Grazia Travel Club has just got back from Istanbul, where we stayed at the coolest hotel in town, the W (above and below). The hotel’s Extreme Wow suite was the last hotel Amy Winehouse ever stayed in, after cancelling her Istanbul tour date earlier this year. She liked it so much she stayed holed up there for four days.
If you want to sleep in the same huge round bed as Amy did, with its mirror on the ceiling, perhaps sunbathe on its private terrace overlooking the Bosporus then chill in the massive jacuzzi in the bedroom, the Extreme Wow suite will set you back a cool €4,500 per night. The neighbouring Wow suite (we guarantee wow is the first thing you’ll say when you enter the door) is a snip at just €4,000, while rooms at the W start from €216 per night. Not only is the hotel, like all the Ws, totally rock ‘n’ roll but it has the best pool in the city. A short taxi ride, then a boat launch and you’re on the fabulous Suada private island, slap bang in the middle of the Bosporus with Europe to the West of you and Asia to the East – amaze!
The crowd here is very glam and the DJ plays chilled out vibes – just perfect if you’ve been out the night before for cocktails at 360 www.360istanbul.com (stunning views of the city, beautiful people – two pics above), then on to the Reina club www.reina.com.tr the club to go to in Istanbul in the Summer, a gorgeous outdoor venue on the shores of the Bosporus.
If you’re heading to Istanbul when it gets a little cooler in the evenings, from September onwards, it’s the W Lounge that’s the place to be seen, where you’ll be hanging out with a hip crowd of Turkish ‘A’ listers and visiting international celebs like Rhianna.
Istan totally cool!
– Nicholas Kynaston
via Grazia Travel Club: Istan-fabulous!.