However, combining a long weekend away with a spot of savvy homeware shopping can prove fruitful.

Straddling east and west, exotic Istanbul has become a real design hotspot in recent years. It's home to numerous hip brands and promises a real slice of Turkish delight.

Established in 1971, Derin (www. derindesign. com) is known for its shapely sofas, armchairs, chairs, tables, containers, beds and accessories. The collection stands out for its simplicity but also by well defined lines and sense of movement to suit fast-paced modern lifestyles. Run by father and son team Aziz Sariyer and Derin Sariyer, its futuristic designs are highly covetable.

Autoban (www. autoban212. com/www. autoban-delaespada. com), the architecture, interior design and product design studio, was founded in 2003 by architect Seyhan Ozdemir and interior designer Sefer Caglar. It has a huge following for its graphic cleanlined furniture in natural materials.

While its designs are distributed internationally by De La Espada, fans love to visit the Istanbul gallery to see the lighting, furnishings and accessories. Latest products include a pebble table, box sofa, ring-side table and tulip lamps.

Award-winning Gaia & Gino (www. gaiaandgino. com) has made its mark with innovative contemporary home accessories designed by heavy hitters such as Andree Putman, Arik Levy, Karim Rashid and Defne Koz.

Founded in 2004, it sells through the Koleksiyon shop in Istinye Park. 'Mistic' which won Wallpaper's 2007 best centrepiece design, is a candleholder or vase devised from a forest of pyrex tubes that comes in clear, silver borosilicate and gold.

At Stoadesign (www. tardukuman. com), Tardu Kuman designs and produces furniture and artistic objects with an emphasis on preserving the natural form and consistency of the materials.

Other design stars to seek out include Stepevi's sumptuous rugs (www. stepevi. com) which will be available in Dublin from next year, and Ross Lovegrove's bathroom designs including his 'Istanbul Collection' for VitrA. After you've brought yourself up to speed on all the design talents in this intriguing and complex city, make time to browse through antiques outlets and contemporary shops. The long list includes Sofa in Cagaloglu which offers an eclectic blend of ceramics, prints, textiles, contemporary art and Ottoman minature pieces, and Dervis (www. dervis. com) in the Bazaar district which sells felt rugs, textiles and hamam bowls. Hone your bargaining skills and energy levels for a visit to the atmospheric 37,000sq m Grand Bazaar which sells everything from copper to ceramics in its 65 streets and alleys covering 4,000 shops.

Abdulla Natural Products in the Bazaar (www. abdulla. com) carries a selection of towels, bath accessories, blankets and scented soaps.

The Carpet and Kilim Museum in Sultanahmet showcases ancient kilims and carpets.

If you find the experience overwhelming, the mall to visit is design destination, Addresistanbul (www. addresistanbul. com), designed by Turkish architect Emre Arolat and brimful of global and local homeware.

For glassware, go to Turkish maker Pasabahce. The expanding Mood, (www. mood. com. tr) sells lighting, shelving and accessories as well as sofas and office furniture.

Aykut Hamzagil specialises in locally made upholstery, children's furniture, kitchen accessories and lighting.

Interior fabrics can also be found at Bobbin.

At Incediker Dekor Yorgancisi, blankets are made to order.

Also a draw is the Mac Art Gallery in upscale Nisantasi, (www. macartgallery. com).

Contemporary Turkish artists and designers present their work at Design Zone, a new gallery in old Istanbul, at Nuruosmaniye (www. designzone. com. tr), near the Grand Bazaar.

Istanbul Modern, the city's contemporary art museum, which opened in 2004 and showcases Turkish art, sculpture, new media and photography, is well worth visiting and incorporates a shop and cafe.

THE LOWDOWN
>> Getting there: Turkish Airlines fly directly from Dublin. Book through Trailfinders
>> Stay at: The Ritz Carlton (www. ritzcarlton. com) is offering a shopping package with three nights stay in a partial Bosphorus view room; daily breakfast in Cintemani Restaurant with panoramic view of the Bosphorus; round-trip airport transfer; one day's shopping; butler service; one traditional Turkish massage and access to the Laveda spa, pool and fitness centre from 945 for single occupancy and 1100 for double occupancy, excluding 18% VAT, until the end of the year.