There are certain things in life I cannot stand. Missing happy hour, other people’s kids crying on public transport, talking in the movies and watching a happy person in my yoga class. How can I possibly relax when I’m staring at a person who is smiling from ear to ear and clearly has a new holiday tan not to mention pushing that vibe onto me that one can only give off after a holiday. I stretch, and breath and try to ignore. But it’s impossible. I have to know where she has been. I can’t possibly do the Crane without knowing. She just looks amazing. It’s infectious. She’s happy and I’m not. It’s not fair. She’s not even sweating she’s that happy, and here I am standing in so much liquid it looks like I was caught in a storm. We get told to lay on our backs and I take the chance to whisper to her. She tells me to shoosh but also drops the name of the destination: Istanbul. I must know more.
After class she speaks to me and says there is but one place to stay. The Ciragan Palace. It’s one of the rare palace hotels that was actually occupied by a Sultan back in the day. Istanbul is full of history and wonder. The amazing markets and mosques all add to the mystery and charm that has made it such a “must go” destination. Ciragan Palace is the only hotel that combines luxury and ambiance to create a unique sense of place. On arrival you can be chauffeured from the airport to the hotel by a car or on a private boat. I would go with the private boat. Naturally. Up the Bosphorus and when you dock at the Ciragan you’re in Europe looking at Asia. How cool is that!
She continues to tell me that the Ciragan Palace has the best pool in all of Istanbul and we all know how important that is. You can just lie there looking at so many boats passing as they travel from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. All the while you’re in their gorgeous gardens, and if you get bored with that you’re steps from the Ciragan’s amazing spa and hammam. Then, my dear, she told me about how wonderful the food was and especially the sumptuous breakfast she enjoyed after partying half the night at the nearby clubs, which are also on the Bosphorus.
Istanbul and the Ciragan Palace really should be on any luxury traveler’s list of places to visit. And then you too can come back all tanned and happy in my yoga class. Just so you know, after two weeks she still had the Istanbul/Ciragan Palace happiness glow. I’m so going there!