Istanbul
Istanbul has always been the city of the world’s desire. The city gained fame with its lavish waterside palaces, exquisitely tiled mosques, and legendary festivals that would stretch for weeks at a time as the Ottoman sultans outdid themselves to reach ever higher heights of luxury and bounty.
Today’s Istanbul embodies and extends that iconic and lavish character. Now the largest city in the modern Republic of Turkey, Istanbul is once again a cauldron from which opulence bubbles and cooks. It is home to some of the world’s finest hotels, boutiques and restaurants, catering to a wide variety of high-end appetites. From the natural elegance of the Bosphorus palaces that are now boutique hotels to the contemporary innovation of designers, chefs and architects in upscale districts such as Nisantasi and Etiler, there is something for every discerning palate.
All of it comes with Istanbul’s stunning heritage as a backdrop and as a shot of perspective. Wandering the tiled halls or soaring domed ceilings of world-renowned attractions such as Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque and Dolmabahche Palace are reference points. These time-tested monuments are a visual display of how the elegance of centuries past have been incorporated into today’s trasure trove of upsale offerings.
