Turkey, Greece, and New York Itinerary
Part 2 of the European extravaganza. As you guys saw from my previous itinerary, I was fortunate enough to travel to Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and New York. In this post I will share all of my recommendations for Turkey, Greece, and New York.
Istanbul:
The first place we went was Istanbul. We got a direct flight from Miami to Istanbul. If you followed along on my Instagram, you know that we hoped on the flight waited for 3 hours on the tarmac, flew for 2 hours, and then had to go back to Miami because of flight issues. We checked into a hotel in Miami at 6 a.m. and flew out the next day. All this craziness was beyond worth it for what we were able to experience.
If you go to Istanbul, I definitely recommend getting a guide, not just for one tour, but finding a guide who will bring you all around. It is nice to not have to worry about what you are going to see and when. We had the best guide in the entire world and he made the trip.
Istanbul was magical. It was a culture I had never experienced before. I had never been to a predominantly Muslim country so all that I learned was exhilarating. I love traveling because it opens my eyes to the rest of the world, allowing me to gain a greater understanding of the people around me. I think it is so important to immerse yourself in other cultures so that together we can build each other and the world up.
What was Byzantium then Constantinople is now Istanbul. We stood on the European continent across from the Bospherus River in Asia. So much history, so much culture. We saw Mosques, heard the Call to Prayer (at all hours of the day and night), visited the Basilica Cistern, took a boat ride up the Bospherus, saw the underground aqueducts, and went to the roof top bar viewing the Mosque and the River. We consumed an insane amount of Turkish tea and coffee because we obviously had to act like locals. We ate traditional Turkish food like lamahcun, dolmas, meze, doner kebap, and of course baklava. Which, let me tell you, I am now in love with baklava. The delicious layers of crunchy phyllo pastry with sweet, sticky honey, and crunchy pistachios.
There is the Old Town with all of the sites and history, and the New Town with tons of restaurants. We stayed in the Old Town and I loved it! We stayed at the Four Seasons which was just gorgeous. Steps away from the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, you couldn’t get a much better location. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet of our dreams each morning and a modern twist on Turkish classics for dinner one night. If you get over to the Four Seasons, the rooftop bar is an absolute must. With live music and views for days, you will feel like you are in heaven.
The restaurant in the Four Seasons is called AVLU and it is a must. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Aside from eating in the Four Seasons we went to a restaurant called Mikla. It was easy to tell how it got its Michelin star. We had a view of the whole country.
You have to go to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar. Tons of people and tons of stuff, but if you have the right guide and look in the right places you can get some good stuff! We got things like saffron, Turkish delight, and Turkish tea to take how and transport us back to this blissful vacation.
The experience of a lifetime is the traditional hamam. It is a scrub, cleaning, and massage. Prepare to be the cleanest and most relaxed you have ever been.
Cappadocia:
As silly as it sounds, I found Cappadocia on Instagram. Have you seen all the pictures of the hot air balloons? Chances are that’s Cappadocia! However, it is way better than the pictures show. Cappadocia is the perfect destination to hit after Istanbul. In Istanbul, you are sightseeing like crazy, hearing tons of history, and soaking in the culture. In Cappadocia it is more adventurous. We learned and explored the caves and fairy chimneys. We also got an all-day guide here. The guides know exactly where to go and when. She showed us the perfect lookouts and taught us everything we needed to know about Cappadocia.
We stayed at Argos which was beyond gorgeous with a traditional Turkish look inside and 360 degree cave views.
We had dinner at the restaurant in our hotel called Seki. Loved every minute of the ambiance and scrumptious bites.
Then came the morning of all mornings. The experience of a lifetime. Our hot air balloon ride! We reserved our ride for the morning of my brothers birthday as a birthday present to him. We were extremely lucky that the conditions were just right because many times hot air balloon rides are postponed for days or even canceled.
We had to wake up extremely early, but it was more than worth it to hear the sweet, silent sounds of peace as they echoed through the mountains. One ballon after the next as if it would never end. As the sun rises, more beauty of revealed.
If you decide to embark on this one of a kind journey, make sure to wear layers because it gets super chilly even in the summer. We had 16 total people in the balloon and it was the perfect amount.
After the ride, we enjoyed cake and drinks in a flower field.
We got to go into a family owned pottery shop and try out pottery for ourselves! The amount of detail and work put into each piece was insane.
I highly recommend having your birthday here because we literally had cake like 4 times. We had it for breakfast with the balloon ride, we came home to a tart in our room, the pottery place gave us two different types, and we ended the night with a cake at dinner. Keep in mind, cake is my favorite thing on this Earth so I was in heaven.
One of my favorite parts was the crazy caves and how extravagant they were. I cannot imagine building a whole world underground and what’s more is they did it hundred’s of years ago.
We went to a traditional lunch at a place called Old Greek House. Of course it was family owned and had the best service. The heart and soul that goes into making your dining experience and food as fabulous as possible is virtually unmatched. Some of the best food we had in Turkey. Get a bunch of dishes and share, share, share. As the menu said, “to share is to love.”
We walked the grounds of our hotel with caves everywhere. You walk in one crevice and it diverges into 4 different paths which will soon diverge again and again. You could spend ages just exploring.
My advice is to keep walking and see what you find. If you see a cave or lookout that looks fun. Go to it! Go where ever calls.
Last dinner was at Lila. So so much fun. Insane views, insane food, and the waiters were great.
Greece:
Next stop, Greece!!! Mykonos was our first location in Greece and it did not disappoint. Honestly, this may have been my favorite location although it was so hard to pick because this trip was perfect. Mykonos is the ultimate place to party and enjoy. You have to go to the beach clubs for the full experience, but prepare to spend your entire bank account because it certainly is not cheap. We stayed at the Nissaki hotel which had a great pool and views as well as a great location. We rented a car, but it was a complete waste of money because we called a car every time. The car we rented did not fit all 6 of us plus baggage, so we were grateful to find the best driver ever outside of the airport. We used the same driver every place we went.
We got in at dinner time so we ate at our hotel which was great.
I recommend spending one day at your hotel enjoying the pool there. Then, if I had to choose only one beach club I would pick Kalua. Talk about one of the best days ever. As a family we had endless fun dancing, singing, and soaking up the sun. Go early at around 10 or 11 so you can layout and work your way up to the party vibes. Then, at around 3 the music starts getting louder and the fun really begins. The staff is dedicated to making the experience everything and more. Whatever you need, they are already 5 steps ahead. If you have a big group and/or can afford it, get the big cabana. They have multiple “levels” of what you can purchase as far as chairs. The cabana was worth every penny because we were right in the midst of all the partying. If you don’t want to layout you can also just get a table or go to the bar and still have a great time. I expected the food to be mediocre and boy was I wrong. Every dish we had was super tasty.
This is at our hotel
Kalua!!!
The cabana that you need in your life
Great family bonding. OMG I can’t stop smiling at the memories. SO so many laughs.
Laughing then dancing then laughing and dancing. On repeat all day long.
After the beach club, there are so many clubs to hop around in downtown Mykonos. I loved Skandinavian and everything around. You keep hopping around and find your vibe.
Another amazing beach club was Scorpios. Also very expensive, but I also would go again in a heart beat. Scorpios is more of a nighttime club. Reserve a table for dinner, grab some amazing food, and then enjoy the DJ on the beach. The views are unbeatable and you feel like you are in the most luxurious place.
One of my favorite meals of the whole trip was just down the road from our hotel. My mom, dad, and I went for lunch. It was a family owned place and you could tell right off the bat. We were welcomed by the owner and given the best possible treatment. The restaurant was called Nikos Gallop. I was named captain of our table (obviously) and given a cute captains hat. We ordered a few appetizers like greek salad and octopus and then salt cured fish for our main. Wow is an understatement. We were given complimentary dessert that was out of this world.
I cannot even with this view like are you kidding me?!
Paros:
Time to change the vibe! One of the reasons I loved this trip so much was because it was a mix of every possible vibe you could want. You want history? Istanbul. Adventure? Cappadocia. Party? Mykonos. Chill? Paros. Paros had the ultimate chill energy. It was truly a hidden gem. Locals are all around and they are on island time. Beauty surrounds you and you cannot help but be in awe at all times.
We stayed at a magnificent hotel called Cosme. The service was impeccable and the setting unmatched. The hardest decision here was beach or pool? The answer: BOTH! Back and forth between beach and pool, laying out, swimming, reading, the whole package. Talk about bliss and serenity. You couldn’t wipe the smile from my face if you tried.
Each day we would walk into the town one or more times either to shop around or to grab dinner. The food at our hotel was amazing so we ate lunch there most days. For dinner, we wanted to experience the town. I’m not going to lie, most of the restaurants have very similar menus, but Sigi Ikthios is the place to go. We went to Barbarosa one night and it was one of the worst dinners of my entire life. This sounds dramatic, but it is not. Service was horrible, and the food was inedible. Instead, you should go for a drink after dinner when the vibes are good. Music starts to play and people cheer and dance. Yemeni was one of our best dinners and offered dishes that weren’t as similar to everything else. The steak was awesome as well as everything else we ordered.
This ceviche and the dips above were from our hotel and had perfect flavor. They were exactly what I was craving on a hot summers day.
Lastly, I would highly recommend having a bot day. Find a company and have them take you out on the boat all day long. They will take you to the best spots and you will cruise all around. We jumped off cliffs, went snorkeling, and more. Our captains also made the best food!
New York:
It’s city time!! And… back to party time. What better place to celebrate 21st birthday than New York? You almost can’t have a bad meal in New York. It’s basically impossible. I did a ton of research and of course we weren’t able to go to every place, but I will share a ton.
For the first night we went to a Michelin star Thai restaurant called Soothr. So so so good. Must go. The flavors were powerful. Creamy and nutty, yet spicy and full of depth.
If you like sushi, you absolutely have to go to Ume. It is a sushi map with different salts from all around the world so you create the flavor profile of your dreams. This was not only a meal, but an experience. You sit on the floor and get the full Japanese spirit.
Obviously we had to celebrate Betsy’s birthday with two big dinners. The first dinner was at Little Ways. They were very accommodating and food was good, but the flavor profiles didn’t necessarily match. For big groups, you pick a few dishes and they bring multiple plates of those dishes out for the whole table to enjoy.
The next night was at Buddakan. I could not recommend this more. You MUST go. SO insanely good. We had a big group here as well and the amount of food was insane. Every single dish was amazing. Not just good, but amazing. You will certainly not go home hungry. The vibes were amazing. Stunning environment and so much fun.
We went out, of course because it’s New York, but I cannot remember where lol.
For my sister’s cake I bought it from Billy’s Bakery. One of the best cakes ever and I am a really hard critique. I got both vanilla and chocolate with chocolate frosting. I recommend only doing chocolate. Both were amazing, but the chocolate was superior. I could actually cry over how good that cake was.
Some places we did not go to but I am dying to try are:
dinner/ lunch:
michelin star indian: semma
oji mi
torrisi
misi
4 charles prime rib
huso
I Sodi
krispy pizza
hwa yuan
jua
via carota
mamas too
saga
one white street
smashed (burgers)
fette sau
breakfast/pastry:
layfayette
angelina
clinton street baking company
tompkins bagels
sunday in brooklyn
jeffery’s
golden diner
buvette
salts cure
chez ma tate
la cabra
dessert:
maison pickle (24 layer cake)
venchi (gelato)
from lucie
spot
cookies:
levain
chip city
culture espresso
funny face
seven grams
gooey on the inside