Turkey Trot - Turning Blu

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 - Topkapı 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

As I mentioned in the previous post, we moved from the Ritz-Carlton (paid with Marriott points) to the Radisson Blu Bosphorus.  I'd actually purchased the points for the Radisson at a discount so while the room wasn't free, when split amongst the three of us, the price was very nice.

The hotel was right on the Strait and both the restaurant and the lounge had outdoor seating areas.  Like with the Swissotel Efes, the smokers and ashtrays outside were a reminder that some people still enjoy the habit.

Our room was actually quite spacious compared to the Ritz.  It was a connecting room and we were able to put the rollaway right in front of the connecting door which left each of us with plenty of space to get in and out of our beds without stepping on each other.

Radisson Blu Bosphorus Bedding

We had a lovely view of an alley which really didn't matter as we didn't spend much time in the room anyway.



We got a big kick out of the combination TV stand and mini-bar.  At first glance it looks like something out of the Jetsons.  But it was functional and we weren't using the mini-bar or the TV anyway.  I guess that's just as well as the screen was tiny and we'd have been hard-pressed to watch it from across the room.

Waits for Rosie the maid to come dust it

The bathroom gave us a scare at first.  There was a window over the sink that looked out into the room.  We didn't see electronic controls to dim the window and there was no Venetian Blind for it either.  Only after much hunting did we notice that there was a manual blind that pulled up from the base of the window on the outside of the bathroom. Crisis averted!

Window into the bathroom

While the sleeping area was bigger than the Ritz, the bathroom definitely was not.  Then again, the sleeping area here at the Radisson was about the same size as the bathroom at the Ritz.  But we tend to take turns anyway and it was for only two nights so we made do.  It was quite a large step up into the bathtub and I can only imagine that short people or people with balance issues might have a hard time getting in and out.

Not a lot of room for storage but we
had a brief stay

Over the desk and behind the mirror was a wall mural of a model of the city, which was a very interesting idea.

Cool wall covering

The main restaurant was on the lower level and had a covered patio.  Had we not been totally spoiled by the breakfast buffet at the Swissotel Efes, this would probably have seemed fine.  There was plenty to eat but we had some communications issues with the staff.  I've mentioned before that the Turkish way seems to be for them to wait for you to flag them down instead of pro-actively checking on each table.  But when there's nobody to flag down or they seem to be consciously avoiding looking at your table, then there's a problem.  But we muddled through, even though I couldn't get a decent cereal spoon.  One day it was a tablespoon and the following day it was an iced tea spoon.

Dairy Station

Fruit

Hot Station

Meats

Pastries

Also on the lowest level was a small gym and a hair salon along with conference rooms.  The ground floor had the reception desk and some seating area along with the lounge/bar and some larger conference/reception rooms.

Radisson Blu Bosphorus Gym

We spent the rest of our time just wandering around our neighborhood.  Our hotel was very close to a small bazaar which featured lots of small shops and al fresco restaurants.  We wandered around checking things out and ate dinner outside overlooking the sea both nights.

The next day we crossed the street and wandered back into the neighborhood and realized that the further we went, the less touristy things became.  It was nice to see where real Turks shopped as we encountered laundromats, drugstores, hardware stores as well as fresh food markets, things that everyday people need every day.  We also got a kick out of all the cats in the vicinity.  They were very nice and seemed quite clean but they were everywhere.

Baklava - Yum!

Fresh Fish

Fresh Fruit

Pastries

Fresh Produce

Nuts and Spices

Waffle Toppings

See the three cats?

By this time we were definitely tired and ready to come home.  We'd enjoyed our stay immensely but it was time to get back to reality nearly 6000 miles away.