Who says you need to hit the biggest city hot-spots to get the most out of a vacation? Some of the most relaxing getaways are a little bit off the beaten path. Take, for instance, Gulevi, the hottest new luxury hotel in Turkey. Though new as a hotel, the two buildings that comprise it are no strangers to the city: the manors (Hacimemisler and Betenler, respectively) date back to the 19th-century, when the Ottoman Empire was still very much alive and intact. Through years of painstaking renovations, the manors have been updated to the utmost standards of modern living, while still managing to retain the integrity and beauty of their pasts. That said, each of the hotel’s ten guest rooms are decorated differently, in the rich woods and embroidery of the lost Ottoman Empire. Outside of the rooms, the hotel’s Aquarius Cafe boasts fine regional cuisine; the hotel itself, meanwhile, is in the very center of Safranbolu, a city of rich culture and history and activities from horseback riding and swimming to tracking down Mediterranean culinary delights are all within reach. So why do the same old Western Europe trip this year? Try something new this time. Try the Turkey.

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