There are plenty of them and they are the unique parts of the city, with incredibly rich history and many hotels.
For example, Sultanahmet is the historical Istanbul, Taksim is the business one, and Laleli is the true East Istanbul. It is a kind of East we are accustomed to – noisy, motley, bright, loud and, of course, commercial East, and Laleli, being its incarnation, is the commercial center of Istanbul. Here one can find a huge number of shops, and if the aim of your coming to Istanbul is shopping, you have to stay in Laleli. There is no difference which hotel you have chosen: a budget 3 star one or the luxurious 4 star Zurich with excellent restaurant and disco club. The most important thing is that all Laleli hotels are hospitable, clean and have high-quality service. Having chosen these hotels, the only thing you have to do is to enjoy your shopping tour, which is fabulous in Laleli. Here you can buy everything you wish, as much as you wish, paying any money, or, in short, cheaply.
It is very important to remember some rules:
First of all, never do shopping the first or second day after arrival. It would be better to wait for several hours or days, even if you think that the price is good, and the shop-keeper describes the article as an ideal one. You can promise to come back, and walk along shops and markets some time more. If you need this article, you will come to that place again, and there is a big possibility that the article you want to buy will be cheaper. Maybe, you will even get a discount. You can find the article you liked everywhere, for there are many things to buy in shops as well as in the hotel boutiques. It is a commonplace in Laleli.
Keep in mind that you are in the East, even if it is very specific, and that’s why you have to bargain. Remember, that Turkish shop-keepers offering an obviously overpriced article are not thieves, who dream to denude you of money. They do not expect you to buy this article immediately at the stated price. Goods are always overpriced and it is made just with one aim – bargaining. If you buy the article immediately, no one will understand you. But this does not work with hotels, for the rooms are not overpriced. You do not have to bargain there; you will not even need it, for the hotels of Laleli are quite cheap. In other cases you can bargain without hesitation, and put your price, even ten times lower than the stated one. Of course, you will buy nothing with this money. You will see the desperation of the shop-keeper and his feigned resentment accompanied by indignant howls. Do not worry, it is just a play. In the end, you will pay the third part of the price he wanted. It is a good sum for it includes the price of the article and the commission of the shop-keeper.
Another thing you have to keep in mind Is the following: never bargain in grocery stores and supermarkets. There products are sold at a fixed price.
And the last thing. Be friendly, but firm: if you are served tea in a spice or jeweler’s shop, it does not mean you have to buy anything there. It is just a refreshment, and you are a guest of Istanbul, Laleli, and its hotels…