I will be going to turkey in August and am looking for recommendations. Going with a girlfriend to Istanbul for 2 nights then we are off to a villa in Kalkan. My husband is meeting us there 2 weeks after we leave. My girlfriend is leaving for home a week ahead of us (she is only staying 3 weeks) and my husband and I will have around 8 more days on our own before we head home. We will check out of our villa and drop my girlfriend off at the airport then we have 8 days to explore further before we come home. We are planning to rent a car and make our way back up to Istanbul during that last week. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for hotels in Istanbul or ideas of what we must see in Istanbul. Also looking for anyone that has been to Kalkan and has suggestions for things to do there . And finally looking for ideas of where to stop and explore during those 8 days we are taking to drive back to Istanbul. We love to explore and are very adventurous- not big partiers ! Thanks !

I stayed at the Golden Horn. It was decent. It was within a very short walking distance or Hagia Sophia, Topkai Palace and Blue Mosque. Free breakfast is served rooftop and has great views. The staff were very friendly. It's a walkable city but very hilly.

We stayed in the old town, but actually preferred the new town. Old town was just so touristy and hassley. But new town is a bit of a walk to the main tourist attractions.
Two places that we loved were the Istanbul Museum of The History of Science & Technology in Islam and the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (if museums and galleries are your thing, they're great).

We stayed at hotel alzer across from the blue mosque, it was fabulous! The cistern was probably my favourite thing there. We also visited Izmir and capadoccia, again fantastic! Food is superb, inexpensive, easy driving and the people are the loveliest ...(and some great shopping as well from local artisans)

We LOVED this boutique hotel.
Please look it up on trip advisor.
Location is superb!
Hotel is spotlesss
Service incredible
Love love love

Turkey offers very inexpensive museum pass .Covers most every museum innthe country.

thats a great idea - especially since we are going to be in various areas of the country . That’s a must have for sure .

Jacqui we booked in advance. Flights averaged $75 pp usd all in . crazy cheap & very safe.

wow that is a super good deal! Maybe we can get over to capadoccia for one night while we are at the villa - just take an overnight bag. I still need to book my flights from Istanbul to dalaman so that’s good news that it’s going to be so cheap!

Thanks for all the great hotel recommendations! I am going to look each one up tonight and make some bookings
I will actually be in Istanbul 2 times - at the start with my girlfriend for 2 nights and at the end with my husband for 3 nights - so I will for sure pick a couple different ones from your recommendations. Good recommendations for things to see in Istanbul.... not heard of the cistern - will for sure do some research on that . We thought about going to capadoccia but I think we are going to have to pass .... only because during our last week we are going to road tripping it from kalkan back up to Istanbul and we are going to be sticking to the west coast - so we r def thinking a night or so in Izmir. I just can not see how we couple get to capadoccia in and then back to the west with only 8 days . So we are focusing more towards sights to see along the western coast . Such great suggestions so far tho !!!

Jacqui i should mention that if you are buying any leather in Izmir to ask them to do the lighter test (real leather doesn't burn .. one of my all time favourite purses came from there)

Jacqui sorry one more thing.. black olives are the best in turkey

great tip on the leather . We were in Morocco this summer and they had such lovely leather products there . We made the mistake of going to the tannery tho.... I lasted about 10 seconds before I nearly threw up over the smell ! My reaction amused the locals for sure but it did put me off all the leather .... I swore I could smell the gross tannery smell in all the leather from that point on ! And I LOVE olives so that is a great tip great
thanks !

Jacqui flying is good option too.
Pegasus Air hss brand new aircraft.
Badillica Cistern is only few metres from Blue Mosque..cistern was a favourite.
Side not regarding hotel....Basilius has small beer & wine store right next door.
Turkish wine is lovely- finding liquor stores not easy

we are going to fly from Istanbul to dalaman after a couple nights a the start - then we are at the villa in kalkan for 3 weeks. At the end of our trip is when we are getting the rental and will be driving the western coast for the last week. Hoping to find a lot if interesting places to stay in along the coast !

Jacqui I have butterflies of excitement thinking about Turkey. We hope to go back one day.

that is fantastic Shannon! I hope you get back soon
and I’m glad to hear it’s such a great place. We travel somewhere new ever year .... only rules are we can’t have been there before ( the world is too big to go to the same place twice!) and it has to be hot ! And bonus points if English is not widely spoken - as in more authentic and out of the way the better

Jacqui
My sister traveled Greece & Turkey , she felt Turkish were waayyyy more friendly.
And I agree the world needs to be explored !

Go to Cappadocia - amazing