Istanbul (Turkey)
CIRAGAN PALACE HOTEL KEMPINSKI
*****

Ciragan Caddesi, 84, Besiktas
Phone: 90 212 258 33 77
Fax: 90 212 259 66 87
E-Mail: reserve@ciraganpalace.com.tr
Web page: www.ciragan.com

The Ciragan Palace is like a dream from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. In addition to being one of the best hotels in Europe, it has the added allure of its decor: It looks as if it were taken from an old tale of wizards, flying carpets, and powerful sultans.
Ciragan will be celebrating the end of the millennium with a gala dinner and a grand party.

THE LAST MEAL OF THE MILLENNIUM
Appetizers
"Millennium" champagne cocktail, specially created by the barman
Cold and warm appetizers
The meal:
Vichyssoise with leek and zucchini
Lobster salad with chef's sauce vinaigrette
Mango and mint sorbet
Thin veal sirloins baked with foie gras Madeira, garnished with greens, oven-roasted potatoes and onions, champignons and mushrooms
Roasted poulard with imperial garnish
Dessert
Caramelized mango and pear syrup in almond crisp with sweet Madeira sauce
Wines
Ice cream and coffee
Sparkling wines
White
Red
Champagnes and liqueurs

The menu may be subject to change; any changes will be published when they are made.

THE PARTY
The main end-of-year and end-of-millennium celebration at the Ciragan is going to be unforgettable. On the bay, in front of the large dining-room windows, the feast will be lit by thousands of explosions of color from the enormous fireworks displays that will be illuminating the night sky. Inside, a large orchestra will be setting the meal to music.
There will be party treats, dancing with live bands, and an open bar all night long.
PRICES
Dinner and celebration: $450.00
Rooms:
Single: $200.00 per night
Single with views of the Bosporus: $250.00 per night
Luxury: $400.00 per night
Luxury and large size room: $450.00 per night
Breakfast: $26.00

RESERVATIONS
Contact the hotel at the e-mail address provided above.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO NEARBY
The old city of Istanbul is a universe unto itself that cannot be seen in its entirety in just a few days. Istanbul is one of the most flashy, mysterious, colorful, and enchanting cities in the world. Its impressive monuments are home to a life and a people who are unusual and unknown elsewhere in the Orient. It's a completely different world.

In Istanbul, the must-sees begin with the Topkapi palace (which Melina Mercouri and Peter Ustinov made world-famous in the film "Istanbul"), where the sultans who ruled the world for four centuries lived. Then, a long visit to the impressive basilica of Saint Sophia, the fourth-largest cathedral in the world. The Archeological Museum, the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, or the Grand Bazaar are the next stops along the way.

Perhaps one of the most interesting excursions for any visitor is a boat tour of the Bosporus. From there, you will be able to see the Tower of Leander, your own hotel, the Kempinski, located in the old Ciragan palace; Beylebey Palace and the bridge over the Bosporus, Galatasaray island and other palaces and key monuments. It's a trip that is well worth your while.

As far as restaurants go, the Sarnic Sultanahmet, an old Roman cistern that is now a restaurant, is one of the best. The Have Habdulah is perhaps the best in the city, and offers an excellent sampling of traditional Turkish cuisine.