By Graham Brough 3/04/2010

The East-meets-West delights of Istanbul wowed GRAHAM BROUGH and his family

This year it's called the European Capital of Culture 2010 but over the centuries its names have included Constantinople and Byzantium.

Frankly, Istanbul is so magnificent and complete a city it can be whatever it wants.

Centuries of history seep from every pore of this beautiful metropolis, poised at the end of Europe and the beginning of Asia.

By Marisa Mackle

Friday January 30 2009

I thought Istanbul might be a chaotic city but, to my surprise, I discovered it to be a shopaholic's paradise and I couldn't have been happier haggling with the Turks over quality leather bags and brightly coloured rugs.

I adored this city with its majestic buildings, fabulous food, enticing exotic smells and friendly inhabitants.

We flew from Dublin airport to Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, a delightful experience as the cabin crew were so welcoming, efficient and polite, and landed about four hours later as darkness was beginning to fall.

Our home for the next few nights was to be the fabulous Ritz Carlton; one of the most impressive hotels I've ever stayed in, with commanding views over the Bosphorus. I could have sat at my window for hours watching the boats sail past and the colour of the water change with the weather.

By Pamela Price / Special to the Malibu Times

After a 24-hour flight between Los Angeles and Istanbul, what could be more delicious than a sublime 50-minute Sultan's Royal Six-Handed Massage at the Laveda Spa, hidden away at the 244-room Ritz Carlton? It's a treatment a smart traveler can reserve in advance, symbolizing a new style of traversing the globe while coping with jetlag.