Twenty-four hours in Istanbul

Film-maker Serran Duran Paralı and restaurateur Emirhan Paralı spend a weekend at the House, exploring local galleries in Pera, eating lunch at the historic restaurant Pandeli in Eminönü, and winding down with a massage at Cowshed.

1pm: welcome home 

After a hurried morning of meetings, we finally make it to Pera. We arrive and drop our bags, letting the stress of the week leave our bodies. We sit down on the couch and start enjoying the large mezzanine. It’s our first stay at Soho House and we can’t wait to see what the weekend holds.

2pm: Grand Bazaar and Pandeli

We take a cab and head straight to Pandeli, a historic restaurant at the entrance of Grand Bazaar – one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. As we eat lunch, our eyes are drawn to all the old pictures of Audrey Hepburn and other movie stars on the walls.

4pm: spa time

It’s time for some self-care. We go down to Cowshed, which is just two floors below our room, and get a haircut and a manicure. Afterwards, we continue to spoil ourselves with a massage.

6pm: rooftop

8pm: dinner at Cecconi’s

For dinner, we go downstairs to enjoy a classic Italian meal at Cecconi’s. The chef has created a special menu for us, including black truffle pizza, burrata salad and branzino. What a way to end the day.

11pm: night-night

The day is almost over. But before we go to sleep, we make sure we enjoy the bathtub, which is right next to our bed.

9am: breakfast

We start the day with breakfast at The Allis and order croissants, eggs benedict and fresh coffee – the perfect way to wake up.

11am: gallery hopping

It’s time to explore Pera’s many galleries and art exhibitions. First, we stop by Arter in Dolapdere and look around some of its latest shows, including the KP Brehmer retrospective The Big Picture. After that, we head straight over to Galerist, followed by I ME CE 34. 

3pm: spritz at The Allis

Another sunny day in Pera. We spend some time in The Allis garden and refresh with some spritzes.

8pm: dinner at Naavah

We’re looking forward to a romantic evening, so we head to Naavah to eat some delicious Middle Eastern food. The sweet-potato dumplings, roasted cauliflower and octopus are all must-try dishes.

11pm: a night out

We take a walk on Istiklal Street and within 10 minutes we’re at Markus Tavern, a great cocktail bar in Galatasaray. We see some friends and enjoy a few drinks, but eventually we miss our room and return to the House. We plan to go to sleep, but can’t say no to the cocktails in our minibar.

10am: traditional breakfast

After sleeping in, we get up to pay a visit to the club. The light shining onto the terrace is lovely, so we decide to eat there. This time, we have a traditional Turkish breakfast with cheeses, jams and simit.

12pm: check out

We take some photos and enjoy our room one last time before we have to check out. Thank you Soho House Istanbul for having us.