DAY 1 & 2 - Tuesday & Wednesday Oct 29/30
Fly to Cappadocia (Via Istanbul)
Depart the USA on Tuesday Oct 29 and arrive Istanbul on Wednesday October 30 to connect to your flight to Cappadocia. , our representative will meet you at the airport in Kayseri and , transfer to your 4 Star hotel YUNAK HOUSES - Free evening.
Your Hotel in Cappadocia
The Yunak Evleri is a luxurious hotel carved into a mountain cliff, and includes six cave houses, 30 rooms dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries and a 19th century Greek Mansion, with a peaceful balance between modern comfort and tradition. The rooms have been decorated with care and in their own distinct style, strictly respecting the local character. The decor is elegant and personalized with beautiful hand-crafted furnishings and antiques
DAY 3 & 4 - Thursday Oct 31 - Friday Nov 1
Thursday Oct 31 : Optional Baloon Ride
OPTIONAL BALLOON RIDE OVER THE CAPPADOCIAN VALLEYS (supplement)
Start the morning at dawn with a hot air balloon ride. There are over 30 take-off sites in the area... once airborne the balloon will travel free with the wind... The flight lasts one hour and includes both low contour flying and also going high enough to view the whole landscape from above. At the end enjoy a celebration with breakfast and champagne served right at the landing spot!. Return to the hotel for a nap.
Kaymakli - Sinassos
Later on this morning, visit the underground city of Kaymakli, a troglodyte cave-city excavated as early as Hittite times that consists of 8 floors below ground, only 4 of them are open to the public today, in which the spaces are organized around ventilation shafts.
Afterwards head to Sinassos, a small town inhabited by Greek Orthodox families until the beginning of the 20th century where you will enjoy a lovely lunch at the old Greek House, a fine old building that has not been restored, one that looks much like it did during the last days of residency of its original Ottoman Greek family. This is such a place. Your private meal will be served in the upper rooms, Turkish-style (sitting on the floor around a circular table).
Friday Nov 1 : Full Day Tour - Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia - Avanos
TODAY, visit the Pasabag valley which contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys (remarkable earth pillars) in Cappadocia with twin and even triple rock caps. This style is unique even for Cappadocia and these fairy chimneys are named mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon, and a hermit’s shelter is built into one of the fairy chimneys.. You will then head to the small town of Avanos, set on the banks of the Red River, which provides the clay for pottery the town is famous for. Enjoy a kick-wheel demonstration by a local potter. End the day at Seten restaurant with outstanding food. The atmosphere is created by a very sophisticated collection of local objects and antiques. They prepare the meals at their brick oven and the scent of wood and roasted meat coming from it, awakens your appetite. It is a unique Anatolian dining experience.
Meals B,L,D (both days)
DAY 5 - Saturday Nov 2
Cappadocia - Ephesus - Bodrum
Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Izmir. Enjoy a wonderful guided tour of the World famous Ephesus Archeological site. Transfer to Bodrum where you will board your luxurious private yacht. Set sail across the gulf of Gokova to the site of Knidos in Greece, famous in antiquity for the cult of Aphrodite, this Dorian city was built on terraces rising to the acropolis and was known as one of the most beautiful cities of ancient Greece. Overnight onboard.
Overnight : M/S FlasVii
Meals B,L
DAY 6 - Sunday Nov 3
KNIDOS, DATCA & ESKI DATCA
Early morning set sail to the archaeological site of Knidos which has one of the best preserved theater overlooking the sea. Continue to picturesque resort of Datça. Enjoy a stroll through town, which offers some lovely shopping and cafés. Renowned for its natural beauty and climate, this town provides a window into the life of rural Turkey of 50 to 100 years ago. Village life is still based on agriculture, fishing, and the building of the gulet (the traditional 2-masted Turkish wooden sailing vessel). Pine, oak, and myrtle filled mountains plunge down to a serene beach and two natural harbors. Datca’s Kumluk Yolu (Sandy Way) isn’t sandy at all. It’s a pedestrianized cobbled way that lines the coast and the Datça beaches. Along the main stretch, it is lined with restaurants, many of which make their presence felt by filling the route with vibrantly colored flowerpots.
Eski Datca is home of the late Turkish poet, Can Yücel, one Turkey’s most famous poets. Eski Datça is all about stone houses, narrow alleyways, pretty gardens and bougainvillea-clad walls. It is a village with a sense of age, depicting the traditional Turkish lifestyle hundreds of years ago and its unique charm. Nearby is the Resadiye Mosque, inherited from the Seljuks period. It has been beautifully restored and is well worth seeing.
Meals B,D
DAY 7 - Monday Nov 4
GOKOVA
Sail through the beautiful bays in Gokova (this is actually where the term Blue Voyage comes from). Besides being very beautiful (think San Juan Islands beautiful) the bays are again well protected, and the sea temp is much warmer than further south.
Meals B,L,D
DAY 8 - Tuesday Nov 5
CATIU BAY - SEVEN ISLANDS
After breakfast, leave Cati Bay to explore Yedi Adalar (Seven Islands), a chain of 6 larger and many small islands, fringed by coral reefs located very close to the shore.
Each island has its own beauty, presenting you with incredible beaches and pine
forests. There are many secluded beaches and coves here where you can enjoy
swimming, kayaking, and snorkeling.
Meals B,L,D
DAY 9 - Wednesday Nov 6
CLEOPATRA ISLAND & AKYAKA
Continue your voyage to Cleopatra Island, the site of the classical love-nest created by Mark Anthony for the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.
Here you find extensive archaeological remains scattered along one of Turkey’s most breath-taking golden beaches. Cleopatra’s Island is an
open-air museum and legend has it that Mark Anthony brought the sand here for Cleopatra from the deserts of North Africa.
It is forbidden by law to remove even a few grains of unusual sand from this island.
Move onto the Azmak River which borders Akyaka, and is one of the first sites of natural beauty of this area. The Azmak waters remain cool all year
round, even in the heat of the summer. The river descends to the sea from the Sakar Mountain, lending almost an alpine atmosphere to the region,
with the reeds on its banks and the visual delight of the resident ducks and geese, swimming alongside.
Akyaka’s architecture is what makes the town so interesting. Old Ottoman style dwellings that were restored in
the 1970s, that are in harmony with the environment and cultural background of Turkey. Narrow, cobbled roads walled on either side.
Vibrant magenta bougainvillea and orange trumpet vine climbs and sprawls along the walls.
The pure and clearness of the sea in Akbuk Bay is achieved by the mixing of the waters of the Azmak River. Akbuk Bay is a large natural bay of warm tranquil waters with a beautiful pebbly beach boasting unforgettable views of nature.
Meals B,L,D
DAY 10 - Thursday Nov 7
KISSEBUKU
Sail from Akbuk to Mola Ibrahim Bay and after lunch continue to Kissebuku known as the Church Bay or Anastasiopolis. Meet with you guide to visit the ruins. Behind its pebble beach lies its acropolis and other important structures. From the early Christian period there are ruins such as a baptistery, a church and a chapel. Also
from the pebble beach there is access to a dirt road that climbs up to one of the most picture perfect panoramic vista’s.
Meals B,L,D
DAY 11 - Friday Nov 8
MERSINCIK – BODRUM
Year round balmy temperatures, international marinas, elegant boutiques, chic cafés and night clubs and a variety of delightful dining experiences attract many to the lively Bodrum harbor. The 15th century Crusader castle, the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, and the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos, one of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, add an historical dimension to this resort. You will have a guided visit of the amazing Castle. Join us for a surprise dinner.
Meals B,L,D
DAY 12 - Saturday Nov 9
Asian & European Sides of Istanbul
Disembark and transfer to the Bodrum airport for your flight to Istanbul at 9.40 landing at 11.10. Meet you driver and minibus and transfer to the 5* Bank Hotel. This afternoon, enjoy a combination of Kadiköy on the Asian side and the Bohemian neighborhoods. You will take the nostalgic ferry from Karaköy to Kadiköy. In Kadiköy enjoy lunch at Ciya Restaurant. Ciya is a landmark restaurant in Kadiköy and has won numerous awards for their originality of the Anatolian cuisine.
Return to Karaköy and take the funicular to Tunel in Galata. Visit Galata, Pera, Cukurcuma and Karaköy. Dinner I can recommend at TersHane a 5 min walk from Bank Hotel. This is south eastern kebab with mezzes and has a lovely view of the Golden Horn. Décor shabby chic, food outstanding (not the best for vegetarian’s but do have a lot of mezzes to choose from and the price inexpensive). Michelin recommended.
Meals B,L
DAY 13 - Sunday Nov 10
Sights of Old Istanbul
Meet with your guide at the hotel reception desk for a tour of Istanbul's historic district. The tour will include the Chora Church, Spice Bazaar, The Suleymanie Mosque, Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace with its harem and treasury
Meals B,L
DAY 13 - Monday Nov 11
Istanbul - RETURN HOME
Depart after breakfast for the airport for your return flight or transfer to your next destination.