Dear everyone,
Thanks a bunch again for all your kind messages. 34 days to go now till our big day and we are getting very excited!
Some of you have enquired us about our gift registry. Because it was a long way to travel, we are not expecting any wedding gifts. And your presence on the day would be the best gift for us.
For those of you who insist: As we have been living together for quite some time now, we have acquired most of the household items and we therefore, simply appreciate any contributions to our honeymoon.
We have drawn a list of items on http://www.blisslist.co.uk/
You can simply search for our list by putting in one of our last names (Borysik or Gorgulu) and our wedding date (02/06/2012).
Many thanks again.
And see you soon!
B & T
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Saturday, 24 March 2012
What is new in Turkey?
"There are loads of great new holiday ideas in Turkey this year, from walking trails in Cappadocia to boutique hotels and a toddler-friendly seaside break" says the Guardian (23rd March). Here is the link for some inspiration.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Cheap flights anyone?
Zonguldak Hotel Update
As we have mentioned in our very first post, for convenience, we are encouraging our guests to stay at Zonguldak Dedeman Hotel, where the wedding will also take place. This is a brand new 5 star hotel, with marvelous views of the city and the Black Sea. Please check their website here. The price for a double/twin room is typically £130 a night if booked online via their website (or other third party websites). We managed to negotiate the price down to £60 a night (for two people, including open buffet breakfast) (and upgraded your rooms to sea/city view). However to get this price, you will need to email the hospitality manager, Ms. Seda Ok and let her know that you are attending the wedding. And as always, should you need any help, please let us know- we are happy to do what we can!
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Post-wedding tour update
We are pleased to announce that we have managed to organise a minibus to give a free guided tour of Safranbolu or Amasra (depending on weather) scheduled for 3rd of June. Can you please let either of us know if you wish to attend as we need numbers.
Invitations are now in the post
Finally, your invitations are now in the post we are looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Istanbul hotels update
Thanks all for you kind messages. We are sorry that some of you won’t be able to attend. For those if you who are coming we have some new information which we hope will be of use.
A friend of a friend has promised good rates to us (65 euro/night for a double/twin room + breakfast) in his hotel in Istanbul. It’s normally 90 as in a good location (Sultanahmet) and he has also promised to throw in a free bottle of wine and a fruit basket! However, since it’s high season this offer will not be open for long so can you let us know ASAP, before the end of this month.
If you want to check it out first here is the link to the hotel.
If you don’t act fast enough and the above hotel is sold out we then recommend for a good hotel the Hotel Basileus – this is mid to upper end but a steal at 90 euros/night/room + breakfast. We also call the owner of this hotel and he offered a free airport transfer for all of our guests.
Here is the link for Hotel Basileus
Hotel Basileus is also rated in top 10 hotels in Istanbul according to trip advisor.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
We are getting married!
Dear all,
This is the first entry in this blog.
This is the first entry in this blog.
The wedding
Our wedding will take place on the 2nd of June 2012. The venue for the wedding and the following evening celebration is The Dedeman Hotel in Zonguldak Turkey, which is on the Black Sea coast (see map below).The wedding itself will simply involve a registration event in the hotel at 15:30. The evening celebration starts at 19:30 on the roof terrace of the hotel overlooking the Black Sea. The evening event will involve a meal, drinks and live music.
We are aware that it is a long way to travel for a wedding. We understand that it may be too costly for some of you to attend. However, we have forgone the usual Stag/Hen events to keep cost down. Also we suggest that this wedding could be used as the focus of a long weekend (it is a bank holiday in the UK on the 4th) or as a spring board for a holiday in Turkey, which is the crossroads and birthplace of many different cultures. We will be updating this blog regularly with many different holiday suggestions to suit all tastes and budgets.
Things you need to do + anticipated costs travelling from the UK
1) Turkey is not a member of the EU but no visa is required. However, there is a £20 Turkish ‘visa’ tax on arrival to the country. This is paid at the airport upon arrival.
2) There are various flight options available. We suggest flying with low-cost airlines Easy Jet, Pegasus or Jet2.com to Istanbul. The current price from these companies for return flights to Istanbul is around £120. Other options include flying to Ankara. We are also trying to negotiate a group discount arrangement with BA and Turkish Airlines from Manchester Airport and will let you know how this goes.
3) Travelling to Zonguldak from Istanbul is done by bus. The cost for this is £15 each way, we will cover this cost for you to the venue and pre-book your tickets so all you have to do is go to the bus station. However, depending on how many of you can make it we may arrange for a private coach from Taksim Square in Istanbul to Zonguldak.
4) We suggest that you break up the journey to Zonguldak from the UK over two days. Thus, we suggest you stay at least one night in Istanbul – although we recommend more than that! We are trying to arrange a small tour of the Old City with a local. Furthermore, we will give you the names and numbers of friends in Istanbul for you to contact if you were to run into any problems. We will be posting information about different places to stay in Istanbul shortly. For now to give you an idea of prices these will vary between £25 - £80 per room/night + breakfast (i.e. the cost is half of this for two people sharing).
5) You will have to stay at least one night in Zonguldak. For convenience, we suggest you stay at The Dedeman Hotel. This is a 5-star hotel on the coast and is also wedding venue. The price for a double/twin room at the Dedeman + breakfast is about £60/night. We managed to negotiate the price down from £130 and also manage to reserve rooms with a sea view. However, if you are on a budget there should be some limited space at another venue near the Dedeman where the room cost only £10 a night.
6) Extras: Depending on how many of you can make it, we will be arranging a free trip to Safranbolu or Amasra on the 3rd of June. Safranbolu is a UNESCO world heritage town just south of Zonguldak with Ottoman era houses and architecture and traditional market. Safranbolu is where they used to grow Saffron for the Ottoman palace in Istanbul, hence the name! Amasra is an ancient picturesque town on the Black sea coast, mentioned in the Illiad, according to Wikipedia. If you have any particular preferences please let us know and we will arrange the trip accordingly.
Just to wet your appetite, for holidays in Turkey we suggest the following
Just to wet your appetite, for holidays in Turkey we suggest the following
a. For culture vultures and city goers: Istanbul http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/istanbul
b. For outdoor types: Cappadocia in the centre of Turkey. Cappadocia, another Unesco World Heritage site, is famous for its unique landscape characterized by fairy chimneys and ancient underground and cave settlements.
c. For beach holidays: We suggest you avoid the usual English tourist destinations and alternatively choose Dalyan, a nature reserve for giant sea-turtles Caretta Caretta. We suggest this boutique hotel for excellent service on a budget:
d. For those of you who would like to mix a beach holiday with a bit history, we suggest Izmir, which has access to major historical sites such as Ephesus and Pergamon as well as long, sandy beaches.
Any questions please email us.
More info on the blog and proper wedding invitations to follow!
Best wishes,
Toni and Burcu
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