Hi guys!
So last weekend my friends, Olamide and Nani planned a trip to the shooting range in Esenyurt - PoligonE5, and since I was spending the weekend at Olamide’s I tagged along.
We initially planned to just go shooting, but that ended really early so we took a trip to Aqua Florya. I had never been, and I’ve decided of all the malls in Istanbul, it’s my favorite one. The reason is simple. The water.
I decided to take you guys on my trip and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and include it in your itinerary whenever you’re visiting. You won’t regret it.
We started out at Innovia 3 in Esenyurt, where Olamide lives, and took a taxi to PoligonE5 for about ₺30. The journey takes anything from 12 minutes to 17 minutes depending on traffic. PoligonE5 is in a plaza right by the highway. Google maps can certainly help locate the place if your taxi driver doesn’t know it.
PoligonE5 is a gun shop, with a shooting range. They sell all kinds of guns, and ammunition. When you walk in, you’re immediately met with the gun shop that has a wide array of guns on display.
I wasn’t looking to buy a gun, but my friend, Nani said he almost bought one the last time he was there, and they only asked him for a Turkish ID card. However, from my research on quora you need permits and a mental evaluation test to get one. I don’t know if the permits are difficult to get, but I’ve heard that most people have a gun here. I’ve also held a gun out of curiosity (it was the first time I ever saw a real one) in the fedex office I went to ship some items.
To the left of the gun shop is the shooting range, where for a fee you can use some of the guns they have, if it’s your thing, or if like me you enjoy the thrill of trying something new.
The prices seemed reasonable, but at the end of the day, we spent a total of ₺392 for our party of 4, so you should have that in mind.
We had an instructor who helped us load the guns, and showed us how to hold it, and use it. He also supervised to prevent accidents.
For our target we had a picture of a man pointing a gun at us, and he was set a good distance away. We were each given headsets to wear to help with the ringing sound of the gunshots.
The gun range was a fun experience. I was a little scared at first, as shooting a gun honestly takes courage, but it was nice to overcome the fear, and feel the thrill of doing it. We ended the experience by taking some pictures in the shooting area. You can find videos of the experience on my YouTube channel.
After we finished at the range, Nani and I especially didn’t want to go home, so he decided to take us to the Aqua Florya mall. Aqua Florya is a mall overlooking the Mamara Sea, with lots and lots of activities you can engage in. I’ll recommend setting aside a whole day to visit, if you’re coming here. There’s an aquarium, (that we didn’t get to see - I think it was closed) an arcade, a promenade with loads of things to do, and so many restaurants you could have breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same place.
The mall like most of the other malls in Istanbul has a lot of shops to buy nice things in. You can find anything from a Dyson stand to jewelry shops to book shops.
Istanbul has a huge shopping and fashion culture, especially among the young people. The malls in Istanbul are kind of separated, so for example you’ll find the high end designer shops in Zorlu Center and Istinye Park, and in other malls like Aqua Florya there are a couple department stores like Baymen and Brandy’s where you can shop past seasons of high end brands, as well as a few new season items. Both malls also have the high street brands, and some high end Turkish brands that can be found in every other mall like Marmara Park and Cevahir.
The general theme of the Aqua Florya mall is the Marmara Sea, so the mall is designed with fish, and lots of beautiful sea inspired decor. They also have beautiful benches to relax on when you need to catch your breath from all that walking around.
What makes Aqua Florya different from every other mall in Istanbul is the promenade. It’s simply gorgeous. I don’t know how long it is, but I do know that I couldn’t walk to either end of it, and there was a beach further down the promenade on the end I could see. I didn’t see any docks around the mall, but there were some boats berthed around the beach that I could see from afar.
The waterfront provides the perfect backdrop for photos and you can create some lovely memories with your friends and loved ones that’ll last a lifetime.
There are a lot of things you can do on the promenade other than take pictures and walk around. You can rent a regular bicycle from the government rental, if you are Turkish or have a Turkish bank account, as the process is automated and connected to your Turkish bank account. I thought the process really tedious as well, as it also required downloading an app. I’m grateful for the lovely Turkish man who explained it to me in English, and also told me where to find/helped me translate with the private rental company.
The private rental company offers many different types of bicycles, tricycles, and carts for a fee - you’ll need your kimlik or passport if you’re a tourist. I believe you can rent a scooter as wel, but I didn’t find the scooter place, so I’m not sure of the details for that.
You’ll also find a couple places to shoot at balloons for a fee. The guy I spoke to told me it cost ₺20 for 16 shots. I saw 2 more places like his, but didn’t ask for their rates. I also found someone selling the national Turkish favorite Çekirdek (Sunflower Seeds) and bottled water right by the rocks. Another man hawked pretty colorful balloons for ₺10. There are also benches if you prefer not to sit on the rocks.
Aqua Florya has a food court upstairs with all the regular international fast food joints, the local Turkish pide places and joints and döners, but it also has the water front restaurants that provide a beautiful view of the sea, as well as many different types of food.
We decided to eat at one of the restaurants facing the waterfront, as Olamide wanted to eat fish, and she’s been here before, so she recommended Florya Balık. We ordered a bunch of things - Sea Bass, Seafood Pasta, Salad, Fries and orange juice. I noticed that we were charged for the olive spread thing they brought with the bread, and I ordered extra cheese thinking they’d bring me Parmesan, but they brought me something I thought was feta, but I’m not 100% certain. It was called white cheese on the bill and cost ₺16. The Sea Bass which cost ₺223.75 for two portions was flaky, but bland, the seafood pasta which cost ₺250 for 2 plates was generous with the seafood, but it was also bland and not creamy enough, I don’t like olives, so I requested for butter to eat with the bread, and I got some. The orange juice cost ₺23 for a glass and was freshly squeezed. The salad cost ₺44 and was delicious and quite fresh. The fries were crispy, nice and spiced with something other than salt. It cost ₺24. A bottle of water cost ₺7. The bread was wheat bread, it was nice, but I think we were charged for it as there’s a ₺25 on the bill that I can’t find anything else for. The restaurant had a nice view of the waterfront, and shade to protect from the sun.
I noticed a beautiful bar by the waterfront as well that sold alcohol and cocktails. It had an indoor and outdoor sitting area with a nice view. It also had shade that was drawn back as the weather got cooler. It’s the perfect spot for drinks with friends on a nice weekend if that’s your vibe.
I left my friends on the promenade to explore the mall and find the arcade. On my way I stopped to check out (what I believe to be the world’s best chocolate brand dedicated shop) Godiva. I didn’t buy anything, but you can be sure that I will soon enough. If you want to gift a box of chocolate goodies, and can afford it, come here.
I also stopped at the Coldstone shop, that I was super excited by, because I hadn’t had any coldstone since I left Nigeria. I tried out a new flavor I found exciting because of the color. I’d never had black ice cream before. It was delicious. It had a coconut flavor I only noticed because the attendant told me about it. I mixed it with the Honey almond flavor and fresh strawberries. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Even though we didn’t go to the arcade, I did take pictures, and made inquiries for my many readers who would be interested. There are a ton of games and a bowling alley. It costs some change to play each game - anywhere between ₺4-₺7 - and ₺25 for each person to use the bowling alley. You get a card and fill it with cash then you swipe it to play whatever game you choose.
You can close the day by watching the sun set on the promenade or while you eat dinner at any one of the restaurants overlooking the sea. You can also catch the sunset from a select few restaurants at the food court. It doesn’t matter where you catch it from, it’s beautiful and the perfect way to end your day at Aqua Florya if you’re not going to have late night drinks at Huxo.
I hope you do visit Aqua Florya and enjoy it. I certainly will be visiting again by God’s Grace to see the Aquarium, use the arcade, and enjoy drinks with friends at Huxo. Let me know if you do visit and enjoy it.
Love, Yoma.
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