What an amazing time we had in Istanbul, what a supe city! The hotel was situated close to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque so easy for sightseeing in between the football.
Ogulcar (OG) was the perfect host and along with the big one (Fenerbahce v Galatasaray) we watched two other matches with OG.
We arrived near the stadium 7 hours before kick of and the party had started; the bars and restaurants were full, and the streets were full of flares and colours!! OG had booked us into a bar/restaurant near the sea and the atmosphere was superb.
Shame about the result but the weekend was perfect. Cheers Home Fans and OG!!
Brilliant football weekender in Istanbul for the three of us. My wife and I chose this trip to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary and our eldest son came along too. Two hours standing on our seats at Fenerbahce - no problemo.
OG was a magnificent host. Great sense of humour. He has great knowledge of football. He wore the disappointment of Fenerbahce losing three nil to their main rivals with great fortitude!
Our hotel (Hotel Fer) was quality - and location was ideal for getting easily to the two games (at Besiktas and Fenerbahce), tram was three stops and a ten minute walk to Besiktas and to Fenerbahce it was a few minutes walk and three stops on the Marmaray Metro.
The area near the hotel had many bars and restaurants, nice and convenient.
We enjoyed pre-match entertainment before both games - and even got to shake hands with OG's Dad.
I thoroughly recommend this trip to all football fans.
What can I say about ogulcan and the Istanbul experience. It was nothing short of an absolute belter of a wkd.
Went on my own but was like a trip we mates who all love the footy.
Our host ogulcan was an absolute legend, took us to 3 games in the wkd which were all decent. Besiktas was a ripping first atmosphere and introduction to the passion of Turkish football.
But the fehnerbahce vs galatasaray game was a mint experience. Started about 6hr before kick off and was a ripping day. But ogulcan was top throughout and not just with football but with local knowledge on museums and buses etc.
For sure will come back to Istanbul again
As a solo traveler the best thing I can say about my first Homefans experience is that it ended up being like a trip away with mates, with us being looked after by another mate who lived in Istanbul (Ogulcan our local guide).
Great hotel in a perfect location in the centre of the city.
The option to add games (Besiktas and Başakşehir) was a real bonus. Loved the atmosphere in the bars and restaurants in Besiktas and before the derby.
To top it all off Istanbul is special. Can't wait to go back.
The city was amazing, hotel was in a great location and our host OG was superb.
Needless to say the Derby was an unbelievable experience. Would highly recommend.
Ryan