For the past few mornings I’ve been enjoying a leisurely breakfast right by the sea at the Four Seasons Bosphorus in Istanbul.

Having been to Istanbul many times, I am doing very little tourist sightseeing on this trip. All I really want to do this time around is to take it easy and to check out the cool new shops, coffee places and restaurants that have sprouted up since I was last here about two years ago.

And to catch up with some friends in Turkey. I’m having dinner with some of them at one of my favourite restaurants in Istanbul tonight.

WHAT TO DO IN ISTANBUL

I just love being in Istanbul. Sometimes I come over, all the way from Asia, just for a weekend of walks, sitting by the Bosphorus and a couple of good meals. The weather is perfect and everywhere is a feast for the senses. It’s a great way to rejuvenate and revitalise one’s self.

This time too, I really intended for a very relaxed pace of a trip with enough time to catch up on emails and to actually read the newspapers over breakfast. Of course, I am trying to fit in as many spa treatments as possible.

THE RESTAURANTS UNDER GALATA BRIDGE

I’m doing a bit of the tourist stuff that I like as well. The other day my friends and I had lunch under Galata Bridge. This is a big tourist activity, and almost all the fish restaurants here cater to foreigners.

However, I just love sitting right by the sea under the bridge and watching the boats go by. You see all of this amidst the gorgeous views of the oldest neighbourhoods of Istanbul. This is such a unique experience — something you won’t find even from the top luxury hotels.

BREAKFAST AT THE FOUR SEASONS BOSPHORUS

Breakfast at the Four Seasons Bosphorus is certainly a great way to start each day of a holiday in Istanbul.

They have a really interesting selection of food for breakfast at the Aqua Restaurant. This includes Turkish bean soup and all kinds of fish done in a variety of ways.

The fish dishes at breakfast are really delicious. In fact, I haven’t seen such a comprehensive array of fish dishes at breakfast at other luxury hotels in Istanbul.

Two fish dishes stand out at the Four Seasons Bosphorus. One is a shredded salmon dish which is delicious beyond words. The other is marinated freshly-caught anchovies that is always so prettily arranged; it looks like a modern artwork.

I usually eat these with a big plate of buttered Turkish fried rice that the chef kindly makes for me when it wasn’t available in the buffet spread.

TRADITIONAL TURKISH PANCAKES

Then there’s the freshly made traditional Turkish pancakes that are made to order right on the terrace. This is perhaps the highlight of breakfast. It’s a joy to watch the Turkish ladies make this pancake. And the pancakes themselves are incredibly delicious. Sometimes the pancakes are filled with cheese, and sometimes meat is added into the pancake.

Of course, I always end breakfast with a plate of traditional Turkish sweets.

VISITING ISTANBUL’S TOP MUSEUMS

Speaking of art, that’s the other thing on my agenda. One of my favourite museums in Istanbul is of course the Istanbul Modern, so that’s where I’m headed today.

And then I’m checking out an away-from-the-tourist-track neighbourhood full of cool new designer shops and chic boutiques with one-of-a-kind items for sale. My kind of favourite places.

What a wonderful, relaxing week in Turkey, living a never-endingly eventful #Travelife.

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At the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, one of the most luxurious hotels in Istanbul

The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus sits regally like a beautiful lady of the Ottoman Empire, practically a destination in itself, especially for frequent travelers to Istanbul like myself who wish to revisit the city in relaxed style.

I’d been to Turkey many times before; so on this particular trip, all I wanted to do was walk around the old neighborhoods of Galata and Karakoy discovering quirky shops and cool cafes, visit the Istanbul Modern, and then spend the rest of the time on R&R right by one of the most strategic waterways in the world.

At the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, one of the most luxurious hotels in Istanbul

The convenient location of Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, near  historic sights of Bosphorus and also comfortably away from the hustle and bustle, is most ideal for a relaxing holiday in Istanbul.

At the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, one of the most luxurious hotels in Istanbul

For my stay at the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus, I chose a second floor Palace Bosphorus room which is one of the most attractive rooms in the hotel. Located in the historic main building, a 19th century former Ottoman palace, it still had remnants of its grand old self, with unusually high ceilings and old-fashioned windows facing the Bosphorus so that I could see the Asian side of Istanbul and the Maiden tower in the distance.

Meanwhile the interiors were classic Turkish turn-of-the-century in feel – dark furniture and plush fabrics – although with all the magical gadgets of modern technology.

Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Bosphorus

Within this oasis, one of my favorite rituals was eating at the delicious breakfast buffet at Aqua, the contemporary Italian restaurant of Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Bosphorus. 

It has a wonderful breakfast buffet, all kinds of fresh juices including my all-time favorite fresh pomegranate juice, full of anti-oxidants, and there’s a lovely Turkish lady who makes a Turkish specialty of beef and flour pancake nearby. I always order this Turkish pancake and ask her to put a little chili in.

Breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Bosphorus

I began my days in a wonderfully languid fashion at this sleek but cheerful venue, with freshly pressed pomegranate juice and a typical Turkish breakfast of assorted cheeses, clotted cream, olives, honey and breads.

Baklava at the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, one of the most luxurious hotels in Istanbul

The spa had a wide range of treatments but I just had to book the Turkish hammam experience on one of these spa days, of course. 

This Turkish hammam experience began with a short steam treatment followed by a body scrub, foaming wash and massage that ended just in time for afternoon tea in the hotel gardens where tables are set up right next to the sea so that on a beautifully sunny afternoon this was just about the best place to be in Istanbul.

At the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, one of the most luxurious hotels in Istanbul

Then, just like the pace of everything else in Istanbul, a city full of moments worth savoring slowly that slip by all too quickly, we were soon reluctantly calling it a day. All the while sitting at the same spot outdoors, afternoon tea seamlessly turned into sunset cocktails; and then darkness crept in and we walked back to Aqua for an authentic Italian dinner of pasta, steaks and gelato cooked by Istanbul’s best Italian chef.

At the Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosphorus, one of the most luxurious hotels in Istanbul

We’d been so mesmerized by our VIP seat on the grand show that is life on the Bosphorus – one of the greatest attractions of Istanbul – that, ironically, the hours had ever so wonderfully slipped by unnoticed. And this is how it was everyday for the rest of our stay as well, until it was time to say goodbye to Istanbul and to the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus.

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