Istanbul for history geeks

Michael was a great guide. I would have liked to be able to pick up our tickets for the palace and the boat tour that morning. In the morning, we had to follow the guide to enter the different parts of the palace. For the boat tickets, we had to go somewhere else entirely. We didn’t have the address of the new location where we were supposed to pick up the tickets. There was a serious lack of clarity and detail.

I enjoyed the tour and the explanations offered by Hal, our guide. They were very informative and made the entire experience worth the time and money. I appreciate the guide for making the tour more interesting by sharing real life experiences from the life of the sultans, the harem and how all the Topkapi palace life contributed to lifting the ottoman elite. This kind of things you can't find in books. We visited as a family, with our daughters 9 and 6 years old, and although we had to translate for them, they were captivated and stayed interested the entire time we had Hal guiding us. This was a very good experience and I recommend to anyone interested to get real insights while visiting the Topkapi palace.

As a person who loves spa-ing, I can tell my fellow Spa fans that this is a must do! The experience was excellentand the woman who did all the services was amazing!!! this is my first time at a Turkish bath, and I really didn't know what to expect. Each phase of the experience was unique on its own. I was most in awe of the bubbles so many bubbles! I treated my husband to his own treatment on the men's side, and I know he was apprehensive about having a man do his services, but he ended up enjoying just as much as I did. This experience is one that I would definitely recommend and when I will do again for sure !

The guide was knowledgeable and had good English skills. That part went well. The option Part of our tour which was the phosphorus boat tour was not as smooth. It took me three times to get them to explain to me how to find the boat tour. It was only my persistence that we were able to catch the last cruise the next day. Seeing istanbul from the sea was nice. However, the boat on the tour has seen better days. There was no explanation or audio about what we were seeing from the water so basically get on an old boat and ride around.

It was a unique, wonderful experience. The staff was very welcoming, and the place was clean and professional. I had a very deep massage with a scrub and a bubble bath, followed by some relaxation time. I highly recommend it.