Whether I am taking a mini-break, flying long-haul or heading to a business meeting, my way of getting through the trauma of 21st century travel is to put on my safari suit and led aydınlatma firmaları retro sunglasses and act as if this is still the heyday of BOAC.
Istanbul lends itself to my peculiar fantasies perfectly - a seamless blend of old world and new world, European and Asian, with a Dionysian social life.
All of my fashion friends have been raving about it for years, so I jumped on a three-hour flight to discover it for myself.
Even after being met by traffic worse than New York at rush hour en route to my hotel (brace yourself and double any estimated journey times you may have read about), the heat, bustle and chaos of this city of more than 14million bodies will have anyone's sense of adventure stirred.
Turkey, but not as you know it: The serious party-goer can find clubs in fine locations in burgeoning Istanbul
In an effort to stay off the beaten track, I started in Cukucurma, the antiques area.
The quiet streets are filled with mix of adorable bric-a-brac shops alongside serious dealers. Vintage fashion shops also pepper the neighbourhood, alongside the bizarre rather than the bazaar.
If textiles and linens are your thing catch a cab, as I did, to Dervis - designer Rifat Ozbek's bath store in the Grand Bazaar, which sells antique kaftans and waffle dressing gowns.
The Bazaar is both overwhelming and incredible - a very different shopping experience from the souks of Marrakech. But unless you are after the traditional, don't spend too much time here.
Rather than being sucked into buying fake Louis Vuitton slippers, seek out the Turkish carpet slipper sellers and haggle like a demon.
My base for the long weekend was the Shangri-La.
This new hotel is the first in a procession of pleasure palaces trickling along the Bosphorus. It stands next to the prime minister's house, meaning the environs are crawling with police at all times.
Cutting a dash: Henry spent a long weekend soaking up the sights and shops of the former Constantinople
At first I was alarmed by the level of airport-style security in the big hotels, but it's standard here.
The Shangri-La's large rooms are decorated with typical five-star global good taste, and the staff are beyond helpful.
This is the hotel to stay in if you're getting out to see Istanbul every day - there is no outside space, or resort-style pool for lounging, but it does have a great spa, with hammam treatments for those too exhausted, or not brave enough, to try one in the old town.
Making an effort to get up early each day, I scoffed my menemen - traditional Turkish scrambled eggs with green peppers and tomatoes - before venturing out.
If brunch is more your thing, head to Galata, particularly the terrace of the Georges Hotel on Sundays.
Galata used to be a fairly run-down area but it has been transformed over recent years. Its ancient, hilltop streets now form the beating heart of the city.
If you are staying in Istanbul for only a few days, Galata should be your base, because it has excellent bars, clubs and restaurants as well as some of best shops.
Head to the Arzu Kaprol boutique, whose collection is worn by the cream of Istanbul (lace was dominant on my visit - beautifully structured shift dresses, and chic contemporary separates), then work your way through the surrounding streets, discovering pop-up shops and designer outlets (I loved Old Sandal, a sweet independent shoe store).
Don't forget to haggle: You can find bargains, if you know where and how to look, in Istanbul's historic markets
Exhausted from shopping, I later stopped at the airy Nikol for a tasty pistachio Turkish pastry and a cappuccino.
Nestled directly below is Karakoy, the district intent on stealing Galata's crown in becoming the coolest part of the city.
On the banks of the Bosphorus, this former industrial area, with its fabulous restaurants and galleries, is book-ended by the bridge to the old town and Istanbul Modern.
This is a brilliantly curated contemporary museum, and you can whip around it in 30 minutes.
That's just as well, as contemporary art can leave me quite weary.
After my whistlestop tour, I headed for the museum's terrace restaurant, recommended to me by the former fashion editor of Vogue Turkey as the place where the Vogue girls lunch.
Simple salads and mezze proved an ideal recovery tactic.
I would also recommend the pideli kofte - grilled meatballs in yogurt and tomato sauce.
Karakoy is definitely the place for foodies.
The Karabatak cafe kicked off the area's food revolution - it's an adorable place with a great selection of world coffees and pastries, with vines overhead and little outside tables.
Meeting up with some London friends for dinner, we tried Karakoy MaNa.
Between us we managed to order most things on the menu, with the succulent griddled lamb the pick of the bunch.
Going up in the world: The Galata district of Istanbul is increasingly hip, and enjoys a lovely riverside location
With our bellies full, it was time to sample Istanbul's bustling nightlife.
This really is a party city, and I love a party. A quick taxi ride to Beyoglu, just past the Ortakoy Mosque, you will find a cluster of outdoor clubs that have as good a summer party vibe as any in St Tropez.
We made for the biggest of them, Reina.
Walking down the steps in the club to the tables, all eyes are on you, so put on your best show.
For me, that meant a showgirl high kick on the last step (we had enjoyed a lot of cocktails by this point), that nearly took out the first table.
The music is hilarious, but give in to it - every big European and US club track has a Turkish beat mixed over it.
I will never be able to listen to Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball in quite the same way again.
Despite the political troubles associated with Taksim Square, here you'll find the best late-night kebabs to soak up the booze.
I couldn't tell you which chic shop we visited - perhaps that's a sign of how hard we had partied.
Of course, you cannot come to a city like Istanbul and not visit the big attractions. We took a private boat to see the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque - the bigger hotels will be happy to organise this.
The Hagia Sofia's influence on European ecclesiastical architecture cannot be overstated enough, so for an architectural enthusiast like me it was an essential trip.
A blaze of noise and colour: Istanbul's Grand Bazaar can be a fun, merrily chaotic, shopping experience
The Blue Mosque is impressive, though less relevant to the European architectural enthusiast.
Due to the heat, I was wearing seersucker shorts, and thus was given an ankle-length blue skirt with a Velcro split to wear inside the building. I had to muster all my strength not to do an Angelina Jolie side-leg pose at every photo opportunity.
Most impressive for me was the vast Topkapi Palace, the main residence of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years.
The palace is the perfect metaphor for old Istanbul - a blend of Islamic imperialism and European influence, so beautifully preserved that wandering around, you feel like Aladdin.
Naturally, I burst into songs from the Disney classic at regular intervals.
Walking through the vast Harem (a separate ticket, but worth adding), you can almost hear the giggles of the concubines, and the squealing of the eunuchs.
The palace is huge, so don't attempt to do it all in a day.
I headed straight for the jewels. Having watched Melina Mercouri and Peter Ustinov's Oscar-winning 1964 film Topkapi with my grandparents as a child, I made a beeline for the Topkapi dagger - its enormous emeralds would make anyone want to break the glass and cart it off.
The gaudiness of the endless rooms of the Imperial Treasury make our own Crown Jewels look almost demure: baskets of emeralds, gold thrones studded with diamonds, intricate treasure boxes and the 85-carat pear-shaped Spoonmaker's Diamond the Sultan wore as a ring.
Don't go there before visiting the Grand Bazaar or you may come back decked out like Elizabeth Taylor.
Istanbul is a burgeoning, lively and deliciously contemporary city, set to a backdrop of thousands of years of history.
This cultural blend has been its appeal for hundreds of years, and there is no better time to dip into its fashionable society.
Turkey city breaks: Istanbul is so cool, even the kebabs are chic
por Gladys Rhein (2023-06-16)
Whether I am taking a mini-break, flying long-haul or heading to a business meeting, my way of getting through the trauma of 21st century travel is to put on my safari suit and led aydınlatma firmaları retro sunglasses and act as if this is still the heyday of BOAC.
Istanbul lends itself to my peculiar fantasies perfectly - a seamless blend of old world and new world, European and Asian, with a Dionysian social life.
All of my fashion friends have been raving about it for years, so I jumped on a three-hour flight to discover it for myself.
Even after being met by traffic worse than New York at rush hour en route to my hotel (brace yourself and double any estimated journey times you may have read about), the heat, bustle and chaos of this city of more than 14million bodies will have anyone's sense of adventure stirred.
Turkey, but not as you know it: The serious party-goer can find clubs in fine locations in burgeoning Istanbul
In an effort to stay off the beaten track, I started in Cukucurma, the antiques area.
The quiet streets are filled with mix of adorable bric-a-brac shops alongside serious dealers. Vintage fashion shops also pepper the neighbourhood, alongside the bizarre rather than the bazaar.
If textiles and linens are your thing catch a cab, as I did, to Dervis - designer Rifat Ozbek's bath store in the Grand Bazaar, which sells antique kaftans and waffle dressing gowns.
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The Bazaar is both overwhelming and incredible - a very different shopping experience from the souks of Marrakech. But unless you are after the traditional, don't spend too much time here.
Rather than being sucked into buying fake Louis Vuitton slippers, seek out the Turkish carpet slipper sellers and haggle like a demon.
My base for the long weekend was the Shangri-La.
This new hotel is the first in a procession of pleasure palaces trickling along the Bosphorus. It stands next to the prime minister's house, meaning the environs are crawling with police at all times.
Cutting a dash: Henry spent a long weekend soaking up the sights and shops of the former Constantinople
At first I was alarmed by the level of airport-style security in the big hotels, but it's standard here.
The Shangri-La's large rooms are decorated with typical five-star global good taste, and the staff are beyond helpful.
This is the hotel to stay in if you're getting out to see Istanbul every day - there is no outside space, or resort-style pool for lounging, but it does have a great spa, with hammam treatments for those too exhausted, or not brave enough, to try one in the old town.
Making an effort to get up early each day, I scoffed my menemen - traditional Turkish scrambled eggs with green peppers and tomatoes - before venturing out.
If brunch is more your thing, head to Galata, particularly the terrace of the Georges Hotel on Sundays.
Galata used to be a fairly run-down area but it has been transformed over recent years. Its ancient, hilltop streets now form the beating heart of the city.
If you are staying in Istanbul for only a few days, Galata should be your base, because it has excellent bars, clubs and restaurants as well as some of best shops.
Head to the Arzu Kaprol boutique, whose collection is worn by the cream of Istanbul (lace was dominant on my visit - beautifully structured shift dresses, and chic contemporary separates), then work your way through the surrounding streets, discovering pop-up shops and designer outlets (I loved Old Sandal, a sweet independent shoe store).
Don't forget to haggle: You can find bargains, if you know where and how to look, in Istanbul's historic markets
Exhausted from shopping, I later stopped at the airy Nikol for a tasty pistachio Turkish pastry and a cappuccino.
Nestled directly below is Karakoy, the district intent on stealing Galata's crown in becoming the coolest part of the city.
On the banks of the Bosphorus, this former industrial area, with its fabulous restaurants and galleries, is book-ended by the bridge to the old town and Istanbul Modern.
This is a brilliantly curated contemporary museum, and you can whip around it in 30 minutes.
That's just as well, as contemporary art can leave me quite weary.
After my whistlestop tour, I headed for the museum's terrace restaurant, recommended to me by the former fashion editor of Vogue Turkey as the place where the Vogue girls lunch.
Simple salads and mezze proved an ideal recovery tactic.
I would also recommend the pideli kofte - grilled meatballs in yogurt and tomato sauce.
Karakoy is definitely the place for foodies.
The Karabatak cafe kicked off the area's food revolution - it's an adorable place with a great selection of world coffees and pastries, with vines overhead and little outside tables.
Meeting up with some London friends for dinner, we tried Karakoy MaNa.
Between us we managed to order most things on the menu, with the succulent griddled lamb the pick of the bunch.
Going up in the world: The Galata district of Istanbul is increasingly hip, and enjoys a lovely riverside location
With our bellies full, it was time to sample Istanbul's bustling nightlife.
This really is a party city, and I love a party. A quick taxi ride to Beyoglu, just past the Ortakoy Mosque, you will find a cluster of outdoor clubs that have as good a summer party vibe as any in St Tropez.
We made for the biggest of them, Reina.
Walking down the steps in the club to the tables, all eyes are on you, so put on your best show.
For me, that meant a showgirl high kick on the last step (we had enjoyed a lot of cocktails by this point), that nearly took out the first table.
The music is hilarious, but give in to it - every big European and US club track has a Turkish beat mixed over it.
I will never be able to listen to Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball in quite the same way again.
Despite the political troubles associated with Taksim Square, here you'll find the best late-night kebabs to soak up the booze.
I couldn't tell you which chic shop we visited - perhaps that's a sign of how hard we had partied.
Of course, you cannot come to a city like Istanbul and not visit the big attractions. We took a private boat to see the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque - the bigger hotels will be happy to organise this.
The Hagia Sofia's influence on European ecclesiastical architecture cannot be overstated enough, so for an architectural enthusiast like me it was an essential trip.
A blaze of noise and colour: Istanbul's Grand Bazaar can be a fun, merrily chaotic, shopping experience
The Blue Mosque is impressive, though less relevant to the European architectural enthusiast.
Due to the heat, I was wearing seersucker shorts, and thus was given an ankle-length blue skirt with a Velcro split to wear inside the building. I had to muster all my strength not to do an Angelina Jolie side-leg pose at every photo opportunity.
Most impressive for me was the vast Topkapi Palace, the main residence of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years.
The palace is the perfect metaphor for old Istanbul - a blend of Islamic imperialism and European influence, so beautifully preserved that wandering around, you feel like Aladdin.
Naturally, I burst into songs from the Disney classic at regular intervals.
Walking through the vast Harem (a separate ticket, but worth adding), you can almost hear the giggles of the concubines, and the squealing of the eunuchs.
The palace is huge, so don't attempt to do it all in a day.
I headed straight for the jewels. Having watched Melina Mercouri and Peter Ustinov's Oscar-winning 1964 film Topkapi with my grandparents as a child, I made a beeline for the Topkapi dagger - its enormous emeralds would make anyone want to break the glass and cart it off.
The gaudiness of the endless rooms of the Imperial Treasury make our own Crown Jewels look almost demure: baskets of emeralds, gold thrones studded with diamonds, intricate treasure boxes and the 85-carat pear-shaped Spoonmaker's Diamond the Sultan wore as a ring.
Don't go there before visiting the Grand Bazaar or you may come back decked out like Elizabeth Taylor.
Istanbul is a burgeoning, lively and deliciously contemporary city, set to a backdrop of thousands of years of history.
FACT BOX TITLEThis cultural blend has been its appeal for hundreds of years, and there is no better time to dip into its fashionable society.
Cox & Kings (Shangri-La Bosphorus from £995 per person including return flights and transfers.
The price is valid until October 31, 2014.