Category: Travel

By Sarah Chalmers

By the third day of our holiday near Bodrum, on Turkey’s Aegean Coast, our four-year-old son had settled into a routine that would befit a small emperor.

Wakened by birdsong and the lapping of the turquoise sea against the pearly-white beach, he would help himself from the breakfast buffet, while away the morning building sandcastles and hurtling down the slide in the kids’ pool – before more food, the ice-cream counter (open for two hours from 2pm sharp), then an afternoon of activities laid on by professional children’s entertainers and carers.

Turk it easy: Bodrum, with its Fortress St Peter, is one of Turkey’s most elegant resorts

A tea of nursery favourites and a Disney DVD brought the thoroughly satisfying day to a close.

With three pre-school children in tow (the four-year-old and twins aged two) we had plumped for a fully-catered Mark Warner holiday and headed to their newest acquisition, the five star all-inclusive Sea Garden Resort, near Bodrum, ‘the pearl of Turkey‘.

We soon found out why so many families with children opt for the company.

Everything from the transfer times to the dining options seems to have children in mind. Our flight from Gatwick was at the civilised hour of 1pm (the return an equally manageable-with-small-children 11am).

On arrival we were checked into inter-connecting rooms complete with the requested travel cots. When we awoke the following morning any fears we may have still harboured about a jolly holiday camp atmosphere were quickly allayed.

The site itself is discreet, comprising three-storey blocks dotted throughout a lush, bougainvillea-filled garden, right on the beach. The staff, while friendly and helpful, were thankfully just as low-key.

But the big pull for us was the children’s facilities. A paddling pool with giant model octopus and three slides formed the focal point of the youngster’s area, set back from the beach and also incorporating a shaded grassy area and sand-filled play-park.

Make mine a meze: Mark Warner resort guests can sample authentic Turkish food

We headed there most mornings (along with the beach), as the freshwater outdoor showers, children’s toilets and changing facilities made it such an easy option.

Part of the Mark Warner package is three hours of childcare per day for the over twos (under twos is available at a supplement), and each afternoon our four-year-old was thrilled to attend Kids Club where activities included swimming pool games, giant tennis and being pulled along on a banana boat (wearing, of course, a child-sized lifejacket).

In the evenings the indoor rooms of the Kids Club are laid out with camp beds and travel cots for the under 5s to sleep in while their parents have dinner.

You can drop your children off from 7.30pm where they watch a DVD then lie down if they want to, and you can collect them anytime up until 11.30pm.

Children can have their own meal earlier when a junior tea (of kid-friendly staples like spaghetti) is served in the main restaurant from 6-6.30pm.

Breakfast and lunch are served in an open-air buffet (and lunch can also be taken at a hot dog and burger café on site which proved a huge hit with our three).

If all the sporting activities or the vigorous Turkish bath at the spa leave you peckish the snack bars are open all afternoon and coffee and cake is available in the outdoor restaurant as well as an ice-cream bar between 2-4pm. In fact, I calculated there were only 90 minutes between 7am and midnight (between 11am and noon, and 6.30-7pm) when no food was available.

A shuttle-bus takes you to the main evening restaurant (if you can’t face the stairs or are using the excuse that ‘the children love it’) and also goes on a further minute to the resort’s shopping street.

Known as Mini Bodrum the area is modelled on the alleyways of the town itself and includes a paper shop, gift shop, leather and clothes shop as well as tables and chairs where you can dine at the Turkish restaurant Merhaba.

Most meals are taken at the buffet but twice a week you can choose from the a-la-carte restaurants serving Italian, Seafood, Mexican or Turkish food.

Fruitful: The Sea Garden Resort in Bodrum offers child-friendly activities like banana boats

Bodrum itself is a 25-minute journey from the hotel. Fifteen Turkish Lira, (£6.36 for the five of us) took us to the historic city, once named Halikarnassos and birthplace of Greek philosopher Herodotus, the ‘father of History’ (484-425BC).

The town’s focal point is the castle but it also boasts an impressive marina filled with state-of-the-art yachts and shopping lanes which saw it dubbed ‘the new St Tropez’ by the New York Times.

Bodrum is the most popular tourist destination for Turks and the city can become very busy in high season. Other nearby day-trips include Gumusluk, a tiny fishing port, famous for its seafood restaurants, and the ancient city of Ephesus.

Reached by boat, the port is as restful as Bodrum is bustling. We whiled away an afternoon admiring the view from one of the seaside bars, our peace disturbed only by our four-year-old son asking: ‘Why am I not in Kids Club?’

We didn’t really have an answer.

Travel Facts

A family of four (two adults and two children under 13) can stay for a week at the Sea Garden resort for around £5,000 in August, £3,000 in September. Price includes flights from Gatwick, transfers, and accommodation. All-inclusive dining, childcare for the over-twos, windsurfing, sailing, tennis and aerobics/fitness programme also included (0844 884 3801, www.markwarner.co.uk).

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1388085/Turkey-breaks-Bodrum-unbeatable-families.html#ixzz1MltU90cv

At a formal dinner hosted by the Izmir Development Agency on May 16, Izmir Governor Cahit Kıraç announced the development of a new tourism strategy targeted toward increasing tourism to Izmir, Turkey’s third largest city and securing its position as the host city of the 2020 World Expo.

During his opening speech, Kıraç noted that while Turkey as a whole saw some 27 million tourists in 2010, only 1 million of those tourists visited Izmir. Izmir, formerly known as Smyrna, is a port city located along the eastern Aegean coast; it boasts a long history of more than 8,000 years and played an important role in the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Today, while the city is frequented often by Turkish travelers, it has yet to capture the attention of international tourists, which is why the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in cooperation with the Izmir government and the Izmir Development Agency, is working hard to promote the city as a world-class destination.

The dinner welcomed Kıraç and other tourism and municipal officials, including more than 70 different journalists from 26 countries worldwide, including Travel Agent, whom the agency hopes will promote the region through various forms of international media.

“We want to introduce more of ourselves and our cultural heritage to the rest of the world,” said Kıraç.

During a conversation with Kıraç’s translator, Travel Agent learned that the new strategy, while still in development, has a tentative slogan that will promote Izmir as “the most rewarding Mediterranean city.” The government and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism are also planning to host numerous fam trips that will introduce travel agents to the region, which they believe is rich in its history, culture, gastronomy and beaches.

Currently, Izmir is an official candidate for the 2020 World Expo, running on the theme, “New Routes to a Better World–and Health for All,” which emphasizes the region’s naturally occurring thermal sources, vegetation and history.

via On Site: Turkey’s Newest Tourism Strategy | Travel Agent Central.

Beyond the resorts of Kusadasi, Bodrum and Marmaris are dozens of places offering an array of outdoor activities, historical wonders and small glimpses of paradise, writes KATE FENNELL

VISITING Turkey should come with a warning: you visit once, you’ll visit a thousand times. That’s the common effect on many first-timers whether they have come for sun, sand and sea or for a quick jaunt to Istanbul.

The resorts of Kusadasi, Bodrum and Marmaris have all been well explored by the Irish sun-seeking tourists, but beyond those there are dozens of places offering an array of outdoor activities, historical wonders and small glimpses of paradise.

Because of the unrest in the Middle East deterring visitors there, tourist numbers to Turkey are expected to increase by three million, to 31 million this year – that’s a lot of sunbed space – so if you want to escape the crowds, discover something new and go slightly off the beaten track, this list is for you.

1 The Princes Islands, Istanbul

The Princes Islands are a group of tranquil and car-free islands located a short ferry-ride from Istanbul – the perfect antidote to a stint of sightseeing in the busy, bustling city.

Four are inhabited and the biggest islands, Buyukada and Heybeliada, are the most popular for visitors. You can explore them and view their multi-storeyed 19th-century wooden houses at a leisurely pace by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage – the only transport on the islands.

Both are pleasant for an afternoon’s visit while Buyukada is perfect for a longer stay, especially if you can treat yourself to a room in the beautiful turn-of- the-century hotel, Splendid Pallas, where it’s hard not to expect to bump into Hercule Poirot in the drawing room, such is the atmosphere and décor.

Upmarket: Splendid Pallas Hotel, splendidhotel.net. Dbl/sngl room: €100/€70.

2 Alacati, Cesme

When descending into Alacati on the Aegean coast, the stone windmills spied on the azure horizon offer a reminder of the flour-making industry that once flourished here. For 10 years or so now, that same wind has been bringing droves of windsurfers from near and far to its idyllic sheltered bay.

Its whitewashed old buildings and cobbled streets have received something of a facelift since the windsurfers started arriving, giving life to quaint restaurants, cafes and hotels providing an ambient setting to unwind in the evening and get a local taste of life and fare.

Upmarket: Tas Hotel, tasotel.com. Dbl/sngl room: €125/€95

3 Gocek

Anyone who has had the opportunity to sail around Turkey’s Turquoise Coast may be familiar with this peaceful yachters’ haven, equipped with several marinas, excellent seafood restaurants, friendly service and fabulous shops selling indigenous jewellery, crafts and clothes. You will spend a little more than usual here as it sells itself as slightly more upmarket than neighbouring towns but you will get quality for money.

You can easily escape to the mountainous villages nearby where there are opportunities to get slim and healthy by joining in a yoga retreat in Huzur Vadisi or a juicing week in Jason Vale’s famous Montenegro Hotel retreat. If you decide to stay where you are, a session in the modern Gocek Club Marina Hamam comes recommended.

Mid-market: Villa Danlin Hotel, villadanlin.com. Dbl/Sngl room: €90/€60

4 Kas

A fishing town of 6,000 people at the heart of the Lycian Way on the southwestern Mediterranean coast, Kas is a jewel in terms of what Turkey has to offer. Its kayaking and canoeing trips to the sunken Lycian ruins are famous, and its pristine waters and varied coastline has made it Turkey’s top spot for diving.

For the adventurous landlubbers, the Taurus mountains which tower above the town are the perfect place for mountain -biking, rock-climbing, trekking and canyoning, all of which are organised by the travel agencies in the town.

For those who want to just kick back and indulge in more sedate activities there are boat trips to various paradisiacal maritime locations and walks along the scenic Lycian Way. Its warren of cobbled streets full of cute cafes, bars and restaurants is a joy to wander around in and the evenings are lively with music and dancing lasting till the early hours.

Value/mid-market: Hideaway Hotel, hotelhideaway.com. Dbl/sngl room: €45/€30.

5 The Kackar Mountains

Far away from the Mediterranean on the Black Sea coast is Trabzon, the gateway to the Kackar Mountains, one of Turkey’s best kept secrets – but not for long. A guidebook has just been published by Kate Clow, the person who put the Lycian Way on the touristic map, so get here before the rush starts.

The Kackars remind one of being in the Alps and the Himalayas all at once: there are verdant green valleys, with rushing rivers flowing through them, pine forests and steep rocky mountains with ridges pock-marked by large glacial lakes. It’s a paradise for trekkers, mountain-bikers, ramblers and nature lovers of every description.

For history buffs, there is the Greek Orthodox Sumela monastery dating from the 4th century as well as a fresco-filled 13th century Byzantine church just outside Trabzon itself.

Value: Otel Doga, near Camlihemsin, 00-90-464-651-7455. Dbl/sngl room: €20/€15

6 Cappadocia

(Kapadokya)

In the heart of Anatolia and the ancient Hittite Empire, Cappadocia could be accused of not really being off the beaten track anymore since tourism here has exploded over the last 10 years – and commercialism along with it – but to omit it would be a crime because of its unique landscape, history and sights.

Whether it’s to marvel at the fairy chimneys made of volcanic rock, go white-water rafting in its rushing rivers, descend into the multi-storey underground cities or squeeze into a hermit’s cave in an early Christian monastery, there is plenty in Cappadocia to sate the appetite of the curious traveller.

Spring or autumn are the best times to visit and either Urgup or Goreme are good bases for exploring the area.

Finally, if getting high is your thing, hot air balloon rides have become legendary here as the views of the lunar-type landscape are like nothing one has seen before.

Mid-market/upmarket: Hotel Legend, legendcavehotel.com. Deluxe/standard rooms: €120/€80

7 Kabak

A nature-lover’s paradise perched on a clifftop on the Lycian Way, Kabak has mushroomed in the past 15 years from one tranquil hippy den to dozens of little paradises ranging from wooden huts to five-star hotels with swimming pools.

This is a place to get away from it all, but do some research when choosing your accommodation as many backpackers complain of high prices for food and drinks once ensconced in their teepees. The Olive Garden comes well-recommended as mid-market accommodation and the food there is second to none.

Mid-market: The Olive Garden, olivegardenkabak.com. Dbl/sngl room: €70/€42

8 Patara

On the one hand Patara is a ramshackle village where it would be nice to lose yourself and really live the slow life for a few days. On the other, it boasts some of the most impressive and important ruins of the Lycian, Hellenistic and Roman period which take a considerable amount of time to explore properly.

Lastly, but certainly not least, it has the most luxurious white sandy beach stretching farther than the eye can see, which is a huge attraction for visitors to the area during the summer months.

Value: Sema Hotel, semahotel.com. Dbl/sngl room: €26/€20 9 Sanliurfa, Hasankeyf,

Mardin

If you want to taste real adventure head east into southeastern, mainly Kurdish-speaking Turkey, where you can explore vestiges of the many ancient civilisations that crossed paths here on the banks of the River Tigris.

Go back in time in Sanliurfa in one of Turkey’s most authentic covered bazaars, admire Hasankeyf’s ancient cave dwellings and visit Mardin’s Deyrulzafaran monastery where services are still held in Aramaic.

No visit to this area would be complete, of course, without ascending Mount Nemrut and marvelling at the giant statues that King Antiochus had carved out of stone of himself and pagan gods transforming the mountain top into a gigantic tomb.

People travelling to this area in the run-up to the June 12th elections in Turkey are advised to take advice as to safety measures because of the ongoing Kurdish/Turkish conflict in the area.

Mid-market: Kilim Hotel, Sanliurfa, urfakilim.com, Dbl/sngl room: €50/€40

10 Medical tourism

An increasing number of visitors to Turkey are availing of the chance to combine a holiday with getting medical procedures done at a fraction of the cost of getting the same treatment done at home.

The Turkish government has taken note of this and is actively creating the medical standards required in order to increase the amount of business in this area in the coming years.

Procedures from simple dentistry to plastic surgery can be carried out in private or public clinics around the country or in JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited hospitals – of which four of the leading ones are in Istanbul.

So if you want to have shiny teeth and get a little nip and tuck before you head off to the beach, it seems Turkey just might be the recession-friendly place to do it.

* medicaltourisminturkey.org

* health-tourism.com/turkey-medical-tourism/

Travelmatch are predicting that trips to Turkey will be very popular in the summer of 2011 thanks to its great beaches and cultural attractions.

LONDON, May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Travelmatch are expecting the summer of 2011 to see many British tourists venture to Turkey. Sales figures from the online travel specialists have shown a significant increase in interest in trips to Lara Beach, Marmaris and other seaside resorts in Turkey. The country is known for these excellent spots as well as Istanbul, its enchanting capital city.

According to travelmatch.co.uk this surge owes to several factors. Airlines have opened new routes to seaside resorts making it convenient and affordable for British tourists to plan their holidays there. The country has also received notable acclaim of late with its capital city of Istanbul drawing praise from many observers thanks to its gorgeous buildings and superb cultural attractions. Recently it was listed by TripAdvisor as one of the top ten cities in Europe in its 2011 Traveller’s Choice Destination Awards.

The country has also proved popular with people looking for holiday homes. Recent figures have shown that foreign investment in Turkish real estate increased by 40% in 2010.

Alex Francis of Travelmatch comments on the high demand for holidays to Turkey: “Every year one country proves to be especially popular, and early figures indicate that the summer of 2011 will be all about Turkey. This in part owes to structural factors such as the greater availability of flights to resort areas, but there is no denying this country’s unique appeal. Resorts like Lara Beach feature some of the world’s best beaches and gorgeous hotels like the Delphin Diva, while Istanbul offers an amazing cultural experience. Turkey is truly an incredible destination and it is certainly deserving of its popularity.”

About Travelmatch:

Travelmatch is a new travel discovery engine that helps inspire customers by matching their requirements to a wide range of holidays, hotels, flights, cruises, villas or city breaks. Unlike other travel sites, customers are not required to choose a destination, date or budget before they can begin searching. Customers are able to make informed decisions by exploring photos, user reviews, maps, events and activities and other fun things relevant to their chosen travel product. Travelmatch, which closed its first funding round in 2010, is based in Notting Hill, London.

Contact Information:

Alex Francis, Press Officer

Travelmatch

press@Travelmatch.co.uk

Newcombe House,

45 Notting Hill Gate,

London, W11 3LQ

Tel: +44 (0)20 3384 5830

SOURCE Travelmatch

via travelmatch.co.uk: Turkey Holidays Predicted to Dominate Summer 2011 Sales — LONDON, May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –.