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144 | DESTINATION GUIDES<br />
Inverness<br />
UK<br />
DIALLING CODE +44<br />
CURRENCY £<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you from<br />
home to the airport, then<br />
city or destination.<br />
TAXI Central Highland<br />
Taxis will take you<br />
to the city centre for<br />
£9.50–£13.<br />
Jet has a frequent<br />
service to<br />
Inverness and Nairns<br />
(thejet.co.uk).<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 River Café<br />
and Restaurant (10<br />
Bank Street, tel: 01463<br />
714 884) Overlooking<br />
the River Ness, this<br />
modern restaurant<br />
offers good views and<br />
even better food – from<br />
tasty lunchtime snacks<br />
to special three-course<br />
evening meals.<br />
UP TO €30 The<br />
Waterside (19 Ness<br />
Bank, tel: 01463 233<br />
065) Chef Lara McLeod<br />
and her team source the<br />
best local ingredients<br />
and freshly prepare<br />
dishes with imagination<br />
– the menu is full of<br />
homemade delights.<br />
UP TO €50 Ash<br />
(Station Square,<br />
Academy Street, tel:<br />
01463 231 926) The<br />
menu at recently<br />
opened Ash boasts<br />
an array of traditional<br />
Scottish dishes with<br />
a contemporary twist.<br />
The cannon of venison<br />
saddle on a potato<br />
and herb purée with<br />
redcurrant and port jus<br />
is sensational.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Café<br />
1 (75 Castle Street,<br />
tel: 01463 226 200)<br />
If you’re looking for<br />
a memorable festive<br />
celebration, Café 1<br />
is ideal. Compliment<br />
excellent food with<br />
a bottle from the<br />
extensive international<br />
wine list – connoisseurs<br />
will be spoilt for choice.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY The<br />
Glenalbyn (2–4 Young<br />
Street, tel: 01463 231<br />
637) If you fancy<br />
a few lazy afternoon<br />
drinks, this is the spot.<br />
This chilled-out venue<br />
transforms into a lively<br />
bar on a Saturday night.<br />
LIVE MUSIC The<br />
Fluke Inn (Culcabock<br />
Road, tel: 01463 220<br />
957) This is a cracking<br />
traditional pub with<br />
a friendly atmosphere<br />
and good pub grub, plus<br />
a live DJ at the weekend.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Love2Love (9–21<br />
Castle Street, tel: 01463<br />
233 322) Love2Love is<br />
the place to go if you<br />
like to party. Book<br />
ahead and access<br />
the VIP area to sip<br />
Champagne and boogie<br />
into the early hours.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Quirky old<br />
bookshop Leakey’s<br />
wouldn’t look out of<br />
place in a fairytale.<br />
Originally a church, it’s<br />
piled fl oor to ceiling with<br />
rare and interesting<br />
literature (Church<br />
Street, Greyfriars Hall,<br />
tel: 01463 239 947).<br />
SEE At the Ness<br />
Island’s Christmas<br />
Lights Show, children<br />
get the chance to have<br />
their photographs<br />
taken with Santa at<br />
Rudolph’s Christmas<br />
Party and there are free<br />
rides on the Whin Park<br />
Railway throughout<br />
the afternoon, plus the<br />
fantastic lights. Open<br />
18–20 December.<br />
GO For years<br />
Wildwoodz Paintball<br />
Park has been the host<br />
of many a fun day out.<br />
It’s situated on the<br />
stunning Black Isle<br />
and is renowned<br />
as the premier<br />
paintball venue in the<br />
Highlands (wildwoodz<br />
paintball.co.uk).<br />
ESCAPE The 16thcentury<br />
Moniack Castle<br />
is home to Scotland’s<br />
premier winery.<br />
Moniack produces<br />
liqueurs, country wines<br />
and a selection of<br />
preserves and sauces.<br />
Take part in a fascinating<br />
guided tour around<br />
the castle and factory<br />
(tel: 01463 831 283,<br />
moniackcastle.co.uk).<br />
TAXI TAXI<br />
NO WAY!<br />
Descending to<br />
310m, Loch Morar in<br />
Inverness-shire is the<br />
deepest lake in Britain.<br />
Beverley Tricker<br />
Istanbul<br />
Turkey<br />
DIALLING CODE +90<br />
CURRENCY Lira (YTL)<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you from<br />
home to the airport, then<br />
city or destination.<br />
TAXI A taxi to Taksim<br />
Square costs<br />
about YTL60–YTL70.<br />
E3 buses run<br />
hourly to 4 Levent<br />
(Tickets: YTL4.50),<br />
from where the metro<br />
goes to Taksim Square.<br />
Havas buses offer direct<br />
connections to Taksim<br />
Square (tickets: YTL12)<br />
from where buses go to<br />
Sultanahmet Square.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 Kahvedan<br />
(1A Akarsu Sokak,<br />
Cihangir, tel: 0212<br />
292 4030) A great<br />
lunchtime or evening<br />
venue, serving delicious<br />
Turkish, Asian and<br />
American dishes.<br />
UP TO €30 Faces (16<br />
Sofyali Sokak, Tunel,<br />
Beyoglu, tel: 0212 293<br />
1388) This new, trendy<br />
restaurant-bar has<br />
an eclectic menu of<br />
international cuisine<br />
and a well-stocked bar.<br />
UP TO €50 Midpoint<br />
(187 Istiklal Caddesi,<br />
Beyoglu, tel: 0212 245<br />
7040) A fl ashy eatery in<br />
the middle of the city’s<br />
main shopping street<br />
offering a mix of local<br />
and international dishes.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Changa<br />
(47 Siraselviler Caddesi,<br />
Taksim, tel: 0212 249<br />
1348) Ultra-hip Changa<br />
cooks up Pacifi c Rim<br />
fusion food. The kitchen<br />
has a glass ceiling, so you<br />
can walk over and peer<br />
down at your chefs as<br />
they prepare your meal.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Café Firuz<br />
(55 Defterdar Yokusu,<br />
Cihangir, tel: 0212 252<br />
0241) This unlicensed<br />
café-bar has an extensive<br />
menu of great snacks,<br />
salads and desserts.<br />
LIVE MUSIC Süreyya<br />
Operasi (29 Bahariye<br />
Caddesi, Kadiköy, tel:<br />
0216 346 1531) The<br />
city’s opera house has<br />
SWISSOTEL THE<br />
BOSPHOROUS<br />
★ ★ ★ ★ ★<br />
A member of the<br />
Leading Hotels of the<br />
World, this hotel offers<br />
an award-winning<br />
spa, views of Istanbul,<br />
sumptuous rooms<br />
and close proximity<br />
to the city’s upscale<br />
shopping district.<br />
From €124, book at<br />
hotels.easyJet.com.<br />
recently been beautifully<br />
restored, and there is<br />
always a packed line<br />
up offering opera and<br />
ballet performances.<br />
LATE & LIVELY Ugly<br />
(20B Sofyali Sokak,<br />
Beyoglu, tel: 0212 252<br />
8586) Located on<br />
a block of cafés, bars<br />
and restaurants, Ugly<br />
is popular with bright,<br />
young vodka drinkers.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Lale Plak is<br />
a long-running shop<br />
stocking the best<br />
selection of recorded<br />
jazz in town (1 Galipdede<br />
Caddesi, Beyoglu).<br />
SEE Istanbul Modern<br />
is hosting the fantastic<br />
When Angels Fall<br />
exhibition. It hosts videos<br />
by talents as diverse<br />
as Roman Polanski<br />
and the Eurythmics<br />
(until 10 January,<br />
istanbulmodern.org).<br />
GO Enjoy an afternoon<br />
exploring Kurtulus,<br />
a lively reminder of<br />
what old Istanbul used<br />
to look like: bustling,<br />
friendly and cheap.<br />
ESCAPE Spend a day<br />
relaxing in the naturally<br />
heated outdoor pools<br />
of the Termal resort.<br />
Seabuses leave the<br />
Yenikapi terminal<br />
daily at 8.30am and<br />
11.30am for Yalova.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
Istanbul’s novel-writing<br />
residents have included<br />
British couple Harold<br />
Nicholson and Vita<br />
Sackville West (1913–<br />
14) and the Booker prize<br />
winner Barry Unsworth<br />
(late 1960s).<br />
David O’Byrne
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