Luxury Holidays & Honeymoons in Turkey

At its western edge, Turkey touches hands with post-Warsaw Pact Europe (Soviet Ladas begin to throng the roads, while the alphabet switches to Cyrilic). In the east of its sprawling bulk, Turkey gazes out over Syria and the far plains of Mesopotamia. From the warm, entrancing souks of Antalya to the resplendent luxury and buzzing markets of Istanbul, it is a country that packs a surprising and meaty punch. And, among the cave houses and endless skies of Cappadocia, you’ll encounter one of the most beautifully alien landscapes in this part of the world.

Unmissable for history buffs and lovers of bustling culture, we’ll introduce you to the best that this continent-straddling city has to offer – from calm, chic suites to private tours with views over the glittering Bosphorus, speckled with globe-crossing tankers and bright sailing yachts. A private sundown sail tour along the river, champagne in hand, will bring you past the lavish Ottoman summer palaces and rich, botanical gardens of Cağaloğlu. From there you can wine and dine among some of this historic, twice-named city’s best nightspots – whether in sight of the rotund Galata Tower or to up-and-coming Karaköy, and on to the world’s oldest shopping mall – the brilliant, baroque Grand Bazaar.

A resort that once housed the largest floating night-club in Europe (this is unverified, and a hazy memory), Bodrum – capped with a quite glorious 13th century crusader castle – has had a major renaissance in recent years, becoming a haughty haunt for celebrities and the global jet-set. Sort of like a Middle Eastern Cannes, if you will. Its harbour glitters with white golden sands and warm, lapping waves; shady restaurants; and private boat tours out to some truly tranquil and hidden islands.