Most people seem to spend time along the west coast and then up though the middle via Cappadocia are

As we will be flying from Sydney-Australia I feel we may need a few days in Istanbul at both the beginning and end of the hoilday. Looking at pervious threads, most people suggest more than 3-4 days. So I thought maybe 3 days at the start and another 3 days at the end.
Most people seem to spend time along the west coast and then up though the middle via Cappadocia area. There is so much to see, it is hard to decide which areas to rule out and the ones we cannot miss. Is Pamukkale a must?
Sandwiching 17 days between 3 each of Istanbul seems to be a good idea. You try to see most popular sights first few days (like Yestravel earlier this year) and then fill in the gaps when you get back.
Safranbolu can actually be combined with the Hittite sites of Hattusas and Alacahoyuk, ending in Cappadocia if you take rental car from Istanbul and leave early, staying the night at Safranbolu and doing the Hittite sites the next day, arriving in Goreme or Urgup late evening the day after.
Many travelers tokyo and boutique hotels recommend longer than 3 days in Cappadocia but that depends on your priorities. (I would spend only two full days and not even visit any underground cities) On the other hand, few have seen Yazilikaya near Hattusas which was the place that my childhood imagination always pointed to me as the den of long lost horrible pagan gods who could walk out of the cul de sac any moment.
If you are willing to leave Safranbolu out, you can fly to Trabzon from Istanbul, rent a car, visit Sumela Monastery, which is an incredibly interesting location and structure, visit at least one other valley up the mountains and fly to Ankara tha same evening to take another rental tokyo and boutique hotels car to Cappadocia.
Ephesus and points North, including the upscale resort of Alacati (near Cesme, Izmir), the antique towns of Sardis, Pergamom, Assos Troy, the chill out beaches near Assos, the early Byzantine and Ottoman town of Iznik (Nicea) where I am writing this, are also good alternatives to the Lykian way, after visiting Ephesus and that area.
Finally, if you think you are very different tokyo and boutique hotels from run-of the-mill tourist. You can continue with your rental car from Trabzon, after you have seen Sumela, to Hopa, to Batumi Georgia and back, then up the mountains to Macahel, tokyo and boutique hotels to Borcka, to Savsat, to Kars, Ani ruins, to Mount Ararat and then to Dogu Beyazit seeing the fabulous fortress and the Ishak Pasa Palace, tokyo and boutique hotels returning to Trabzon on the overland route through Bayburt and Erzurum, visiting some very little visited churches, mosques, lakes, waterfalls and mountain sites.
Thank you Other, I will sit down and work my way through your suggestions and blogs. I am thinking that we need to realise we cann't see everything and plan for another visit in the further to visit the Black Sea area.
FWIW, I prefer to avoid splitting my time in any one location if possible (why add an extra change of hotels and time for the transportation to/from the hotel unnecessarily) and was glad to spend all my time in Istanbul at the end of my trip. That said, I know it isn't always possible. Turkey is wonderful -- enjoy!
I agree with Kja about preferring not to split time in a city. However in this case I was glad to have the opportunity. It allowed me to stay in Sultanahmet on the front end and easily visit the major sites. But I was ever so happy to stay away from that area on our return before we flew home. Gave us the chance to explore a totally different area and away from the hordes of tourists in Sultanhamet.
So I am thinking to spend time along the coast from Canakkale to Selcuk then head inland to Pamukkale and straight across to Urgup maybe stopping overnight at Beysehir. This will mean that we won't get down to the Lycian way (although the area looks fasinating and I would like to walk along the Saklikent Gorge)- considering the temp you say it may be.
You'll find a number of comments on driving, the roads, and even Beysehir in my trip report tokyo and boutique hotels - just click on my name to find it. Bottom line - roads are generally good, but be sure you know which ones you intend to take because signage near Beysehir may not be clear, GPS systems may not have complete info, and some of the routes through the mountains near Beysehir are very scenic if decidedly mountainous (translation: twisting, turning, narrow, local) roads. Beysehir has some interesting sites, but is much more urban than my research led me to expect.