We'll be ending a 7 day cruise in Istanbul. Our ship docks at 1:00 pm, and we must depart the ship that day and find a hotel for overnight, as our flight home leaves the Istanbul airport at 6:00 am the next morning. Since we have limited time to tour Istanbul, we want to ditch our suitcases as soon as we disembark the ship so we can get as much sightseeing in as possible.
Are we better off to get a hotel near the cruise terminal, and take a taxi to the airport at 4:00 am? Or should we take a taxi from the cruise ship upon disembarkign to a hotel near the airport to drop our bags, then return to the city for sightseeing?
Depending on which option you recommend, can you also recommend an inexpensive but adequate hotel? We'll literally only be there to sleep for about 5 or 6 hours, then we'll be leaving. Thanks!