Who: Rise Justice of Westminster and Suzy Thevenet of Boulder
Where: Bodrum.
Best meal: Kocadon Restaurant, situated in a lovely outdoor setting looking out on the harbor. The great variety of delicious Turkish mezes (appetizers), such as stuffed squash blossoms, stuffed eggplant or calamari, makes a meal here worth the visit. For a main dish, grilled sea bass, sea bream or paella with calamari and shrimp are good choices. Turkish wines, especially the reds, are surprisingly good. Kocadan makes the best version of the delicious Turkish dessert, kunufe, which looks like shredded wheat but tastes like baklava.
Best deal: Definitely buy a Turkish rug. Spend some time listening to the many vendors to become familiar with the different styles and quality. Take off your shoes and walk on the rug to make sure natural dyes and not synthetics are used. The smaller villages in which each family is in the rug business and there is a local broker are the best places to buy a quality rug at a reasonable price. In most cases, they can fold up the rug and put it in a carrying bag that you can check on the plane like luggage. They also can ship.
Best time to go: September and October. Temperatures in Istanbul and along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts were in the 70-80s.
Best travel tip: Rent a car, hire a guide or book a Gulet (boat) and explore the extensive archeological and natural treasures of this country. In Bodrum, do not miss the Bodrum Castle and Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archeology, where you can see such archaeological treasures as 1,000 wine amphorae and gold cups from a 7th-century shipwreck from the west coast of Bodrum and the remains and jewels of a Carian princess dating from 302 BC.
