You can't just walk in. Buyuk Kulup Dernegi in Caddebostan, Kadikoy, is a private members' club, and four of the five people who wrote about it say so unprompted. If you're looking for a gym you can join this week, this isn't one, and everything below is academic unless you know a member.
It carries a 4.5 from 2,863 reviews, which is one of the largest samples in this whole directory. With a number that size I don't need to explain away the rating: nearly three thousand people is enough that the score means roughly what it says. What it's scoring, though, is a club, not a gym floor.
What's Actually Inside
A visitor in August 2021: "This place has a very complete facility, for sports (examples like tennis, badminton, swimming), for hobby (such as dance, pilates), pleasure (SPA and room for kids to play like playground), and of course some restaurants. Of course when you want to enter here you need to be a member of this club. And honestly speaking they have very nice foods in some restaurants."
That's the only inventory on the record: tennis, badminton, swimming, dance, pilates, spa, playground, restaurants.
Notice what's missing from her list, and from everyone else's. Nobody mentions a weights room. Nobody mentions machines, a gym floor, or strength training of any kind. Five reviews and not one word about lifting. That doesn't prove there's no gym here, but if the gym is what you're after, nobody in this record is telling you it exists.
The Membership Wall, Four Times Over
A visitor in March 2026: "Great place, must be a member to enter or need someone that is a member, but once you're inside the prices and food is great."
A visitor in October 2025: "A hidden gem in the heart of Fenerbahce district. Only members and their guests are allowed."
A visitor in August 2020: "Classy. High segment. Much better than a lot of other places in Istanbul. Beautifully preserved by membership against stupids. Food at the restaurant is beautiful. Very good and prices are normal. Even economic some of them compared to the quality. You need membership to be able to be there. Fortunately."
That last one is worth sitting with. He's openly celebrating exclusion as the feature. "Beautifully preserved by membership" and "fortunately" are his words, and he means them as praise. I'm quoting him because he's telling you honestly what this club is for, and whether that reads as appealing or off-putting is entirely up to you. It's a real signal about the culture either way.
A visitor in August 2025: "A place within Istanbul, but a place where you can feel like you are outside Istanbul."
The Question Nobody Answers
How do you become a member? Not one review says. No cost, no process, no waiting list, no sponsor requirement. Two people mention getting in as a guest of a member, which is the only route anyone describes.
I'd love to tell you the membership fee. It isn't here, and I'm not inventing one.
Hours
08:00 to midnight most days, 08:00 to 23:00 on Monday. A club that stays open until midnight is built around dinner, not around training.
Who It's Not For
Anyone without a member to take them in.
Anyone who wants to lift. No review mentions weights at all.
Anyone looking for a gym membership in Kadikoy. This is a social and sports club, and a closed one.
Operator Cemil Topuzlu Cd. No:42, Caddebostan, 34728 Kadikoy, Istanbul. The site is buyukkulup.org.tr and the number is +90 216 302 42 72.
FAQ
Can I use it without being a member?
No, unless a member brings you as a guest. Four separate reviewers state the restriction.
Is there a gym or weights room?
No reviewer mentions one. The sports named are tennis, badminton and swimming, plus dance and pilates.
What does membership cost?
Nobody says and nothing is published. Contact the club at buyukkulup.org.tr.
Is the 4.5 rating reliable?
It's from 2,863 reviews, which is a large enough sample to take at face value. Just remember it's rating a private club and its restaurants, not gym facilities.