City Hotels: JW Marriott Ankara

I used to live close to JW Marriott Ankara. From the very beginning, it was at the top of my to-go-see list. However, I had the opportunity in 2021.

It has this business vibe so dominant and impressive that I liked the Hotel from the first moment.

JW Marriott Ankara'ya yakın bir yerde oturuyordum. En başından beri, gidilecekler listemin başındaydı. Ancak 2021'de fırsatım oldu. 

Giant red vases in the lobby bring color to the formal auro of the building. The scale of the gallery can be perceived when the size of the chandeliers is understood.

Lobideki dev kırmızı vazolar, binanın resmi havasına renk katıyor. Galerinin ölçeği ancak avizelerin boyutu anlaşıldığında algılanabilmektedir.

Outdoor Pool has more privacy than I had expected considering the high-rise buildings nearby. Also, contrasting with the office and business vibe of the neighborhood, it has surprisingly created a resort theme.

Açık Havuz, yakındaki yüksek binalar göz önüne alındığında beklediğimden daha fazla mahremiyete sahip. Ayrıca, mahallenin ofis ve iş havasına zıt olarak, şaşırtıcı bir şekilde bir tatil teması yarattı.

The color of the pool floor is nice as I’m personally fond of darker colors rather than conventional light blue. the grid layout suits the orthogonal lines of the building in general.

Havuz zemininin rengi güzel çünkü ben kişisel olarak geleneksel açık maviden daha koyu renkleri seviyorum. Izgara düzeni genel olarak binanın ortogonal hatlarına uygundur.

In the end, the hotel offers more than it seems and hence one can feel at work or on holiday, which is nice.

Sonuç olarak, otel göründüğünden daha fazlasını sunuyor ve bu nedenle iş yerinde veya tatilde hissedebilirsiniz, bu da güzel.

Bodrum 2021-2

In addition to Voyage Torba Private, this year we stayed at Kaya Palazzo in Asarlık-Gümbet of Bodrum.

It is actually a mixed-use project including both residential and hotel areas. I had been to Gümbet some years ago and was shocked to see a yellowish and warm sea-which are not like Bodrum’s characteristic features. This time I’ve found the second most beautiful sea I’ve ever been to (the first is still Hillside’s in Fethiye). Not warm, even closer to cold, without any waves, all clear and full of fish.

Voyage Torba Private'a ek olarak bu yıl Bodrum Asarlık-Gümbet'te Kaya Palazzo'da konakladık.

Aslında hem konut hem de otel alanlarını içeren karma bir projedir. Birkaç yıl önce Gümbet'e gitmiştim ve Bodrum'un karakteristik özelliklerine pek benzemeyen sarımsı ve ılık bir deniz görünce şok oldum. Bu sefer bulunduğum en güzel ikinci denizi buldum (birincisi hala Fethiye'deki Hillside). Sıcak değil, soğuğa yakın, dalgasız, berrak ve balıklarla dolu. 

Bodrum Blue Sea at Kaya Palazzo

Although white sands are not a Bodrum thing, I liked it because of the kids.

The Hotel impressed me from the entrance. The Chandelier like installation is a statement piece together with the piano.

Otel beni giriş anından etkiledi. Avize benzeri yerleştirme, piyano ile birlikte bir dikkat çekici bir tasarım olmuş.

Ultra-luxurious residential villas just 5 m away from the beach.

Not only the design of the Hotel but also the Residences (luxury villas with private pools) were great. It had LA indoor-outdoor feeling.

Rooms were so practical especially if you have kids. And we stayed in a sea view room which I liked a lot.

Ultra lüks villalar 5 m sahilden uzakta.

Sadece otelin tasarımı değil, Rezidanslar da (özel havuzlu lüks villalar) harikaydı. LA iç-dış mekan hissi uyandırdı.

Odalar özellikle çocuklarınız varsa çok pratikti. Ve çok beğendiğim deniz manzaralı bir odada kaldık. 

View from our room. Odamızdan manzara.

I strongly recoommend Kaya Palazzo. Kaya Palazzoyu şiddetle öneriyorum.

Bayram in Istanbul

When there is no traffic issue, you are so beautiful Istanbul 🙂

Sakıp Sabancı Museum: Feyhaman Duran and Selim Turan Exhibition

 

Morini Restaurant at Zorlu Center

 

Prince Islands vies from Fenerbahçe Park

 

Emaar Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

 

Helsinki III

Social housing in the suburbs (I suppose:))

 

Design design design

 

Egli?

1 May Celebrations

New year spirit

Watching Polar Express on Netflix with my little one. 

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North Pole: barren, devoid of life .. I wish I could go with them

My summer mood vs autumn mood

This summer I was not able to go on a long vacation as I was used to have previously. I could only go to Bodrum with my daughter for a five-day vacation. It was fabuluous of course, but the positive effects dissapperared soon after we came back. Even though I had pool days at the weekend here in İstanbul, I still feel tired. Fortunately, we will go on a vacation in the beginning of September. I think, this is gonna be my first sea-beach-sun holiday in September.

 

I had never been this late in going to summer holiday. It turns out that my mood (or say biological rhythm) starts to fall for “autumn” spirit. This week’s rainy days plus the autumn/winter catalogs of fashion brands I received, I’m kind of feeling in the mood of autumn. NO. NO. NO. I cannot and must not pass on to autumun mood yet. ‘Back to school’ shopping can wait. My fashion enthusiasm for ‘a/w collections’ can wait.

 

I need first to lay on the beach, have day-long sun bath, swim and surf first.

 

This summer

Last year  we went to Fethiye for our summer holiday. After we returned I had written three posts on

Fethiye:

Fethiye              

on Fethiye vs Bodrum:

Fethiye vs Bodrum

on If I go to Fethiye again:

If I go to Fethiye again

 

and now it turns out that we are going to Fethiye again. This time to so called best family-friendly hotel in Turkey: Hillside Beach Club. So, I can check number 1 item on the list. 🙂 But it seems we will not be  having a blue cruise.

Photo Credit: http://www.hillsidebeachclub.com/

 

 

Yalıkavak

Yalıkavak is one of the most beautiful regions of Bodrum-well-known touristic destination located in the Aegean Coast of Turkey. We have been going to Yalıkavak for 10 successive years for our summer holidays. Humidity is low, breeze always cool you down and the sea is Aegean blue with lots of fish swimming with you.

There was also the third marina of Bodrum located in the center of Yalıkavak which we loved deeply! No exaggaration, I adored that Marina. With Mozart cafe, cozy fish restaurants, orangish lightings, palm trees, boutiques and small design shops, it was like somewhere out of this world. Very unique, relaxing, and  peaceful. I wished no one learns and finds out that lovely place.

Recently the owner and the management of the marina changed. I havent seen it since and was wondering a lot. Now comes my first impressions: I was surprised to see a shopping mall like horizontal building almost parallel to the  coast line including stores and restaurants which we already know from luxurious shopping malls of İstanbul. Cook shop, Happy moons, Beymen, Komşu Fırın, Mezzaluna, Nusr-et, Pioppo, Günaydın, Starbucks, Cold Stone, Mudo, Yargıcı, Brandroom, Vakkorama etc.  I could not believe it was a work of one of my favorite architects, Emre Arolat.  The new marina was congested, lacking open and public spaces, and made you feel stuck. I know that Bodrum is popular among Istanbulite tourists*, but there was no need to turn that cozy marina into an ordinary shopping mall.

 

And yet, the sunset view is still there. Breeze coming from the deep blue sea accompanies you. I still like the marina, although I would definitely prefer the initial one.

*My idea is that people from Ankara go to either Mediterranean (Antalya and surrounings) or Aegean coasts (Bodrum) easily which are both less than 500 km. Istanbulietes however are far away (more than 700 km) from both coastal regions (Bodrum and Antalya, Bodrum being the closer one). In Bodrum sellers tell me that they work for İstanbul market:) which shows the primary target group is Istanbulites.

To do list in 2016

Making plans keep me motivated. Preparing this list makes me feel all is going to be true in the coming year. 

To have dinner (quail meat) and dessert (mille-feuille) at Nicole Restaurant, in Beyoglu

To purchase matte red rouge ( YSL most probably)

To plan another trip to Scandinavia 

Norway? Lofoten Opera Hotel? 

  

To visit sis E in NYC with D and G

To purchase Nigella’s knife set from with animal prints from amazon.co.uk

To re-register D to mini- ballet classes 

To have more Mother-daughter activities and trips 

To go to Canary islands or Sicily for summer holiday

To purchase a house in Bodrum (this is more like a wish of course!)

To spend more family time for leisure activities like concerts, sport activities ( Ulker Sports Arena of Fenerbahce is just 5 minutes to us), etc

To spend summer vacation (2) in Bodrum Mandarin Hotel and visit Kos island

To have more pilates in my life

To eat healthier and greener

To start skiing again

To read more on world history: everything we talk today stems from history

To read ( not only watch) Sherlock – of course in English!

To spend more time on my blogs

To start my dream job in design and fashion

A new year party at home