Turkish Airlines offers a free hotel if you have a long layover at IST. I took advantage and I’m now at the Renaissance Polat Hotel enjoying a stopover in Istanbul.
The last time I flew through Istanbul, on my way home from my Silk Road tour in May, was the first time I took advantage of this. In the past I have contented myself by hanging out in the Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge. They have suites there, but they are only available (if they have availability at all) for layovers within a certain range of hours. This morning my flight from MEX arrived at 10am, and my flight to Mauritius doesn’t depart until 2am. This falls outside the range for getting a suite.
In May they drove me an hour to a business-class hotel in the middle of the central business district. There was nothing of interest in the area, so I just relaxed in the room for the entire time.
This hotel wasn’t quite so far, but the ride still took more than a half hour in traffic. This time I’m at the edge of the Sea of Marmara, a small sea that links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. There are several beaches nearby, so I enjoyed a walk this afternoon as well as a nap. Lunch was included at the hotel restaurant, but I wasn’t hungry after they go overboard feeding us in Turkish Airlines business class.
(I’ve flown business class from MEX to IST a number of times, and the cabin — 30 seats — has always been completely full. On my flight this time there were just ten passengers sitting in business class. I have no idea why.)
I enjoyed some people watching as I walked along the seafront. It was a perfect day: warm, sunny, and breezy.
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