Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Turkey / Antalya - Mediterranean Coast
 |  | Travel Reviews : Antalya - Mediterranean Coast |
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| | | | Review by Fiona Garbett from Chatham
Kalkan is a lovely town with lots of superb restaurants, many with rooftop terraces. Eating out is quite expensive but the food is delicious! Most of the visitors seem to be English and this could have something to do with the large amount of private/rented property in the town and surrounding area.
The views are tremendous.
For those interested in diving, then it is not fantastic. Having been to the Red Sea many times, we were quite disappointed with the amount of sea life we saw and were a little worried about the lack of health and safety adopted by the Dive Centre we used. In fact they didn't even ask to see our certification which was a little worrying.
I would recommend Kalkan to anybody looking for a relaxing holiday destination without the hassle that you get in larger resorts.
Review by nina dee from harlow
I hold my hands up and admit i never really wanted to go to turkey!( i know shocking) but i was told to give it ago! IM so glad i did !! I have a son who is in a wheelchair ,and the moment we landed into antalya, the staff were there waiting for us to escort us through and they treated us like a vip!!
Antalya is a beautiful place, the veiws, were spectacular, the trips were very well planned + excellent value!! and nothing was to much for them, thats was really shocked me was the local people, from the waiters, to the shop owners to the street cleaners always were freindly like we had knowen them for years! And indeed they will get to know us more!! as we have already booked for next year,Im only sorry i didnt go a long time ago !
Review by MILLY WILTON from YORK
Kalkan is a fantastic destination, with an excellent blend of old and new. Holidaymakers are welcomed, but the town still retains the essence of an old fishing village and locals continue with their everyday tasks as they have done for centuries. The selection of restaurants in Kalkan is unrivalled and in our opinion is not replicated anywhere else along the Turkish coast.
Review by Jack & Dawn Edwards from Kingswinford, West Midlands
Side was very busy, with a lot of people around. We visited Belek, about a 20 minutes drive, which was much quieter, not as developed as Side. The archeological sites are spendid and in Side are mostly free to walk around. A short drive away are Aspendos and Perge, which you have to pay a small fee to go into but really worth it. No matter were you go, if you have to pay an admission fee it is never a lot. As regards payment it is never a problem whether you wish to pay in Turkish Lira or Euros. There is also a definate change when shopping/sightseeing, you are not now bombarded with entreaties to visit my shop! and buy my goods! It appears the local councils or government have cracked down on this tiresome practice, which we found a blessing.
Review by claire aldridge from Sunderland
We were advised that Kalkan had the most restaurants per square metre than any where else in Turkey, and this was exactly what we found. The food was superb and so much to choose from it took an hour of checking out each restaurant every evening before we decided which one we would dine in. The staff were all extremely friendly, paying our daughter so much attention that she loved every minute of the holiday and wanted to go out for the evening every day!
Review by Klaer Brooker from Aldershot
This was our first visit to the area and now having spend only a week there, we know it certainly won't be our last! The area, people, and food are excellent! What ever type of holiday you are looking for the options are available. From relaxing to canoeing and even a water trampoline, there is something for all tastes!
We'll be back! :0)
Review by nicky squires from northamptonshire
There is somthing to be found for everyone.100% we enjoyed our time there.
Review by member Crane from Tewksbury
Ideal family location with something for everyone, From historic artifacts to wicked nightlife to quiet restaurants and beutifull uncrowded beaches
Turkey's celestial side show
The Turkish region stretching from Antalya to Side must have been one of the few areas on Earth where you could see the stars shining during one lunchtime at the end of March.
An eclipse though was always going to be a scene stealer, drawing vast crowds of astronomers, hippies and other more regular tourists along this part of the Mediterranean coast.
It was only after sunlight flooded across the land again and my gaze returned to a horizontal level that I wondered whether my eyes could be kept spellbound by Antalya's more terrestrial attractions.
I need not have worried. Checking into the Marmara hotel the previous day, I was amazed to discover a lift descending from the poolside area to a secret cave. Rather than doubling up as the lair of some James Bond type villain, the cave led to a private beach area framed by the stunning snowy peaks of the Taurus mountain range in the distance.
If you've got more than a few spare days in Antalya during March and April then it's probably a good idea to pack your skis as well as your trunks. The Saklikent is a winter sports resort on the northern slopes of Bakirli Mountain, about a 45 minute drive from the coast.
On a smaller time scale the best view of the mountain range our group glimpsed was from Konyaalti beach - a pebbly yet essential pit stop on a minibus tour of the area. Whilst we didn't get to see the sandy Lara beach, we managed to pull over nearby and enjoy the Lower Düden Waterfalls, plunging fresh water directly into the ocean.
The falls provide a truly picture perfect moment, and Lower Duden is just one of four different waterfalls around Antalya, with Kursunlu perhaps being the most beautiful.
A visit to the harbour provided an unexpected pause for a Turkish gin as the narrow road descending to the waterfront became blocked by a rather over ambitious vehicle. But there must be few other places to be better trapped in, overlooking a fleet of various sized fishing trawlers and tug boats as the sun sank.
For a real taste of Turkey's past, the following day we ventured about 50km east away from Antalya to the classical sites of Aspendos and Side, passing close to Pergamum - a major city and stopping point of St Paul during the New Testament era.
Side was where we saw the eclipse. It wasn't hard to imagine how earlier generations who witnessed the same thrilling yet eerie sight must have feared the end of the world amid Side's ancient ruins, including the appropriately named temple of Apollo.
Fortunately, they wouldn't have had to endure Bonnie Tyler's eclipse song played through the loudspeakers on the hotel verranda where we were as the sun returned.
Like Side, Aspendos similarly houses some incredible architecture. The theatre of antiquity with seating for 15,000 is jaw-droppingly huge. You can test out the acoustics of this second century AD roman amphitheatre by either watching a performance or clambering around it, getting a gladiatorial perspective of Turkey.
Our guide definitely wasn't joking when he compared it to the Roman Colisseum.
Close by stand the remains of a basilica, agora and a huge aqueduct once used to take water across a valley mainly populated in the spring time by orange and lemon groves and a notable absence of hoardes of tourists.
Therein lies Antalya's fast growing appeal as a spring holiday destination. Without the blistering heat and vast crowds of the summer months, it really is worth spending a weekend or longer here in April. Even if the next eclipse isn't due until 2026.
- A seven night stay at the Marmara hotel in Antalya on a half board basis costs from £238 per person for an arrival on 30 April (based on a twin share) through www.somewhere2stay.com.
- Avro offers charter flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Antalya with prices from £134 per person to include return flights. Check www.avro.co.uk for availability and prices.
Travel guide: Antalya
Mild and merry
Antalya is normally very mild in winter and has the advantage that charter flights still go there.
This is not invariable but I spent a Christmas Eve in an open sided bar, in my shirt sleeves: I think that I was lucky.
The Kaleiçi area is full of delightful Ottoman houses and takes time to explore.
The harbour is good for relaxation and there is a wealth of cheap eating houses in Atatürk Caddesi.
There is also a good museum and one can find all sorts of interesting relics such as an old Han, which now forms a peaceful lokanta.
Travel guide: Antalya
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| | Available rental properties in Antalya - Mediterranean Coast |
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| |  | | Villa Kismet
A very special villa accommodating up to 10 people in exquisite comfort. Private swimming pool, near beach and town. 5 bedroom, 4 bath, gamesroom.
|  | | VILLA TESHIR
Charismatic, quality villa with pool. Wonderful mix of traditional elegance, modern luxury, stunning peaceful location. Close to village.
|  | | Luxury 4 bed duplex
4 bedroom luxury duplex, 1 of only 4 in the complex, in stunning Side, Turkish riviera communal pool, 3 bathrooms, 45 mins from Antalya airport.
|  | | Cactus 220 Patara Prince
GENUINE PRICE REDUCTION – £200.00 PER WEEK
|  | | Cactus 223 Patara Prince
GENUINE PRICE REDUCTION – £200.00 PER WEEK
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Holiday Rentals in Antalya - Mediterranean Coast |
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