Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & Beyond
Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
A unique yoga retreat that has it all
Istanbul is a long time favorite city for design and inspiration. Housed on the edge of 2 continents, this very European city (living it’s coolest life in Asia) is our haven for other-level interiors, delicious food and drink, epic shopping in the Grand Bazaar, and being pampered by their luxurious hammam spa treatments. Istanbul is filled with hip coffee shops, gorgeous architecture, boutique design studios, and incredible restaurants and nightlife. We are thrilled for this amazing retreat adventure in this thriving city and beyond to the unique landscapes of Cappadocia!
Soulful and deep yoga practices will start your days grounded and open. Find inspiration in the art, design and galleries of Istanbul. Art workshops and so much incredible cuisine await. Join us for inspiration and relaxation in this amazing city full of culture, art and so much more!
About
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
Istanbul is a dense menagerie of treasures. From delectable cuisine, sweets, teas and coffee to sought after design, textiles and fine arts, Istanbul is a plethora of eye candy and the most fantastic sensory overload.
Relax by the waters edge by boat along the Bosphera, shop til you drop in the city’s coolest neighborhood, pamper yourself with hammam and spa treatments fit for royalty and enjoy the most delicious authentic Turkish breakfasts, meze and Turkish delights in this truly unique city.
Explore the classics like Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, Gálata tower and check out the mesmerizing whirling dervishes in action.
Our Istanbul & Beyond retreat takes you to the artisans workshops as you create your own mosaic art piece to take home and try your hand at Ebru.
Cappadocia is a bucket list stop and one for the record books. We stay in a cave hotel, hike in nature, take to the skies in a classic hot air balloon ride to see a unique perspective of the hoodoos and the landscape from above.
We’ve looked to Turkey for design inspiration and emerging art for years and now we’re taking our Yoga retreat adventures to its shores.
Includes
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
INCLUDES :
8 nights in charming hotel accommodations
Breakfast daily
Four lunches & Seven dinners together*
Yoga classes as per itinerary
Opening circle with Turkish tea & delights
Walking Food tour on both sides of Istanbul including lunch
Traditional Turkish bath (hammam) & massage
Classic walking tour to visit historic sites like Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia including lunch
Sunset boat cruise along the Bosphorus with Turkish cheese and wine
Turkish Coffee making demo with grind ‘reading’
Mosaic workshop
Roundtrip domestic flights from Istanbul to Cappadocia
Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia
Ebru workshop
Guided hike in Cappadocia
Whirling Dervish ceremony in Cappadocia
Free time to explore as you wish; shop the Grand Bazaar
All local taxes
What’s not included :
Staff gratuities (daily cleaning service and restaurant)
International flights and airport transfers
1 lunch & 1 dinner
Alcohol & water
Travel & Trip Cancellation insurance; Medical insurance
Itinerary
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
ITINERARY :
DAY ONE
3:00pm Hotel check-in; arrive and settle
4:30-5:45pm Yoga practice
6:30-7:15pm Opening circle with tea and Turkish delights
7:30pm Dinner together as a group
DAY TWO
Coffee, Tea & Fruit
8:15-9:30am Yoga Practice
9:45am Breakfast at the hotel
12pm-5pm Classic City Sites walking adventure : Blue Mosque, Hippodrome of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace Museum; Lunch included
5-7:30pm Turkish coffee experience & mosaic workshop
8:30pm Dinner together
DAY THREE
8:30am Coffee, Tea & Fruit
9-10:15am Vinyasa Yoga Practice
11am-12:30pm Turkish Breakfast
Free time to rest, shop or explore the hip neighborhoods like Galata and Karakoy, check out the Istanbul Modern Art Museum, rest or shopping at the Grand Bazaar
4-9pm Cooking Class w/ Dinner included
DAY FOUR
8:30am Coffee, Tea & Fruit
9-10:15am Vinyasa Yoga Practice
10:30-11:30am Breakfast
12:30-5pm Full day Group outing to explore the Asian side of Istanbul; lunch included
5:30-7:30pm Turkish Bath Experience
Dinner on your own
DAY FIVE
8:30am Coffee, Tea & Fruit
9-10:15am Vinyasa Yoga Practice
10:30am Breakfast
Free time to explore, rest, shop; Lunch on your own
3-8pm Climb the Galata tower followed by a Sunset Cruise along the Bosphorus with Turkish cheese and wine
8pm Dinner together as a group
DAY SIX
8:00am Breakfast
Flights to Cappadocia
Lunch in Cappadocia included
Yoga Practice
Dinner together
DAY SEVEN
8am Breakfast
9:30am – 2:30pm Red Valley (Kızılçukur) to Rose Valley (Güllüdere) hike; lunch included
Rest, explore, spa services
6:30-7:30pm Whirling Dervish Ceremony
8pm Dinner together
DAY EIGHT
Wake early and head to hot air balloon ride
Hot air balloon rides
Turkish Breakfast
Free time to rest; spa services; Lunch on your own
Ebru workshop
Closing Yoga practice
8pm Farewell Dinner together as a group
DAY NINE
Breakfast
Flights back to Istanbul
Departures on your own
*This itinerary is subject to adjustments, changes in times, locations, or activities as the retreat leaders and hosts see fit. Any change will be on par with our standards or an upgrade in services or location making for an even more amazing experience for the group and our guests. Thank you in advance for your flexibility and cooperation if any situation were to arise.
Stay
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
ACCOMMODATIONS
Roommate Emir is a stylish boutique hotel reprieve located on the European side of Istanbul’s most current neighborhood, Beyoğlu.
Enjoy incredible design and attention to every detail while on retreat in this beautifully designed hotel.
Daily Turkish breakfast will start your days and find nooks and crannies around the hotel for quiet reading and reflection.
Pricing
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
pricing
SHARED Jr. Suites
Shared Double Junior Suites have 2 individual beds, ensuite bathroom, and lounge area.
COMING SOON
PRIVATE JUNIOR SUITES
1 King bed with ensuite bath and lounge area.
COMING SOON
* You must provide your bedmate for these options.
We will pair single travelers together looking to share a room. Roommates should book their accommodations together.
There will be plenty of space for alone time during the retreat. It is a larger property with several different sitting areas both indoors and out.
Payments
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
PAYMENTS
Deposits* of $1,000usd are due to secure your space in the retreat.
The balance of your retreat (minus your $1,000usd initial deposit*) is due 90 days prior to arrival. All details for this will be emailed to the group three months before the retreat.
MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT HERE :
Please check availability with us for accommodations before making your $1,000usd deposit*
Roommates should book together. If you would like to share a room and do not have a roommate we will provide one for you if possible. Due to Covid regulations, we are unable to pair guests in shared rooms unless both are comfortable assuming the associated risks. In the case that there is no one to share a room we ask that you take a private economy room instead.
Please use the Contact button below to message us with your preferred method of payment and to check availability.
POLICIES
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations made within 90 days or less of arrival are 100% non refundable. All initial deposits are non-refundable.
CLIENT RESPONSIBILITY
The acceptance of a verbal or written confirmation from YOGA & ADVENTURES WORLDWIDE (Y&AWW) constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions listed herein. Participants are responsible to be adequately insured, therefore Traveler’s Insurance is strongly recommended*. Y&AWW and its staff assume no responsibility nor liability for any delay, loss, damage, injury or accident with regards to persons or property which may be caused by fault or negligence of any third party vendor. This includes hotels, transportation providers, and local operators participating in part for our services. Y&AWW shall be held harmless for any expense caused by injury or accident, to any participants as well as any loss or damage of personal items while on our tours. We reserve the right to make any changes to services and itineraries, with or without notice, which may become necessary.
Yoga & Adventures Worldwide, its affiliates, retreat facilitators, hotels, third party vendors, and tour providers, the ownership, or staff, of course, cannot be held responsible for events that are outside of our control. There are no refunds as per our cancellation policies. We highly recommend that all of our guests secure a quality travel insurance that will cover them for ANY event which may cause for a change of travel plans, or for ANY unfortunate event including but of course not limited to:
– Transportation delays, cancellations or changes due to strikes, labor disputes, or lockouts from airlines, boats, ferries or any type of transportation
– Any inconvenience or complication caused by bad weather, storms, and hurricanes : a direct hit, near miss, or significant threat of a hurricane strike
– Government/political actions, events or situations; threats or acts of terrorism, acts of war or declared war.
– Personal health issues or personal situations in general which may affect travel plans
– Any loss, theft or damage of personal items at any stage of your trip
– Any accident causing injury during any stage of your trip
– Travel restrictions or illness associated with COVID-19.
All travelers may join our retreats “at your own risk”, but should continue to take precautions such as wearing masks in public, avoiding crowds, maintaining social distance and washing hands frequently. Testing will be determined by the countries through which the traveler must pass. All testing requirements are at the travelers expense and are not included in our packages. Please stay up to date with current travel related requirements.
We ask that all travelers arrive with proof of a negative Covid-19 test (no matter your vaccination status) no more than 3 days before you travel or be prepared to show documentation of recovery (proof of a recent positive viral test and a letter from your healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel).
Forbes created an updated list of travel insurance companies offering coverage for Covid-19. Please let us know if you have chosen to purchase travel insurance or declined at final balance due.
We recommend that you check your insurance’s policies regarding Covid-19 as we are not able to return funds outside of these policies.
By submitting payments toward your retreat you accept these Terms and Conditions.
If you have any questions regarding the details of this retreat please feel free to contact us to set up a Skype conversation or to receive further info via email.
Travel Tips
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Yoga Retreat in Istanbul & BEYOND
Travel Tips
Arriving into Istanbul :
Options to arrive into Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) on the European side OR Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), located in the Anatolia (Asia) side of Istanbul. We HIGHLY recommend arriving into Ataturk (IST) if possible where travel time and expenses are about half.
We will coordinate rides arriving at similar times to share costs into the city where possible. Otherwise, we can plan a private ride for you. If you plan to arrive or depart outside of retreat dates you should coordinate your own transportation to and from your hotel with its concierge. Any arrivals and departures on retreat dates we will coordinate for you with others on similar flight itineraries.
Turkish Airlines has plenty of flights into IST and they are a very reputable airline. They have direct routes from Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, and many other major cities around the world. Rates are affordable in Economy and quite fair for their lush Business Class as well.
Travel Basics :
Please plan to sleep well on the plane or arrive a day or two early in order to acclimate yourself to the change in time. If you will stay in Turkey for a few days upon arrival we recommend staying at our hotel if you’ll stay in Istanbul or if you’re up for the adventure, Cappadocia is a unique a gorgeous area of Turkey that is worth the travel.
Bring along your basic toiletries and medicine kit to keep yourself healthy and optimized while you are on retreat. We recommend having probiotics, vitamin C, pain medicine, antihistamines, band-aides, anti-biotic ointment, and the like all within reach just in case any of them become necessary.
The hotel provides bath products but it’s always nice to have what you are accustomed to using handy though this is at your discretion. Please consult with your airline on carry-on limits and make sure you pack what you place into your checked luggage with care to avoid spillage and explosions.
What to Bring & what to wear in Turkey :
You will need to bring along your yoga mat and any other yoga props you use in your practice. I find that folding my mat in quarters at the bottom of my suitcase optimizes space. You can also carry it over your shoulder in a yoga bag on the plane.
Istanbul is a VERY modern Muslim city. You will find a pretty even mix amongst the locals of very traditional dress and typical European street clothes like in any major city in the world. As tourists, you can plan to dress as you would at home. Weather should be quite lovely at this time of year so plan for late summer temps but check the forecast closer to dates to prepare your suitcase accordingly.
When entering the mosques you should have shoulders and collarbones covered.
When entering the hammams, towels will be provided for you and bathing suits are optional as there are separate rooms for men and women bathing together. Our experience will be quite interesting but please plan to bring/wear whatever you feel comfortable in inside the hammam. Keep in mind it is an exfoliation bath so the less you have on the better for the attendant. Most people find that a bathing suit bottom is enough but you are free to wear more or less of your bathing as your comfort level dictates. Keep in mind that no one is looking 😉 We will discuss more of this in the group email prior to the retreat.
