Turkey Trot - Putting on the Ritz

Turkey Trot - Overview
Turkey Trot - First Class
Turkey Trot - Are We There Yet?
Turkey Trot - Ephesus
Turkey Trot - Mary's House and Basilica of St. John
Turkey Trot - Swissotel Efes
Turkey Trot - Taking the Bus and Priene
Turkey Trot - Putting on the Ritz
Turkey Trot - The Blue Mosque
Turkey Trot - Topkapi Palace
Turkey Trot - Hagia Sophia
Turkey Trot - Carpets and Grand Bazaar
Turkey Trot - Dolmabahçe Palace and Taksim Square
Turkey Trot - Bosphorus Cruise
Turkey Trot - Turning Blu
Turkey Trot - Getting This Turkey Home

Our alloted time in Izmir was up and the next day T came to escort us to the airport for our flight back to Istanbul.  Our driver brought us curbside and T escorted us through the gleaming Izmir terminal.  It was only six months old when we went through it so the shiny was still present everywhere.

T made sure we went to the correct ticket line and checked to be sure we had our boarding passes before leaving us at the security checkpoint.  There wasn't much of a line either at the ticket desk or at security as each point had plenty of stations open.

Once we were airside we wandered a bit, looking at little shops and such.  Izmir may be the only place where I've actively looked for postcards and never found them.  Neither did I find them at the airport so I ended up with a little magnet as my souvenir.

We still had time to kill so we made sure to visit the facilities before getting aboard the plane and this was the only place I experienced where the airport was poorly designed.  Whereas a US airport will have a dozen stalls or more, this restroom had only three and one was of the hole-in-the-ground variety.  Additionally there was quite a line of ladies waiting and it made me glad I hadn't waited until the last minute.  Sometimes I wonder what architects are thinking when they design public buildings!

Soon enough we boarded Pegasus Airlines back to Istanbul's domestic terminal.  As before our plane was parked remotely and we had to take a shuttle bus back to the terminal itself.  Then we had to wait an inordinate amount of time for our luggage.  We speculate that part of the delay had to have been that the tugs had to spend a lot of time waiting to cross the taxiways safely as our bus had encountered the same thing.  Finally we got our bags and met up with a new guide, M, who escorted us to our hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul.

While we'd paid for our nights at the Swissotel, our stay here was free thanks to C and me using points earned with our Marriott credit cards.  The hotel is on the side of a steep hill but it's in good proximity to Taksim Square and the Bosphorus Strait.  It's also right next door to a new football stadium that was still under construction.  I would not want to be staying on the stadium side on nights when events were being held there as I suspect the lights would be quite bright.

Entering the hotel your luggage and handbags go through an x-ray machine and people go through a metal detector.  It's sad that even at such a luxurious hotel this process is still required.  But once inside the lobby has an immediately calming effect as it just oozes quiet luxury.  Marble floors, tastefully decorated and with welcoming drinks of water or pomegranate juice, depending on the time of day.

Front Desk

Lobby Bar

Beautiful Finishing Touches

Stairs leading up to shopping area

After checking in we were escorted to our room and the rollaway was brought up shortly thereafter.  As it was meant to be just a room with (large) twin beds, it was a bit of a tight fit but, hey, the price was right.

Twin Beds. We moved the lamp and chair in the corner
to fit in the rollaway bed.

View from our room

Once entering the door there's a small hallway with the bathroom on the right and the closet on the left.  In the closet were our robes and slippers.

There was a chair in the corner that got displaced for the rollaway but we also had a desk with its own chair and a combination TV stand/mini-bar and even then there was some floor space left over where we could put our suitcases.

Desk and chairs. TV stand on the left.

We loved the bathroom.  It was probably two-thirds the size of the bedroom.  A tub ran along the left wall while straight ahead was the vanity.  There was only one sink but that meant more counter space for all our stuff.  On the right was the toilet room and the shower.  My only complaint was that the hairdryer was in a lower drawer and permanently plugged in there.  I got quite an arm workout trying to make the cord stretch all the way up to my head.  Maybe I should have just sat on the side of the tub to dry my hair.

Bathroom vanity

Big ol' tub

Shower stall

Outside there was a pool with loads of chairs and an outdoor café.  There was also a pool inside along with Turkish baths and a full spa and a gym though we did not use any of these.

Indoor pool

Cardio machines

Turkish bath

The staff was just fantastic here.  Everyone was so polite and helpful.  We got good advice from the concierge about places to eat within walking distance and even the bellboys welcomed us back each time we returned.  I can highly recommend this place and would be happy to return.