Wind Spirit

Does anyone have any information on the Wind Spirit. We are going from Turkey to Athans. Any good advice what to to in the ports. We will be flying from Los Angeles and will be staying at the Four Seasons in Instunbal for 2 days. Thanks

You will love the Four Seasons. They are right in the middle of everything. We were there 3 years ago on the same cruise. At the desk ask if they can make dinner reservations at a restaurant they call "The Fisherman". The restaurant is about .5 mile away but they will pick you up. Be ready for a unique - but great - dinner (and not expensive at all). It was one of the highlights of the trip.

A couple of suggestions:

1. In Santorini take the cable car - do not walk up or down. If you take the burros make sure you take them up the hill - now down. They are fed at the bottom of the hill and so they tend to run down. As for walking, the walkway is the same one the burros use - but no one ever washes off the walkway.

We took the tour and enjoyed it very much allowed us the opportunity to see other parts of the island yet also had time to see Santorini itself.

2. In Mykonos go on your own. great city to walk around in. Go early in the A.M. and see the shops as they open up. We saw one lady delivering items to the stores - with everything on her burro. Do not bother to go to "Paradise Beach". Very crowded and nothing really there. The bus ride allowed you to see some countryside but not worth it.

3. Bodrum - Arrange to go with another couple and rent a Gullet for a half day. Do not go to "Camel Beach". The captain of the Gullet can take you to various places on the island where you can swim off the boat.

4 Rhodes - Again, go on your own. The city is great to walk around.

5. Kusadasi - We took the tour. Allowed us to see the ruins which were very interesting.

Hopes this helps. You will have a great time.

We did this same trip back in the summer of 1999 just before the earthquake. Even though your hotel is in the middle of everything I would recommend that you arrange for a private full day tour of the city. We (my wife & I) made the arrangements over the internet (sorry, can't remember the agency). We were treated to an eight hour tour, our own personal guide, a car and a driver plus lunch at Topkapi palace (gorgeous view of the Bospherous (sp?) all for only $150 USD!! If you are touring Istanbul on a Friday, please remember you are in a muslim (secular) country and that Friday is their Holy Day. Our guide recommended that, as Westerners, we stay away from the mosques around noon time as this is the most important prayer session during the day. I'm sure that you will enjoy your stay, especially if you are into history. We also enjoyed visiting Dolambache (sp?) palace - the last palace of the Sultan, but it was within walking distance of our hotel and we spent Saturday morning there before we left for the ship.