Attn: World Travelers-Turkey

[Hudson_Hawk]

DH and I are starting to plan our spring ''10 vacation. A friend of ours is Turkish and he''s always talking about the amazing resorts near the Mediterranean. DH and I are huge world history buffs, so we love vacations that feature historical sightseeing opportunities. For this one we''d probably try and do day trips from our main resprt or work some sightseeing into our travel from Istanbul to wherever the resort is. Have any of you been to Turkey and if so, what area near the coast is the best? Do you have any suggestions for resorts? We''d prefer all inclusive if possible.

TIA!

 

[Rachel9]

Hi HH,
Hmm the only resort I know of [great btw] is the Bodrum princess, people are friendly and no hidden charges.
If you guys plan on going from the mediterranean sea to Istanbul depending where you leave from, it may require a flight

The Bodrum peninsula is prob 500 miles from Istanbul which it was OK since there is a ferry that can be taken every other day If I remember correctly, takes 24 hours to get there but goes fast....with a fitness center, pool, restaurants and imho the best way to view half of the Aegean coast and greek islands on the way to Istanbul

great change of pace for sure! Bodrum is known for snorkeling, nice sandy beach with fishing village feel, and def quiet lol
Once in Istanbul I beg you to visit Yerebatan Sarnici underground museum with 300+ marble columns, this place will make you wonder. The Hamdi restaurant in town that offers great food with friendly prices and a million dollar sunset view: Golden Horn, Galata tower and Mosque in one, make a local beg for a table or tip the manager

the Kebab house isn't bad either

but no view.
I'm sure your friend will guide you well, Topkapi palace comes to mind: wonderful jewels there, Byzantine cathedral, blue Mosque, and the crazy spice bazaar, so fun!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thanks so much Rachel. We''re thinking of the Atalya region, but willing to consider others as well. I''ll definitely look into this more!

 

[Octavia]

I never knew about that ferry, it sounds really cool! FWIW, though, flights from Istanbul to Bodrum, Antalya, etc are frequent and pretty cheap. I think my DH paid about $79 for a round-trip flight from Istanbul to Antalya recently. It only takes about 40 minutes to get to Bodrum, probably more like an hour to Antalya. So flying isn''t a bad option. The only bad option is land travel -- the roads outside of large cities aren''t like our roads, and drivers are nuts. I never say never, but driving in Turkey is definitely NOT something on my to-do list. Public transportation there is surprisingly good, even in smaller towns, though.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Yea I''m not comfortable traveling 500 miles by car in ANY unfamiliar country!! We''d definitely be flying, but that ferry sounds awesome.

 

[Logan Sapphire]

We went to Turkey in 2007 but not so much the resort areas. The country is beautiful! Have fun!

 

[Rachel9]

The ferry is the way to go imho, it's privately owned and that's a good thing. We first flew to Istanbul and coordinated a $50 one way flight to Adana [cotton producer aka 'city of gold'] shopped for gold, straped-on, took a taxi to Merin's ferry to Bodrum [$65] stopped in Antalya & Olimpos prior to Bodrum, which was fine, time for us to relax and enjoy the wonderful sunset views!
We stayed in Bodrum for 5 days then took the ferry again all the way up to Istanbul, as a said a bargain for the views/pool.
The city was covered in a day and a half.
We worked in Syria few years back.....in these areas you need to move and stay where the tourist are. Turkey is beautiful but huge, public trans is OK, coastal driving services are better. I'd stay away from inland/shortcuts.

 

[Blackpaw]

Yay what an exciting trip! You''ll love it HH, its a beautiful country...I spent five weeks there last year travelling around as much as i could and really enjoyed it.

How long do you have there?

For a coastal spot I would suggest Antalya too, its a beautiful area. Bodrum is, IMO, too developed and pretty tacky. I had a quick look and there''s a club med just out of Antalya that does day trips here and there.

To be honest though, i think you may be better off allowing some time at the start or end of your trip to do the ruins etc. Maybe a week doing Istanbul and Cappadoccia (if you can get to it it was by far the most beautiful part of turkey i visited...really amazing)...then a week on the coast? Its one of those countries you dont realise is as big as it really is!!

From the Antalya club med (its called Beldi?!) you can do day trips to Olympos (which has some pretty ruins on an amazing beach! though its a backpackers haven so a day trip would be preferable) and according to the club med website also to hierapolis/pammukale - i happened to really enjoy that spot. They even say you can do an excursion to Istanbul but its a long way from there so i dont think it would be an ideal way to see the place at all.

Another option of course is to give yourself some time in Turkey focusing on ruins etc, then popping on over to a greek island or three

gosh what a terrible dilemma

Ephesus is a very good site (its closer to Bodrum but is still doable in a long day trip from Antalya), Troy I wouldnt bother...and Topkapi Palace is a must...oh my the jewels

If you have any q''s id be happy to help if i can...i really loved Turkey

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Thank you everyone so much for your suggestions. We''re really excited, but still in the early stages of planning/researching. I think we''re only going to have 7-8 days to spend there, so 5 on the resort (2 for travel).

 

[Round Halo Lover]

Hi HH,

Sounds like you will have a brill time. I was there years ago but stayed in Gumbet which is a typical holiday resort. If I was going back I would defo do some island hopping. My parents have also been to Turkey but last year went to Croatia......they said it was absolutely magnificent......this may be another 'port of call' for you....as you will be in the general area.

Good Luck!!

 

[swimmer]

I''ve just done budget ferry hopping and staying on islands...and hostel in Istanbul. Oh we loved the city! Nothing to add to the already great suggestions but to stay out of "rug factories." Ephesus is unlike anything else historically speaking. If flying into Turkey is looking spendy, we used to just take the cruise/ferry there from Israel. Then you get some chill boat time, and some island snooping along the way. Hmmm, not thinking you have the time for the round trip though and differing destinations might be more expensive for your flights. Greece might also be an idea, with cruising out of Athens...I''ve done that on German owned smaller ships, not a "carnival" crowd, but middle aged europeans getting sun and getting pistachios and crepes on the islands What a fun trip you will have no matter what you do! So awesome to think of the sun in this nasty snowy slush we are having.

 

[Blackpaw]

Hey HH - hope you''re still planning on going to Turkey

Would be an awesome babymoon....

Just saying

 

[kama_s]

HH, have you looked at the forums on TripAdvisor? http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g293969-i367-Turkey.html

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Date: 1/9/2010 12:29:39 PM
Author: Blackpaw
Hey HH - hope you''re still planning on going to Turkey

Would be an awesome babymoon....


Just saying

Thanks BP, I think given the latest development in our lives we''re going to table the turkey trip and look closer to home

I want to save all my time off for maternity leave.

 

[Haven]

I don't know anything about resorts in Turkey, but I've visited Ancient Ephesus and it was amazing. If you can manage a day trip there, I highly recommend it.

ETA: Sorry, I just saw your last post now.

 

[April20]

We''re also in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Turkey. I''m very interested in everyone''s input!