Istanbul- places to stay and eat

[Abu Yaseen]

salaam'alaikum

Insha'Allah I hope to be going to Istanbul for a few nights with my brother and I was wondering if anyone could give advice on where to stay/eat?

Jazak'Allah

[xs11ax]

well if your going to go to istanbul then why dont you just stay and eat in istanbul??

it would make life a whole lot easier for you. i would have thought that would have been obvious.

[alfatiha]

well if your going to go to istanbul then why dont you just stay and eat in istanbul??

it would make life a whole lot easier for you. i would have thought that would have been obvious.

I believe the brother asked for specific restaurant which is no doubt serving halal authentic Turkish food and no turkish beer and specific hotel that he can stay in Istanbul.

Back to the question. Are you planning on staying in hotel, hostel? Any specific? This could narrow it down. Since Istanbul a big metropolis, it is best also to narrow it down to where do you wanna go, like European side, Asian side, near the strait, near Topkapi, etc.

[Habib1968]

Salam alaikoum ;

I was in Istambul a few years ago for some days ; there are a lot of mosques of course but I didn't really have the feeling that I am in a islamic city . I don't if it is because the city is noisy but we don't hear the azhan very well when it's time to pray ; even in the airport when you arrive , strange feeling .... .
You will find that many restaurant have alcohol .
Maybe the best to do is looking on the web at first for some good places . There are many nice places to see also like the big mosques , the Topkapi museum for exemple . For more religious places , it is better to go to Bursa wich is not so far away .

We didn't hear from our brother Neysen since a long time now ; I am sure that he would give you many good informations ...


Wa salam

[Ma'ruf]

Salam alaikoum ;

I was in Istambul a few years ago for some days ; there are a lot of mosques of course but I didn't really have the feeling that I am in a islamic city .

That's the most disappointing thing I've heard today : (

You'll forgive me for hoping that you are mistaken! I have heard that it has become more openly "Islamic" in recent years, inshallah that is the case.

[Habib1968]

Salam alaikoum ;

I am sorry brother ; this is possible , what you said is correct and I hope so as well ; I was there a few years ago , so the situation was better than for 10 years ago .
I also use to be a very long time in Cairo so befor and after my travel in Istambul , maybe that's why I had this feeling .
It is also my wish to see islam increase in Turkey ...

[Abu Yaseen]

salaam we must ignore brother shax and his sarcy comments! Anyway unfortunately I will not be going to Istanbul as could not book the right dates- have to go Dubai instead! So if any pointers to some decent places will be helpful- thought I doubt there will be!

salaams

[Hmmm]

For future reference, the four seasons and ciragan palace are lovely, if a bit pricey, places to stay in Istanbul My favourite restaurant there is one called "Sunset" that is high up in the hills, nice local food and fresh fish, but, most nicely, one of the lead chefs from Nobu summers there = fantastic blackened cod and sushi..

For Dubai, there are a number of nice places to both eat and stay, although it does depend on your budget and if you're trying to treat your wife!

[Hmmm]

So, the nicest place to stay (imo) is the Dar Al Masyaf in the Madinat Jumeirah - nice villas, but slightly, erm, pricey. The other two hotels in the complex are nice, as is the adjacent jumeirah beach hotel if you have kids - don't go to the Burj unless you like tacky, if you're really looking to impress the beit al bahar villas are stunning.. The one and only hotel nearby is a similar opulent locale with a lovely beach - the palm tree court and spa is also nice. If you pop out to the desert, the al maha complex is nice and relaxing. Other than that, the meridiens are nice places to stay, as are the three hyatts (grand hyatt being my favourite, followed by the park hyatt on dubai creek). The Grovesnor House next to the Meridien is also a lovely, modern hotel.. Lots and lots of choice out there (much cheaper than I've quoted too!), depends what you're looking for.

You might want to consider Abu Dhabi too - the Emirates Palace there is the nicest hotel I've stayed at (and I've stayed at a lot), stunning place and a more "muslamic" city. The Hilton there is also nice, ableit not quite so jaw-dropping ($3bn was spent on the aptly named Palace..).

For places to eat in Dubai, at the top of the price range, Gordon Ramsey's restaurant Verre (at the Hilton Creek) is, as usual, fantastic for food. Another nice one is Vu's on top of the Emirates Tower. Stunning view and fantastic food, although slightly overcomplex. Halal wagyu steak is nice, melts in your mouth..

To be honest though, the above are best if someone else is paying (!).. My favourite in Dubai is still Nando's on Sh Zayed Road

[xs11ax]

salaam we must ignore brother shax and his sarcy comments! Anyway unfortunately I will not be going to Istanbul as could not book the right dates- have to go Dubai instead! So if any pointers to some decent places will be helpful- thought I doubt there will be!

salaams

we must ignore brother abu yaseen and his........

well we should just ignore brother abu yaseen full stop!

he works for the government. this is not a lie. he has access to a lot of private info on the muslims.