Istanbul (Turkey) > Reviews > Istanbul December 2005

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Sightseeing	Excellent
Shopping	Excellent
Nightlife	Good
Ease of getting around	Good

Advantages:	Great shopping, Interesting sites
Disadvantages:	Very Busy

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

My husband and I stayed in Istanbul for about 6 days last December on our way to Diyarbakir. We stayed in Hotel Devran, just off the main street in Taksim. It was small and probably not well known with tourists. It was very basic but clean and the staff were very friendly. It was only about 35ytl (around £14) for both of us per night. I loved Taksim, it was great for shopping and had some really nice restaurants and cafes.
It was really easy to get around Istanbul on the metro system (which is a god send because the traffic is a nightmare!).
We also went down to Sultenahmet a few times. There was a lovely garden area not far from the castle with a beautiful water fountain. We went to the castle aswell which was really interesting. There was also alot of places we never had time to visit like museums and The Blue Mosque but they are definately on my to do list for next time.
I really enjoyed Istanbul and will definately be going back someday soon. It was one of my favourite places in Turkey. I would totally recommend it but not for a summer holiday as it's definately not a beach resort