Ottoman era houses

Istanbul is a treasure trove of crumbling and refurbished Ottoman era houses. 

Second time staying at The Tashkonak

At a time when there are hundreds of hotels out there in Istanbul for me to choose from and I end up here a second time, speaks volumes for this charming little hotel.

Reasons.

Number one, they have staff that can speak in English, secondly, every now and then you see the bosses happily walking around, actually so glad to give you a little piece of the grand old Istanbul , third I feel absolutely safe here, fourth ..good wifi connection ( how do you think I'm getting this out to you on location, right now ?)  and last but not least of course , while the price is still affordable, this hotel serves one of the best Turkish breakfast spread on this side of Istanbul. Extremely good deal if you ask me , especially if you like to start off your day well fed .

Located in a cobblestone neighbourhood area that looks like a little hamlet, with a small mosque built wayback in 1553, yes you read right, the year 1553 ,in the front, the hotel lobby has undergone such a remarkable transformation that I swear this picture below which I took, just as the sun was shining in from the door, is using no filter whatsoever. Just magical don't you think ? 

  

Breakfast at Tashkonak Hotel

Tashkonak Hotel's breakfast room has undergone not only a relocation but also a breathtaking makeover.This area used to be the garden where guests would mingle in the evening.

My first Turkish breakfast

Ever wondered what a Turkish breakfast looks like?

Well for one, it's got succulent zucchinis and lotsa juicy ripe tomatoes on the menu. Together with cheeses, jams,hams and yogurts.

 They consume a lot of olives, around ten pieces per person hence the 3 varieties in the corner. There's grilled bittergourds (delicious!) brinjals and even chillies , devilled eggs, shredded carrots, beets, cucumber with yogurt.

Those white bowls in the background are homemade jams like Rose Petal jam, Cherry etc