A Prelude
Shangri-La Hotel, Istanbul
The air is effervescent with a contagious sense of joie de vivre. The city resounds with an unfathomable depth of history, evident in a multitude of museums and art galleries. A coastal climate caresses the streets with a pleasantly warm breeze and the fresh scent of the ocean. A beguiling mix of the ancient and modern world, the metropolis drips with culture; jazz festivals, open-air theatres, bazaars, spice markets and uber cool bars stand side by side, serenading both visitors and locals, day and night.
As your speedboat glides effortlessly across the beautiful blue Bosphorus, for a second you feel like a movie star with the wind rushing through your hair. The city, distinguished by buildings short and wide, and sprawling over its seven famous hills, pulsates as it anticipates your arrival. And when your boat finally approaches the strait’s jagged shores, you catch your first glimpse of it — a stately yet soothing testament to superlative architecture and your home for the next few nights — the new and notable Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul.
The room emanates a spirited and carefree vibe, as if fairies had just made the bed and puffed the pillows seconds before you arrived. A colour palette of cream, caramel and teal perfectly echoes the Turkish cityscape outside, and right by the window, a silver velvety sofa cajoles you with its stunning view of the Bosphorus, glittering gloriously under the hot Mediterranean sun. And indeed, the dazzling Bosphorus is a beauty to behold.
A many-time meeting place and battleground, it has seen empires come and go, and ferried billions of people from Asia to Europe and back again for as long as the history books could record. It possesses wisdom as deep as its shade of blue, a shade so striking it pierces one’s eye and registers deep inside the brain where no other colours can reach. It is neither secret nor revelation: Istanbul is a magnificent city, and there is no better place on earth to admire such beauty than from your very own room at Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul.
The fragrant bouquet-like aromas of peking duck waft gently through the air at the sophisticated Shang Palace. A perfectly roasted duck is carved with culinary mastery right in front of your eyes, whilst another waiter prepares a most artfully assembled appetiser of extraordinarily crispy duck skin, spring onions and lashings of a divinely piquant hoi sin sauce, wrapped delicately in a paper-thin pancake.
Captivated by the delightful sweet and savouriness of the dish, the only thing to steal your attention is the arrival of a waiter with a rather intriguing teapot. Cast in copper, the teapot looks like it has just arrived from 18th century imperial China and sports a most remarkably long spout. After a moment of stillness, the waiter suddenly and dramatically leans back, pulling the pot with him. And then, with one swift swish of his arm, hot honey-coloured tea comes shooting out of the teapot’s spout and straight into your cup. Everything tastes just that little more delicious after the tea… indeed, it is a magical night in the making.
