review

Review: Staying At Kule Hotel In Bursa, Turkey

Review: Staying at Kule Hotel in Bursa, Turkey

On my birthday last year, I decided to take a last-minute trip to Bursa from Yalova as I thought it would be worth going to Mount Uludag and getting on the famous gondola (or known as teleferik in Bursa) to celebrate my birthday all by myself. 

I decided to book a room at Kule Hotel in Bursa for two nights, so I will share my firsthand review of staying at this affordable hotel in the center of the former capital city of the Ottoman Empire. 

So, where is the best neighborhood to stay in Bursa? On a scale of 1 to 10, how convenient is Kule Hotel as an accommodation for a solo traveler? Is it value for the money, or is it better to find another hotel in the city? 

Visiting the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul, Turkey

Visiting the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul, Turkey

It wasn’t my first time visiting the Museum of Innocence in Cukurcuma, a neighborhood in Beyoglu, not too far from the center of Istanbul. Back in 2016, I went there with my then-boyfriend as I brought Orhan Pamuk’s novel with me after I read it in 2012. Though I went there on my last day in Istanbul, it was on Monday, and the museum was closed when we went there.

So when I made Yalova my temporary home last year, I knew that I needed to prioritize the Museum of Innocence on top of everything else when I made my way to Istanbul at the time. Because of this, I decided to book an Airbnb in Beyoglu after visiting Ankara beforehand.

In this post, I’m going to focus more on my experience of visiting the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul. But apart from my view as a visitor, I also want to share my two cents from a reader’s point of view as I’ve read the novel long before I made my way to the museum.

Ariya Yildiz Apartment in Beyoglu, Istanbul.

Review: Accommodation in Beyoglu, Istanbul – Private Room at Ariya Yildiz Apartment

Beyoglu is one of the most popular areas for tourists to stay in Istanbul. Not only is it close to some must-visit spots like Istiklal Street or Galata Tower, but the area is full of restaurants and bars that you can visit within walking distance. On top of that, it’s fairly easy to find affordable accommodation in Beyoglu, Istanbul!

Since I stayed in Yalova last year, I decided to stay in Istanbul for a few days after my trip to Ankara. After I got disappointed with Liva Suite Hotel in Taksim, I decided to book my accommodation through Airbnb this time, and that was when I found a private room at Ariya Yildiz Apartment in Beyoglu.

Although I was intrigued to find accommodation a bit further away from Beyoglu, I decided to choose accommodation in Beyoglu instead since the only reason I stopped by Istanbul at the time was that I wanted to visit the Museum of Innocence in Beyoglu.

I thought it would be nice to have a nice walk to the museum from the accommodation while also getting a chance to check out some cafe nearby. Well, as disappointing as it sounds, if there’s anything I’ve learned about traveling to Istanbul, I feel like I shouldn’t trust my judgment when I go to the city!

2022 Review & 2023 Resolutions – Living, Loving, Laughing Through The Year

2022 Review & 2023 Resolutions – Living, Loving, Laughing Through The Year

It’s that time of the year, and it’s been a while since the last time I wrote a raw blog post just to share my thoughts and show some snippets of my personal life in my year-end review and New Year’s Resolutions. This time of the year last year, I was in the middle of my trip to Turkey and Serbia so I didn’t get a chance to recapitulate my 2021, that’s why I’ll make up for it now!

If I have to be honest, I’ve been struggling to manage my time these days that I didn’t even get a chance to work on my blog for so many reasons. That’s why now that I have some time to sit down and write, I want to take time to forget about optimizing my blog posts and do something that became the reason why I started this blog in the first place: pour out my thoughts and emotions to lighten the burden. LOL.

2022 has been a year full of lessons learned, and I’m looking forward to 2023 because I have so many plans in store that I’m slightly afraid I won’t accomplish any of them. But if there’s anything I’ve learned this year, it costs nothing to stay positive, so that’s what I’m trying to do!

Sari Ater Hotel & Resort: Natural Hot Springs in West Java, Indonesia - Indonesia

Sari Ater Hotel & Resort: Natural Hot Springs in West Java, Indonesia

Who doesn’t love natural hot springs? Getting deep into natural hot springs is one way to relax, which was also the main reason I decided to go to Ciater for my recent staycation. Although Ciater is not too far from Bandung, I honestly couldn’t remember the last time I went there before my staycation. But I know Ciater is known to be one of the best natural hot springs in West Java, Indonesia.

I know I had been there a few times when I was a child, and I went there with my girlfriends once when we were at the university, but that was all about it. And that’s also the reason why I decided to book a one-night stay at Sari Ater Hotel and Resort in Ciater.