Ramblin' Randy
  • Home
  • Africa
    • Algeria
    • Angola
    • Benin
    • Botswana
    • Burkina Faso
    • Burundi
    • Cameroon
    • Chad
    • Cabo Verde
    • Central African Republic
    • Comoros
    • Congo (Democratic Republic of)
    • Congo (Republic of)
    • Côte d’Ivoire
    • Djibouti
    • Egypt
    • Equatorial Guinea
    • Eritrea
    • Eswatini
    • Ethiopia
    • Gabon
    • The Gambia
    • Ghana
    • Guinea
    • Guinea-Bissau
    • Kenya
    • Lesotho
    • Liberia
    • Libya
    • Madagascar
    • Malawi
    • Mali
    • Mauritania
    • Mauritius
    • Moçambique
    • Morocco
    • Namibia
    • Niger
    • Nigeria
    • Rwanda
    • São Tomé e Principe
    • Senegal
    • Seychelles
    • Sierra Leone
    • Somalia
    • Somaliland
    • South Africa
    • South Sudan
    • Spanish Morocco
    • Sudan
    • Tanzania
    • Togo
    • Tunisia
    • Uganda
    • Western Sahara
    • Zambia
    • Zimbabwe
  • Antarctica
  • Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Armenia
    • Azerbaijan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • Brunei Darussalam
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • Georgia
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Kazakhstan
    • Kyrgyzstan
    • Laos
    • Macau
    • Malaysia
    • Maldives
    • Mongolia
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • North Korea
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Taiwan
    • Tajikistan
    • Thailand
    • Timor Leste
    • Turkey (Asian side)
    • Uzbekistan
    • Vietnam
  • Caribbean
    • Antigua
    • The Bahamas
    • Barbados
    • Bonaire
    • Cayman Islands
    • Cuba
    • Curação
    • Dominica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Grenada
    • Guadeloupe
    • Haiti
    • Jamaica
    • Martinique
    • Puerto Rico
    • St. Kitts & Nevis
    • St. Lucia
    • Saint Martin
    • Sint Maarten
    • St. Vincent and The Grenadines
    • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Turks and Caicos
  • Europe
    • Albania
    • Andorra
    • Austria
    • Azores
    • Belarus
    • Belgium
    • Bosnia and Herzegovina
    • Bulgaria
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus (Akrotiri & Dhekelia)
    • Cyprus (Southern)
    • Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus)
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • England
    • Estonia
    • Finland
    • France
    • Germany
    • Gibraltar
    • Greece
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Italy
    • Kosovo
    • Latvia
    • Liechtenstein
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg
    • Malta
    • Moldova
    • Monaco
    • Montenegro
    • Netherlands
    • North Macedonia
    • Northern Ireland
    • Norway
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • San Marino
    • Serbia
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • Sovereign Military Order of Malta
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Turkey (European side)
    • Ukraine
    • Vatican City
  • Middle East
    • Afghanistan
    • Bahrain
    • Iran
    • Iraq
    • Jordan
    • Kuwait
    • Lebanon
    • Oman
    • Pakistan
    • Qatar
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Yemen
  • N America
    • Belize
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • El Salvador
    • Guatemala
    • Honduras
    • Mexico
    • Nicaragua
    • Panama
    • United States of America
  • Oceania
    • Australia
    • Fiji
    • French Polynesia
    • Kiribati
    • Nauru
    • New Zealand
    • Palau
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Samoa
    • The Solomon Islands
    • Tonga
    • Tuvalu
    • Vanuatu
  • S America
    • Argentina
    • Bolivia
    • Brasil
    • Chile
    • Colombia
    • Ecuador
    • French Guiana
    • Guyana
    • Paraguay
    • Peru
    • Suriname
    • Uruguay
    • Venezuela
  • About
    • My Mission
    • About this Website
    • Where I’ve Been
    • Best Of!
    • Sponsor Opportunities and Disclosures
  • “Best Of”
  • Blog
  • Travel Tips
  • Extreme Layovers
  • Contact
  • Prev
  • Next

Extreme Layover: Istanbul II

August 1, 2021June 19, 2022 By Ramblin' Randy

Not heading into the city for fun and adventure just isn’t me – in the end I had to do it. Ramblin’ Randy doesn’t stay in the airport!

 

 

If You Wanna Get Technical
I actually spent the night in Istanbul this time, so technically that should remove this stop from the “Extreme Layover” category. However, I did furiously rush into the city inside a very short window of time–a feat itself from the new Istanbul Havalimani Airport, so far out of town–so I wanted to report on that. So, here goes.

The Terminal
I arrived into Istanbul late, touching down after 11PM, from Malta. I’d need to be on a plane back to Los Angeles the next day at 1:10PM. It was the end of another amazing but tiring trip, and I hadn’t yet decided on whether or not I was going to attempt a run into town the next morning. For now, I just knew I needed sleep. This was the second time staying at the Yotelair Hotel (Airside): a hotel located inside the airport, right at the gates! There are a handful of big airports that offer connected hotels, but this is the only one I know of where the hotel is actually past security and immigration, right there at the gates. So awesome and incredibly convenient.

You can book the Yotelair HERE!

Din-din provided by Turkish Airlines.
Yotel, Motel, Holiday Inn!

The Decision
I’m a planner, so it was very unlike me waiting to the very last second to decide if I was going to leave the airport or not. I’d succeeded at an “Extreme Layover” in Istanbul back in 2018, but that was from the old airport, which was much closer to the city center and connected via train. So easy! But this new Airport was at least an hour away from the city. This place was so inconvenient – literally located in the middle of nowhere! The giant airport was enormous and beautiful enough – but why so far away?

I’d even researched the handful of tiny towns around the airport, but absolutely nothing was going on there – it was Istanbul or nothing. It was a tough decision, because when you factored in travel time back and forth, plus having to be at the airport two or three hours before you fly, it really was cutting it close. But not heading into the city for fun and adventure just isn’t me – in the end I had to do it. Ramblin’ Randy doesn’t stay in the airport!

>>> RELATED: Extreme Layover – Istanbul 2018

Istanbul Airport.

The Amazing Race
Here’s how the timeline shook out: I was up by 6AM. I checked out of the “Yotelair” and headed to the Turkish Airways lounge to stow my bag in a locker. Super convenient! (It’s never fun schlepping your luggage into town.) We’ll talk more about the lounge in a moment…

By 7:10 I was in the back of a cab speeding towards the city. I was blessed with little traffic, being dropped off at 7:44AM. It was time for “breakfast in Istanbul!”

Loved the luggage lockers in the lounge.

Istanbullseye
I didn’t have time for a mistake. I’d researched the best breakfast spots and decided on a place called Mangerie. But once I exited the cab, I couldn’t find this place for the life of me! I had the street address – and the numbers on the front of the buildings told me I was in the right place, but no Mangerie. I started to panic. I couldn’t mess this up–I didn’t want to settle for a Starbucks. Finally, after asking a couple of people on the street, I was directed down the side of a building and up a staircase to find this special place on the top floor. I was here, and just in time for their 8 o’clock opening.

Breakfast this way.
Table for one, please.

Who’s the Boss(phorus)?
The view was fantastic and one of the main reasons I chose Mangerie. The top-floor, covered deck had great views of the Bosphorus Strait, with Asia right across the water. (The strait divides “European” Istanbul with “Asian” Istanbul – the city lies on two different continents.)

The traditional Turkish breakfast was fantastic, and pretty healthy for the most part (minus the Nutella). The service wasn’t great, but I didn’t let that bother me. I was enjoying the food and the views way too much – and just elated at the fact I’d add Istanbul to this itinerary. “Breakfast in Istanbul” is just a boss move.

After the meal, I paid the check and hailed a cab to take me back to the airport. We were rolling at 9AM and back at the airport by 9:25AM. I was blessed with easy traffic each way.

>>> RELATED: The Asian Side of Istanbul – 2020 Trip

“On deck” at Mangerie.
Yes please!
Great move!
Bosphorus boats.

Loungin’
Though I’d been to the new Istanbul Airport once before, this was my first chance I had to enjoy the lounge. I loved the convenience of those luggage lockers. The food was good and it was cool to see chefs preparing meals out in the open. There were many different seating areas. My favorites were the big chairs that were like mini-cubicles. They gave me privacy and a place to work. I was happy to have a little lounge time before my flight out.

Makin’ munchies.
I loved these seats!
Personal space.

RAMBLIN’ TIP: Should you attempt your own “Extreme Layover,” just make sure you have enough time. While I got to Mangerie in just 35 minutes, it’s not all the way inside the center of town. I remember, in 2020, it taking me well over an hour to travel to town from the airport. You never know what kind of traffic you’re going to get. If you can, try and schedule an overnight (or two) so you have a little time to explore.

This entry was posted in Extreme Layovers
Share

Related Posts

  • EXTREME LAYOVER: Istanbul IV

    June 29, 2022June 30, 2022
  • Extreme Layover: Munich

    April 15, 2022June 12, 2022
  • Extreme Layover: Istanbull III

    January 31, 2022June 19, 2022

Post navigation

  The Sovereign Military Order of Malta – The OTHER Malta!
It’s Complicated: The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus  

2 thoughts on “Extreme Layover: Istanbul II”

  • Pingback: Extreme Layover: Turkey – Ramblin' Randy

  • Pingback: 8 Countries, 8 Photos: June 2021 Trip Re-Cap – Ramblin' Randy

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Donde Está Randy?

San Diego, USA

Next Up:

Beirut, Lebanon

Progress:

99 %

Randy has seen:
192 out of 193 countries
(226 TCC)

Social Studies

Recent Comments

  • Ramblin' Randy:

    Correct, pictures were no problem when I was there.
  • Jerry Boden:

    I am planning to visit Varosha next month and stumbled
  • Ramblin' Randy:

    Thank you my friend!
  • Eff Emm:

    What an interesting read and so much useful information.
  • Ramblin' Randy:

    Ahh thank you so much! I'd love to hear about

Newsletter

Explore:

  • My Mission
  • About this Website
  • About Randy
  • Best Of!
  • 50 Travel Tips
  • Misc.
  • Ramblin’ Links

Recent Posts

  • My Micro Trip to Micronesia
  • Palau…Ask me How!
  • Papua Don’t Preach
  • Solo Mon in the Solomons
  • Yo Quiero Kiribati

Ramblin' Randy Hotel Deals:

Destination

lock icon
Click the lock icon to choose another destination

Check-in date

Sat 01 Apr 2023

Check-out date

Sun 02 Apr 2023
Booking.com

© Ramblin' Randy. All Rights Reserved.