Witt Istanbul Suites: A Luxury Hotel in Beyoğlu

One of my favourite parts of planning my holidays is the hotel selection! Witt Istanbul Suites ticked all of my boxes; a luxury boutique hotel in Beyoğlu, the newer part of Istanbul city.

The Istanbul local that opened this Beyoğlu hotel in 2008 commissioned an award winning Turkish design and architecture firm, Autoban, to create the interiors. The result is a very well thought out understated, monochrome and modern-retro vibe that is undeniably stylish.

I’m definitely not the only one that thinks so, as well as numerous awards, Witt Istanbul Suites is also a member of Design Hotels a brand that I have used a few times and I have yet to experience an anything but excellent stay in one of their hotels.

With just eighteen suites and three penthouses, there is a very intimate feel to the Witt, which is one of the things I love in a hotel.

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Two Days in Istanbul, Turkey: A Relaxed Itinerary

On rainy Sunday afternoons, you will more than likely find me sitting on my sofa with a glass of red wine, some vaguely interesting film playing in the background and doing some major travel research. I have had to confine myself to this period only to indulge in this activity, as I can find my weeks can become somewhat unproductive otherwise! A big chunk of this time is spent looking at travel deals and matching them up against “The List”, which is basically my spreadsheet of notes and links to hotels, tours, places etc. of travel experiences I would one day like to have. There is no better feeling than when I find a banging deal that incorporates somewhere on my list and more often than not, it’s booked rather promptly!

It was one of these afternoons on a bleak day in March that I spotted a brilliant deal for Six Senses Kaplankaya hotel near Bodrum, somewhere that had intrigued me for a while. The only reservation I had was the somewhat remote location, so I decided to reduce our stay to five days and spend the rest of the week balancing the quietness and serenity of Kaplankaya with the opposite and tag on two days in Istanbul.

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Five Emerging Luxury Travel Trends 2020

Luxury travel trends are something I have always followed closely; although to be fair, I enjoy following most things to do with travel! Travel trends are always interesting because like most people on the planet, I have a decent level of nosiness about what others are doing. It is also is a great source of inspiration for future trips and makes me consider new experiences to incorporate into my travel. I read lots on the subject throughout the year, but with the release of the Virtuoso Luxe Report and Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2020, my ideas for my own travel over the next couple of years really begin to take shape. This is my round up of five emerging luxury travel trends in 2020 that have resonated with me the most, let me know what you think!

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A Luxury Hotel in Hexham, UK: Langley Castle

One of the things I love about my family is that we always make the effort to come together to celebrate special occasions. It’s usually big birthdays, however my aunt and uncle organised a spectacular weekend in London 5 years ago for their 25th wedding anniversary. It inadvertently had a bit of a British royal theme; we stayed at The Goring Hotel, had afternoon tea at The Ritz and spent a day exploring Buckingham Palace. The unexpected highlight for all of us though, somewhat unexpectedly, was watching their wedding video during a private dinner at the hotel on our last night. It was strange to see everyone so young and see how wedding trends have changed, as well as have a bit of a giggle at all the 80s hair!

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One Day in Muscat: A Middle Eastern Gem

Oman is the Arabian peninsula’s best kept secrets; a peaceful, luxurious and downright stunning destination. As its capital, the majority of visitors will get to experience Muscat, however if you don’t explore outside the city bounds, I can assure you that you will be missing out big time. Hopefully you will get to have more than one day in Muscat though, but if you haven’t, don’t worry, you can get around most of the best things to do Oman’s capital in under 12 hours.

We were in Oman for our honeymoon (not a traditional destination I know, you can read the full story here) and to be honest got so seduced by the two absolute stunner hotels we stayed in that we struggled to leave to actually explore!

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