Eat, pray and shop in Turkey
Istanbul is my favourite destination when it comes to eat, shop and stay. When there, I eat at Nars in Grand Bazaar. Nars a beautiful restaurant set in a luxury concept store selling incredible jewellery and upmarket Turkish designers like Bora Aksu. They serve organic traditional produce cooked with a modern twist. Sunset, one of the most spectacularly located restaurants in Istanbul, offers an interesting fusion of Turkish and Japanese cuisine.
Mostly, I shop at Nisantasi, the luxury-shopping district of Istanbul that has an array of global brands with a mix of stand-alone boutiques that sell jewellery, shoes, clothes and bags by local designers. A visit to Istanbul is incomplete without visiting the Blue Mosque and I was fortunate enough to sit through a Friday prayer inside. Istanbul Modern is my next favourite as I am an art buff. It was wonderful to see how contemporary art is viewed, created and has evolved over the last century in a country that holds 4,000 years of history.
If you don’t mind spending, stay at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel. It oozes old world luxury. For people who like boutique hotels, I would highly recommend the House Hotel in Ortakoy. They offer the most delicious breakfast I have ever eaten. And if you ever don’t know where to go or what to do, ask the hotel’s manager, Bahar. Trust me, you will thank me for this tip! Sana is a fashion stylist and owner of 23carat and Maison As told to Namita Gupta.