DESTINATIONS TURKEY
✈
Cappadocia’s moonscapes of
fairy chimneys and caves,
Anatolia’s vast salt lake and
Pamakkale’s cascading limestone
deposits. Venture east to see Mount
Ararat or Agri Dagi, the country’s
highest peak and the spot where
Noah reputedly landed the Ark.
Turtles lay their eggs on the beaches,
and you can see thousands of
colourful butterfl ies in Butterfl y
Valley, a steep canyon accessed by
boat from Olu Deniz and Fethiye.
Luxury
Turkey’s fi rst fi ve-star resort, the
Mardan Palace in Antalya, opened
this month. It’s the place for full-on
Ottoman splendour, and facilities
include a 900-seat amphitheatre, a
sport stadium, fi ve aquariums and
the Med’s largest swimming pool,
complete with gondolas. Luxury
operators such as Cox and Kings
and Kuoni take tourists to top-class
resorts from recognised
international brands such as
Kempinski and Four Seasons to
boutique properties with a real
Turkish fl avour.
Value for money
Turkey’s competitive pricing
combined with a non-euro currency
make it one of the most aff ordable
destinations out there. The
Mediterranean and Aegean coastal
resorts off er great bargains. Cosmos
has increased its three-star range in
Dalaman, Alanya and Side for
summer 2009, and there is a range of
Thomas Cook Sunset properties
Get the adrenaline
fl owing with a canoe trip
across Turkey, nine of which operate
on an all-inclusive basis. Artemis
Travel’s self-catering apartments are
a bargain, especially in winter, when
a two-bedroom property costs just
£100 per week.
Weddings and
Honeymoons
Turkish civil wedding ceremonies
allow you to marry almost
anywhere, so it’s possible to tie the
knot on a beach, in a restored
Ottoman mansion, at the top of the
15th-century Bodrum castle or even
on a gulet. A number of operators
off er weddings in Turkey, including
Cosmos, Sovereign, First Choice,
Thomas Cook and Thomson. TW
NEW FOR 2009
Explore off ers a fortnight
Cappadocia and Coast family
Adventure from £995 including
fl ights, activities and excursions.
It features unusual experiences
such as carpet weaving and breadmaking
lessons, white-water
rafting above a sunken city, a
coastal cruise and time in Istanbul
and Olu Deniz.
Cosmos features family-friendly
Lykia World and Links Golf
Antalya, with lead-in prices from
£769 per person for seven nights’
full-board and fl ights.
GAP Adventures off ers three
small group tours. The 15-day
Turkey Explorer including
Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus,
walking tours and boat
excursions costs from £579
plus €300 local payment
(excluding fl ights).
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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