Back in Istanbul, we once again caught the ferry to the Sultan Ahmet and walked from Eminonu to the Hotel Ayasofya. It was early, but the guys told us that they would have our Suite ready for us by 10:00 AM and that we could go downstairs and enjoy the complimentary breakfast.
It’s funny to come back to a city you’ve visited during travels in which you’ve seen nothing but new places. The sense of being home is something truly comforting and strange because really, as in our case, you might have just spent a few days there and still feel a stranger except since you are returning from places that are all new, you lose that sense of being a stranger…can that possibly make sense?
Anyway, it felt nice to be back in Istanbul and back at the Hotel Ayasofya. The breakfast was as wonderful as we remembered with the plumpest, most delicious dried figs I’ve had just about anywhere and some lovely Turkish cheese and yogurt.
After breakfast our suite was ready and the bellman led us up to the room. Once again we had complete luxury. A massive private balcony looking out over the Marmara Sea and the old city walls of Istanbul. A salon, a big ultra comfy king sized bed, Ottoman furnishings, slippers, robes, and yes…another jacuzzi bathtub!
We do alright traveling on the cheap! It’s really a matter of choosing where to suffer and where not to. As I said before, I don’t like to suffer at the end of a journey nor at the beginning. During the middle, I don’t mind a bit. If you think about it, it makes sense. The two things you usually know are when you will arrive and when you will leave. Book a hotel for those nights and play everything else by ear.
So anyway, we’d slept badly on the bus and spent a lot of the night in the Ankara Otogar, but somehow that was all behind us as we put on fluffy white robes, room slippers, and lounged on our big balcony at the Hotel Ayasofya.
I heartily recommend the Hotel Ayasofya. The top suite is worth the price and whether you book it at the end or the beginning of your trip, a stay at Hotel Ayasofya is worthwhile. It is situated near all of the attractions of Sultan Ahmet, has a top notch staff that is friendly, helpful, and ready to go the extra mile for you, and it’s the kind of hidden gem luxury that you will remember for years to come.
To book a room at the Hotel Ayasofya you can go here.
