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After dropping by the HSBC Club Lounge and stuffing myself full of cake, I made my way down two floors to the Primeclass CIP Lounge. This is the same lounge that British Airways uses operating out of Istanbul. It was immediately clear that this lounge offered many more amenities than the HSBC Club Lounge. For…
There are two Priority Pass-eligible lounges in the International Terminal at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, and the first that I stopped by was the HSBC Club Lounge. It’s a rather basic lounge: one large room with seating, a couple of computers, a bevy of desserts, and basic drink options. As I was planning on visiting the…
Tip #1: Kaymak. Eat it. It’s wonderful and delicious and similar to clotted cream. I think the best kaymak we had was at Karakoy Ozsut, which is right near the Karakoy tram stop. The owner is super friendly and talked to us about the herd of buffalos that he keeps and good farming practices. Tip…
Although very few locals seem to ever shop at the Spice Bazaar, I thought that going to the bazaar was one of the most fun things that we did in Istanbul, largely because the salespeople can be extraordinarily entertaining. To be clear, you’re almost assuredly not going to get a deal on buying anything at…
Going to a hamam (aka a Turkish bath) can incite a lot of apprehension in a lot of travelers: it’s not clear exactly what’s going to happen to you, there’s often a language barrier, you’re generally going to be naked, and the stories range from very positive to very negative about the experience. Or at…
Prior to visiting Turkey, I was nervous about the civil unrest that I had read about. Stories about police storming Taksim Square, several people dying, and tear gas in the streets stoked my fears. But having just spent 4 days in Istanbul, I don’t think there’s much for tourists to be afraid of, particularly if…
