We were up early, packed and at breakfast much earlier than on previous days, not wanting to waste a minute of our last few hours. We savoured one last plateful of delicious, fresh fruit and enjoyed that wonderful view which was still very special in spite of a few clouds in the sky. After breakfast we had time for a last stroll down to the Hippodrome where we took a last wander through the Arts and Crafts fair and ended up buying a couple of painted tiles befor...

Again we slept very soundly, but at least we were up in good time to have a good breakfast while once again admiring that fabulous view. The selection on offer was Turkish and included olives and cold meats and various pastries as well as gorgeous fresh fruit which we particularly enjoyed. The melon, cherries and apricots were fantastic! Once again we set off to explore, just a 2 minute walk from the hotel and we were back in the Hippodrome. We passed through th...

After an early night we slept like the dead and even the many competing calls to prayer from nearby mosques did not disturb us. We woke, more by accident than design, just in time for breakfast, raced upstairs to the restaurant and were able to grab some food just before they cleared the buffet. We had been told that the view from the roof restaurant and terrace was amazing and they were not wrong. The Blue Mosque and the Sophia Museum looked spectacular, and so ...

After an extremely indulgent afternoon celebrating the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Lewes, getting up at 2am in order to get to Heathrow in time for a 7am flight was not the best thing to be doing. Somehow or other we made it! We were grateful to be able to relax and recover in the comfort of First Class lounge before our departure. Once on our flight for Istanbul we soon realised that we were in for a different kind of experience. The flight was very busy, m...