Approximately 5 hours drive from Istanbul Airport along Turkiye’s Black Sea coast is Zonguldak. Not too much happens here but the view over the Black Sea is stunning. We stayed at Dedeman Zonguldak which has amazing cliff-top views over the sea - especially from the breakfast restaurant. In terms of the food in the hotel - other than breakfast - eat elsewhere ;)

Samsun is a coastal town that I wish we could have spent more time in. We, unfortunately, chose a hotel out of town which meant that we didn’t see the beautiful town or get to explore it. On the way, though, we had a fabulous lunch in the coastal town of Giresan, Bulancak which we would recommend.

Trabzon was our end point on the Black Sea Coast and, although it’s a huge amount of driving to get there, it was awesome. Trabzon is a bustling seaside city with a busy shopping district. It has black sand beaches that Archie was more than happy to play in but not great for making sandcastles.

Our favourite place was an hour outside of Trabzon near a town called Macka - Sumela Monastry. Only recently opened to the public after years of restoration, this century’s old building is built into the side of menacing cliffs which could have been transported straight from the alpine slopes of Switzerland. The drive up to where we caught the Dolmus (mini bus) is winding and captivating, but it was nice to park and get someone else to navigate the road. Once you arrive, it’s a 15 minute walk along a bumpy path to the entrance. Once inside, you’ll find intriguing rooms with well-preserved frescos (albeit with scratched in graffiti - which is equally interesting - and scratched out faces of saints). The whole trip takes about 1/2 a day and is well worth it.

There aren’t many places that serve alcohol in Trabzon so if you want a wine with dinner, you might be happy to pay more at somewhere such as Tirvana. We stayed at the Double Tree Hilton which was in walking distance of the sea and Archie enjoyed swimming there each day. There were two lovely restaurants in walking distance from the hotel; Tirvana Balik Restaurant ($$$$, seafood and Kebap) and Chef Ismail ($$$, Kebap). Although the Hilton was fabulous, next time we would stay closer to the Forum to explore the city further. Although, ensure you have a hotel with valet parking as it would be a nightmare!