The White House, Kalkan
The White House, Kalkan
Breakfast at The White House with plentiful, high-quality options
Xanthos
Xanthos
Xanthos
The 18 km beach at Xanthos
The Escape, Gocek
The Escape, Gocek
On the flight from Dalaman to Istanbul, we were again treated to an exceptional meal for a flight under an hour.
Domestic lounge at Dalaman
Olives in the lounge
Herbal tea selection
Departing Dalaman
Descending into Istanbul
Costs:
Ticket to Turkey: 100,000 United miles + 45.30 in taxes and fees; phone booking fee waived
Overall costs in Turkey including transportation and activities: About $1,000 per person plus 75,000 Club Carlson points for a hotel in Istanbul
The trip:
The trip began with DTW-IAD in a United Express CRJ-700 followed by a stay in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at IAD. I was very impressed by the VA Clubhouse. They offered a very limited food menu, but my chicken tikka masala was good and there was full drink service at the table. Also, the lounge features a correspondence station which offered free high quality stationary, envelopes, and a table for writing. My only complaint was not thinking to include stamps at the station, which necessitated a trip to the post-office in Turkey to mail off paper letters to friends I felt compelled to write just because I was so taken with the stationary. After folding them in thirds, I sealed all of the letters with the provided airplane paper-clips for the hell of it.
IAD
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse
Upon boarding, we were glad to see an equipment change from an A340 to an A330 which features TK’s new, lay-flat, fully modern business product. I am only posting a few pics from the trip from IAD to IST because the light wasn’t optimal, most of the cabin went straight to sleep and I didn’t want to disturb anyone with the beeping or flashing of my auto-focus honing in, and finally I was shooting with my fixed 45 mm, f/1.8 prime lens, which, in the right circumstances, makes some beautiful photos, but due to the small field of focus turns out to be entirely impractical for taking pictures of food or much else on a plane. Sorry for failing FlyerTalk, but if that’s why you’re reading the report, scroll to the bottom where I have a much more thorough photo review of Turkish’s long-haul business product. In contrast to the wonderful catering out of ISYT, my overall verdict on the food leaving from IAD is that it was adequate but nothing exceptional.
Decent meze ex IAD
My travel companion and I took a lot of joy in the new theme of, “candlelight dining,” featuring a flickering LED “candle”
After getting to IST, we hung out in TK’s domestic business lounge for a few hours. The lounge was below what I was expecting given TK’s reputation for top-notch catering, but it was a fine way to kill a few hours.
[b]TK domestic lounge at IST
737’s loading up for domestic flights
I was blown away by the service provided on TK’s domestic business service for a one hour flight.
[b]Welcome beverage; other options included a mint lemonade and, if I correctly recall, a pomegranate based drink
Delicious, filling, and a treat for a one hour domestic flight
Disembarking in Kayseri with air stairs
Please contrast that with the service provided on United’s 50% longer flight to IAD in first.
We stayed at the Hilton Kayseri thanks to a FlyerTalk trade, and the hotel was perfectly serviceable before heading out on the drive to Goreme, Cappadocia.
Goreme
The Dark Church, Goreme
Goreme is situated in a bleak looking region of central Anatolian desert. It is famous for its numerous buildings that have been carved directly from the soft rock of the area. It turns out that these sorts of buildings were intrinsically defensible, and Goreme has been home to many groups seeking refuge including early Christians during periods of persecution.
We stayed at the Local Cave House which was a nice, reasonably priced hotel with a decent breakfast and location.
Local Cave House
Local Cave House
Local Cave House
The big tourist thing in Goreme is hot air ballooning. Reportedly, it’s one of the best locations in the world due to the very interesting geography including numerous narrow valleys and the “fairy chimneys” which, in my puerile opinion, are so blatantly phallic that even the term “fairy chimney” takes on a euphemistic quality. The chimneys form sort of like the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon, Utah; a tough layer of stone protects much softer stone beneath from the erosion of direct rainfall and forms these sorts of towers. Of course, the very soft underlying stone is what lent itself to carving buildings out of and what made Goreme a reasonable place to form a settlement in spite of its being in the middle of a desert. Certainly, there must be a higher ratio of hot air balloons per permanent resident than most anywhere else in the world. Personally, I was inclined towards hot air ballooning, but my travel companion (who had been before) flatly declared ballooning to be, “very, very boring” and preferred horseback to explore the valleys. Horseback turned out a lovely, if a little rougher, way to see the area. One of the unexpected perks was that, when riding on horseback, you really don’t have to look where your feet are pointed. Instead, you can just gaze out at the passing landscape while your horse (hopefully) does the hard work of making sure you don’t tumble off of a cliff. We utilized the Dalman Brothers Ranch. Although our guides did not speak much English at all, they seemed like very competent horsemen and the horses appeared well cared for. We enjoyed checking out some of the other animals kept at their “ranch.”
Hiking near Goreme
Fairy Chimneys
Heavy balloon traffic in the mornings
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Horseback riding with the Dalman Brothers Ranch
Next, we flew on a $90 (refundable!) fare from Kayseri to Dalaman. The Turkish Airlines tradition of exceptional catering continued in coach, even on a one hour domestic flight.
Pretty decent snack; it’s kind of pathetic that no domestic carrier will offer this even on very long domestic routes like ORD-HNL
Picking up our rental car in Dalaman proved an interesting experience. We were picked up at the airport by the local company referred by Fox Rent a Car (although it appears they also provided service for Europcar, even though Europcar quoted a price four times higher on their website). We had requested a compact car and they rolled up in a full size diesel Fiat minivan which seemed large even by American standards. The representatives’ first request was to see our confirmation email; they needed to know the price to charge us because they had forgotten to write it down. After settling on what seemed a fair figure passed on my recollection of the reservation details (this went surprisingly well; I thought for sure it was going to be the basis of an arduous negotiation), they requested payment in cash. We could have paid in cash, but obviously I needed the insurance from my credit card, so we negotiated a ride back to their local office where the credit card machine was stashed. When returning the car, we were told to drop it off at a certain gas station at a certain time. On return after filling up with the diesel, and waiting around wondering when the rental representatives were going to show up to take back the car, a man in oil stained overalls approached me with a live Samsung Galaxy 4 with a man on the other end saying in broken English, “sorry, needed to go to Izmir. Leave car with my uncle. He can give you a ride to the airport.” A month later, I have not seen an $18,000 charge for a missing Fiat Punto show up on my credit card, so, uh, I guess the whole episode worked out. It certainly was less “professional” and required a degree of blind trust beyond what I would be uncomfortable routinely providing even in a society I knew well and spoke the language natively, but at the same time, it seems that there is a considerable cultural expectation of interpersonal trust as well as prohibitions against theft which I was pleasantly surprised by and enjoyed experiencing first hand.
The trusty Fiat Doblo
We stayed for several evening in Oludeniz at the Symbola Resort, which was a lovely villa with a very enjoyable breakfast and terrific views of the coast in the morning.
Looking out at Oludeniz
Breakfast
Within 15 minutes of arriving in Oludeniz, a gregarious gentleman seized upon us as tourists and started hawking paragliding. This was an activity that we had hoped to investigate in the town, but after not seeing any other outfits operating, we agreed to go with this outfit in spite of my inclination to say no to anyone that solicits me first (especially as an obvious tourist). We were able to go for around 150 lyra each, which did seem to be a significant discount compared to the “in season” prices. In fact, it seemed that the paragliding companies were cooperating in sharing a mini-bus from the town to the launch point over 6,000 feet above town. Although we were given a brief orientation by a sort of chief pilot who spoke clear, fluent English, I was eventually matched up with a pilot that I had serious difficulty understanding. This led to a botched first launch attempt which frustrated both of us where I nearly twisted an ankle (he says he told me to start running, I heard something else entirely).
Launching itself is very simple: when a sufficient amount of wind is blowing upslope, you try to get the canopy lofted and sorted, then begin to walk or run down the slope until the lift/forward speed/wind speed equation works out that the canopy wants you to descend slower than you could run down the slope. There were about 5 seconds after launching where our ability to gain lift versus the slope seemed uncertain and I feared I might be seriously injured, but then we turned away from the mountain, and I didn’t experience any fear after that point.
Flying itself was spectacular. I could feel the air was turbulent, but it was far gentler than airplane turbulence (probably because your airspeed through different air columns is much slower). We were gliding in a spot that is purported to be a world-class location, and indeed, there was a strong cloud base and a large lenticular cloud formed over the mountain we launched from. It seems like we were able to quickly ascend about 1,500 feet above the launch site and play around for a while up there including fast turns and spinning descents at what my pilot reported as 2.5-3 G’s. My pilot assured me that he was able to stay lofted virtually indefinitely in almost any weather conditions at this site due to strong, consistent winds coming up off of the Mediterranean and smacking into this 6,000 foot peak. After we turned towards the coast and got over the ocean, the pilot allowed me to take the controls and practice a few gentle turns before he took over again and corkscrewed us nauseatingly back towards the beach.
Parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing
I'm the one in front
The beach at Oludeniz seen from above in the photo above
Above “Butterfly Valley”
Above “Butterfly Valley”
Above Fethiye
Over the next several days, we explored the coastal region between Dalaman and Kalkan. A few highlights are included below. Just as with the Symbola Resort in Oludeniz, our lodging was invariably wonderful. I’d like to provide special recommendations for The White House in Kalkan and The Escape in Gocek. Both are run by very hospitable British ex-pats. Even though they were ex-pats, I felt I learned more about Turkey by staying with them because we could converse fluently in English. Both of them frequently hosted parties of native Turkish guests and had interesting insights into various issues of secularism, Erdogan, head-scarves, how Turks view the United States, etc.
Tlos
The Saklikent Milli gorge
The White House, Kalkan
The White House, Kalkan
The White House, Kalkan
Breakfast at The White House with plentiful, high-quality options
Xanthos
Xanthos
Xanthos
The 18 km beach at Xanthos
The Escape, Gocek
The Escape, Gocek
On the flight from Dalaman to Istanbul, we were again treated to an exceptional meal for a flight under an hour.
Domestic lounge at Dalaman
Olives in the lounge
Herbal tea selection
Departing Dalaman
Descending into Istanbul
Last edited by dickerso; Jan 16, 2014 at 9:29 pm
Jan 16, 2014, 9:20 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 396
Istanbul was lovely, but I’m certain that it has been covered extensively on this forum. We stayed at the Radisson Blu Bosphorus at 75,000 points total for two nights in a business class room which included access to the exceptional buffet breakfast. The tram, bus, and taxis proved very convenient and reasonably priced means of getting around town. One things that I’d like to provide special emphasis on is the Museum of Innocence. The Museum of Innocence is a combination of a novel and art piece (the physical museum) by Orhan Pamuk. I wish to provide an unreserved recommendation for both the novel, and, if you’ve read at least a decent portion of the novel, the museum (although the people I visited the museum with who had not read the novel were clearly less enthralled). If you’re familiar with the story, I think you’ll deeply appreciate the opportunity to view the physical manifestations of the literary objects. It’s like a book turned into a really well done movie by the author themselves. Also, much of the novel touches upon themes of love which can only be expressed in limited ways in addition to the motivations behind travel. Not that everyone travels for the same reasons, but the novel certainly spoke to some of the psychology (pathology?) behind why I travel. Having recently gone through the breakup of a long-term relationship, the novel was like a close friend and salve. Finally, getting to know some of the neighborhoods in the city through the eyes of this novelist and his descriptions made seeing in-person Istanbul much more interesting. I hope some of my photos below will communicate that sitting beside the Bosporus in early morning light enjoying a multi-hour breakfast while reading an exceptional novel (The Museum of Innocence in particular) can be pretty sublime.
View from the Radisson Blu Bosporus
Room at the Radisson Blu
Room at the Radisson Blu
Room at the Radisson Blu
Welcome amenity provided for Gold Status members
Breakfast buffet and breakfast area
Istanbul:
View from the Galata Tower
TK’s arrivals streaming into IST
The Museum of Innocence
The Museum of Innocence
The Museum of Innocence
Goat milk ice cream; it's really stiff and eaten with a knife and fork. It was interesting, but I won’t be seeking it out in the United States
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque
Sarcophagus outside of the Hagia Sophia
Sarcophagus outside of the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Basilica cistern
Bosporus ferries leaving from the Golden Horn
The Bosporus from a public ferry
The Bosporus from a public ferry
The Bosporus from a public ferry
Feeding seagulls
The Spice Market. This was the most incredible human traffic jam I've ever been stuck in. It took over 10 minutes to get to the red awning; guess I have to learn how to be pushier.
Turkish delight in the Spice Market
Bridge over the Golden Horn
For the ride home, I’ll try to provide a more detailed pictorial review of Turkish’s long-haul business product. The lounge at IST is something to behold. The scale is massive, and food there is top quality. For instance, the kofte at the lounge from the grill station easily reached the quality of those at a nice Istanbul restaurant recommended by local friends which I had tried the evening before. Unfortunately, the lounge was so crowded that it was difficult to locate seating. Also, our flight to Toronto was delayed by three hours. Our connection was very much in danger, but requests at rebooking on another North American flight that same day were met with indifference (“too close to flight boarding” at about 1:05 hours before departure). Similarly, a request for access to a dayroom was denied by guardians that seemed like sticklers for the rules. One nice, proactive step: a gentleman from TK came through the lounge calling out, “Toronto, Toronto?” and handing out boarding passes for confirmed Y flights the next morning to final destinations. Although the connection was very, very tight (30 minutes for traversing from one end of Toronto’s massive main terminal where 777’s park to the other where Beech 1900’s park), I still thought we had a chance, and requested that our original segment be restored even though I knew rebooking with Air Canada in Toronto could be a bear. The representative was very helpful, and 15 minutes later, the United webpage showed our original segments had been restored.
Terrific seat and bedding in my view
The meal catered out of Istanbul easily knocked the pants off of the one catered from Washington, DC.
Meze that bested the tastiest I had experienced on the ground in Istanbul with local recommendations
Tender lamb-chops; yum!
Dessert service from the cart
After dinner, we slept tightly for over six hours without chemical assistance, missing out on the pre-arrival meal but making up for a late night out in Istanbul.
After awaking, I noticed the crew sharing a few sips of champagne; this gentleman had just been promoted from onboard chef on short hauls intra-Europe to international long-hauls. He was very proud to be serving as chef on his first long-haul trip. He described about 10 weeks of on-ground training for the position in addition to prior experience in the restaurant industry.
After landing in Toronto, economy was held back to allow to business to deplane. After sprinting through the terminal and the deserted US pre-clearance area, we were able to connect in about 20 minutes from gate to gate, just in time to catch the tail end of boarding for our final segment home to Detroit.
The Beech 1900D that finally took us home
Thank you for reading! Any feedback is appreciated.
View from the Radisson Blu Bosporus
Room at the Radisson Blu
Room at the Radisson Blu
Room at the Radisson Blu
Welcome amenity provided for Gold Status members
Breakfast buffet and breakfast area
Istanbul:
View from the Galata Tower
TK’s arrivals streaming into IST
The Museum of Innocence
The Museum of Innocence
The Museum of Innocence
Goat milk ice cream; it's really stiff and eaten with a knife and fork. It was interesting, but I won’t be seeking it out in the United States
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque
Sarcophagus outside of the Hagia Sophia
Sarcophagus outside of the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Basilica cistern
Bosporus ferries leaving from the Golden Horn
The Bosporus from a public ferry
The Bosporus from a public ferry
The Bosporus from a public ferry
Feeding seagulls
The Spice Market. This was the most incredible human traffic jam I've ever been stuck in. It took over 10 minutes to get to the red awning; guess I have to learn how to be pushier.
Turkish delight in the Spice Market
Bridge over the Golden Horn
For the ride home, I’ll try to provide a more detailed pictorial review of Turkish’s long-haul business product. The lounge at IST is something to behold. The scale is massive, and food there is top quality. For instance, the kofte at the lounge from the grill station easily reached the quality of those at a nice Istanbul restaurant recommended by local friends which I had tried the evening before. Unfortunately, the lounge was so crowded that it was difficult to locate seating. Also, our flight to Toronto was delayed by three hours. Our connection was very much in danger, but requests at rebooking on another North American flight that same day were met with indifference (“too close to flight boarding” at about 1:05 hours before departure). Similarly, a request for access to a dayroom was denied by guardians that seemed like sticklers for the rules. One nice, proactive step: a gentleman from TK came through the lounge calling out, “Toronto, Toronto?” and handing out boarding passes for confirmed Y flights the next morning to final destinations. Although the connection was very, very tight (30 minutes for traversing from one end of Toronto’s massive main terminal where 777’s park to the other where Beech 1900’s park), I still thought we had a chance, and requested that our original segment be restored even though I knew rebooking with Air Canada in Toronto could be a bear. The representative was very helpful, and 15 minutes later, the United webpage showed our original segments had been restored.
Terrific seat and bedding in my view
The meal catered out of Istanbul easily knocked the pants off of the one catered from Washington, DC.
Meze that bested the tastiest I had experienced on the ground in Istanbul with local recommendations
Tender lamb-chops; yum!
Dessert service from the cart
After dinner, we slept tightly for over six hours without chemical assistance, missing out on the pre-arrival meal but making up for a late night out in Istanbul.
After awaking, I noticed the crew sharing a few sips of champagne; this gentleman had just been promoted from onboard chef on short hauls intra-Europe to international long-hauls. He was very proud to be serving as chef on his first long-haul trip. He described about 10 weeks of on-ground training for the position in addition to prior experience in the restaurant industry.
After landing in Toronto, economy was held back to allow to business to deplane. After sprinting through the terminal and the deserted US pre-clearance area, we were able to connect in about 20 minutes from gate to gate, just in time to catch the tail end of boarding for our final segment home to Detroit.
The Beech 1900D that finally took us home
Thank you for reading! Any feedback is appreciated.
Last edited by dickerso; Jan 16, 2014 at 9:49 pm
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Jan 18, 2014, 10:06 am
#12
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
Excellent report! Your photos from Istanbul bring back great memories for me. I think I could ride the public ferries back and forth across the Bosphorus every day and never tire of it! And the Radisson really looks like they do breakfast right - very impressive.
Jan 18, 2014, 12:32 pm
#13
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: BRS; PVG
Programs: BA Gold, A3 *G, EY Gold, AZ CFP (ST E+). Hilton Gold
Posts: 271
Thanks for the wonderful report. It brought back memories of my 2 weeks travel in Turkey. Fascinating country and people there.
The TK hard product, especially catering, certainly blows away their European peers, whether in business or economy. The CIP lounge is fantastic...when it's not busy and crowded. Thankfully the size will be doubled soon when the expansion upstairs finishes.
The TK hard product, especially catering, certainly blows away their European peers, whether in business or economy. The CIP lounge is fantastic...when it's not busy and crowded. Thankfully the size will be doubled soon when the expansion upstairs finishes.
