Most UK holiday companies offer some sort of Turkish city, beach or sailing holiday, many targeting the coast between Alanya and Cesme or Istanbul. However, there are so many reasons to visit Turkey, which is situated at a point where Africa, Asia and Europe are the nearest to each other. There are many extraordinary holiday cities, resorts and magnificent landscapes and numerous regions to choose from including: Read more »
Turkey remains one of the most unique and beautiful countries you can spend your holidays in. This amazing country has a rich ancient history of ancient civilization, with records of human interaction with the wild country being over twenty thousand years old. Many early examples of ancient civilization include the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and of course the crusaders they have all left their mark on this amazing country in the form of art, and culture in what is now considered to be modern Turkey. With all this history, the technological advancements, and modernization can be easily overlooked. This country is one of the most popular places to visit for cheap holiday deals, and is also on the worlds top ten holiday destination lists across the world with over twenty three million visitors each year from all over the world. With fantastic fun, food, and atmosphere, you will not be disappointed when making the journey from your simple everyday life, to the mystery and magic that is modern Turkey. Holidays to Turkey are a less expensive option then many may think travellers can find hotels close to beaches for as little as $5 a night.
The first thing you will want to do when planning a trip to Turkey is to determine a few of the more simple things on your trip. A good preview of the areas to be visited is a must, and can be found very easily using your home computer. There are many good websites available focused on the tourism in modern Turkey, and they can give you great insight into things such as local culture, food selections, crime rates, monetary exchange rates, and the many options of things to do while you are there. Read more »
Day one of our trek on the Lycian Way in Turkey saw us travel by car for 45 minutes to the south of Antalya for the start of the trek. This avoided walking through the sprawl of the city and gave us the chance to enjoy the wooded paths and coastal sections. The dropoff point in Camyuva was unceremonious, at the side of a dual carriageway. The footpath was marked on the other side of the road, and off we went after stopping for a sunblock application. The weather was hot and sunny – about 35 degrees Celsius, and it was to continue that way for the whole week. After five minutes we came to a split in the path and we saw another walker. This did not seem remarkable, but in fact we only encountered six others in five days of trekking. That is a definite plus point: if you are thinking of following this route, go soon before it becomes overpopulated with walkers.
Today the walk was only 6km long. At first we walked through pine forests on level ground to a small deserted bay. At the other side of the bay the path was signposted up the hill, where we reached the lost city of Phaselis. This was an important port right up until the 15th century, with three harbours. Now the harbours are derelict and you can paddle among the fallen stones. Further on there is an amphitheatre, the original main street and the town baths. The site is not very well interpreted but there is plenbty of atmosphere because it has not been beautified.
from Phaselis we could hear loud music coming from the other side of the hill in the next bay. this was to be our destination, but we expected to be going to a very small village. Once we crested the hill we discovered the noise was coming from a Gulet that was moored in the bay so the trippers could swim and sunbathe. These boats are really a nuisance in the way they arrived into idyllic deserted bays making such a din. At least they were not staying all night!
At the other end of the second bay was our second hotel, the Sundance. It is situated on a private beach with no other buildings nearby, in total peace and seclusion – Gulet trips notwithstanding. Tranquility is the name of the game at this hotel, and generally they do a good job. Our room was very basic, with a dodgy looking undermount sink and – shock – no aircon! In these areas at the beginning of June, airconditioning is essential. We were told the hotel was full and a fan was supplied instead. the fan was adequate but took up vital space in the tiny bedroom.
Our first and last nights in Turkey were spent in Antalya, at the Pension Mavi and Ani, which is run by Harun Selcuk. This is a basic Turkish Pansiyon with eight rooms, well situated in the Kaleici (Old Town). Rooms are airconditioned and some have TVs. The breakfast room is an inside/outside area, so you can eat in the beautiful old garden when the weather is good. Harun is a helpful and well-informed host, who is happy to advise you on the attractions in the area.
Villa Perla has resident tortoises
We also checked out some other places to stay in case we ever return to Antalya. There are several Boutique Hotels in the Old Town, we looked at a few of them. Villa Perla is a mid-priced hotel, in a 300-year-old building with a delightful small swimming pool in the courtyard. There are also some elderly resident tortoises who wander around munching on their favourite leaves – see the picture, taken with compact flash.
Another beautiful hotel in Antalya is the Ninova Pension. It has 19 bedrooms with private bathrooms, direct phone and hairdryer. Rooms are air-conditioned. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available i the restaurant. This hotel has been lovingly restored by the owners fgrom two historic houses and has an exceptional courtyard.
The Otantik Hotel is immaculate, with six luxury airconditioned rooms above the courtyard restaurant/wine bar. Three of the rooms have jacuzzis and balconies and there is free Wifi Internet access.
Holidays in Turkey are not complete without a shave
When you are looking for holiday activities in Turkey, you want to be sure that you have sampled the best the country has to offer. For men, this means going to the barber for an authentic Turkish shave. Turkey is renowned as the world capital of shaving, and the barbers are experts in the use of a cut throat razor. During our visit my husband had two shaves – one was in Cirali, and it was nothing out of the ordinary. When we stayed in Antalya we asked our Hotel owner for advice. He sent us to Ikisler Erker, which is run by the lovely Saban and Recep Unal. Their salon was clean and airy, in contrast to the barber’s in Cirali. We negotiated a price of 5TL, and they Saban set to work. A good Turkish shave includes trimming nose an ear hair, as well as the hairs on the back of the neck. It often incorporates a shoulder and upper back massage, so this can take up to half an hour. I was invited to sit in one of the barber’s chairs as we were the only customers. I noticed a large bottle of Lavender Eau de Cologne, which is used for the massage. The second brother, Recep, decided to give me a head and shoulder massage as he was not occupied with customers. This was an utterly relaxing experience. Recep also massaged my hands and wrists. As he was not using oil, I still looked quite presentable at the end of the process. Several times he stopped so that I could sip the Chai that he had served me – life can hardly get better than this!
The shave is close
With admirable timing, the brothers completed my massage and John’s at the same time. I recommend this holiday experience highly – here is the address of Izikler Eklek Kuafor: Genclik Mah, Fevzi Cakmak Cad. No 29 Stad Apt Alti, Antalya (Stadyum Acik tribun Yani). The salon is close to the Football Stadium: if you stand at the stadium entrance, the barber is practically opposite. the phone number is 0 242 67 15, however they do not speak English.
I was really pleased that I tagged along for the ride, otherwise I could have spent an hour reading about nuphedra reviews instead of enjoying such a relaxing vacation experience – and it was very cheap.
Eating out in a busy old town centre like Antalya is difficult. Most restaurants use outside sales guys, who accost every passer by with entreaties to eat there, or just stop for a drink. This practice is most widespread in the harbour area and it is pretty irritating. It’s only common sense that these guys have to be paid, so an element of your bill goes towards their commission. On our second night in Antalya we sought the advice of our Hotel Pansyion owner, Harun, for a restaurant recommendation. He sent us to Pasa Bey Kebapçisi, which is actually outside the walls of the old town near the football stadium. This was a great place to eat – not aimed at tourists at all. In fact, we were the only non Turkish diners in the restaurant. You will be served a starter automatically, with accompanying dips and salad. Order a main course only, and do not over-order! I asked for a meat Pide (Turkish Pizza) with extra cheese, and the Chef simply made two Pides. These were served before my husband’s Kebab so that we could share each order. Knowing that a meat course was on the way we could not finish the pizzas and we made little headway on the kebab either. Not wishing to use a diet pill, we left the rest and the stray dogs of Antalya benefited from the excess! The only drawback at Pasa Bey is that wine was priced at 65TL. So we drank Efes beer again. A pudding was brought automatically with coffee, and the whole bill came to 55TL for two.
The postal address is – Gençlik Mah.Isiklar Cad.1319 Sok. NO:4 Merkez / Antalya.
Phone : 242 244 96 90
We arrived in Cirali after a hot, dry trek from Maden beach in temperatures of 35 degrees. We were incredibly thirsty and the first pansyion we reached was Ioanna’s, a Danish-run small hotel catering to Danish visitors who want a home from home in the Mediterranean. Ioanna’s is run by the Elsborgs, a Danish husband and wide team who spend their summers in Turkey sharing the idyllic lifestyle of Cirali beach. They served us two long cold beers immeddiately, to restore us to full health. You don’t have to be a Dane to stay there, although the website is not translated – www.ioanna.eu. They prepare a mean barbecue every evening, so a fat burner review would be useful unless you are going trekking every day of your holiday.
The old town of Antalya is known as the Kaleici and it has plenty of bars and pensayions where you can stop for a drink. The price of wine is very high in Turkey, and the choice is limited. The average meal for two will cost around TL60 (€30), but a bottle of wine to accompany the meal can cost anything from TL45 (€23) upwards. The Otantik Boutique Hotel is situated in Hesapci Street and the hotel includes its own Wine House, where you can enjoy a large glass of white wine for TL5 (€2.5). The Otantik has a tranquil shady garden for dining or drinks. There are eight guest bedrooms, and unusually for Turkey they are equipped with minibars and safes. You will not find some of the other facilities in your hotel room that are on offer at the international hotel chains, like XBox, but there is satellite TV in the rooms. www.otantikbutikotel.com
Tags: Antalya Tours, Turkey holidays
Posted October 19, 2009 
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