How to charter a yacht in Istanbul and about vintage cars

This post is about how to charter a yacht in Istanbul and about vintage cars.

In Istanbul for my pre-birthday week just last month, living a most wonderful #Travelife, Mr. X had the most wonderful idea to charter a private yacht in Istanbul to sail around the Bosphorus for a day or two while we were staying right in the middle of the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul, at the Four Seasons Sultanahmet, considered perhaps the most special hotel in Istanbul.

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It’s lovely to stay at the Four Seasons Sultanahmet because you absolutely don’t need a car except perhaps to take you to Meze by Lemon Tree, a restaurant across Galata Bridge, or to the famous Asitane Restaurant near the Chora Museum for dinner sometimes. Or to visit the Istanbul Modern. 

Otherwise, almost everything ancient and important is in the Sultanahmet area and you can completely avoid the traffic of Istanbul.

I left the yacht search to him and this is how he found LuxuryIstanbul.com, a luxury travel company that offers travel services in Istanbul including where to charter a yacht in Istanbul. There were several yachts to choose from, and Mr. X chose a yacht that was good for a party of 30, even if we were only 2. 

The boat was anchored just off the Sultanahmet pier, so we simply walked down from the Four Seasons Sultanahmet for about five minutes to the sea, and there our boat and crew were waiting for us. It was love at first sight for me, with this yacht that was neither too small nor too big. 

I don’t need size but I do like perfect fittings, and this was a very comfortable boat with a great crew.

“Where would you like to go?” The yacht captain asked. 

Yes, with a private yacht in Istanbul, you can go around wherever you wish, stop wherever you want and basically do anything your heart desires. I wanted to sail to the Black Sea but at the last minute we decided to sail through the Golden Horn first as so few tourists really get to go this way.

This was how we found this garage full of vintage cars owned by one of the richest men in Turkey, just somewhere along the Golden Horn. It looked so interesting just from the water, because there were vintage boats docked by the pier and further inside we could already see gleaming vintage cars.

“Let’s stop there, please,” I said. I didn’t even know if strangers could walk into this place we’d spotted from the water, but it had a dock to park the yacht so at least we could try.

What a gem of a place this turned out to be, with a dock full of vintage boats and an air-conditioned garage of the most amazing vintage cars I’d ever seen. They were all impeccably maintained, too.

“Who owns this place?” I whispered to someone.

The answer came back: “One of the richest men in Turkey.“