During our last trip we’ve decided to get back to writing, caught up in the daily grind of work and life we have neglected our travel blog, but yet still have to so many trips to talk about. Desperate for some sunny weather before we head into winter we escaped the UK and spent 9 days in sunny Turkey.
As you may already know from our other blog posts we are totally not into all-inclusive package holidays, and this seems to be all we hear about Turkey. Curious to see what else it has to offer we planned a 9-day trip, following the coast stopping off in 3 different coastal locations on the route. Just under a 4 hr flight from Manchester, we touched down in Antalya, Turkey where our trip starts.
2 days in Antalya
We choose to stay in the old town – Kaleici. It’s a lovely central location allowing you to walk straight out of your hotel to many of the Anatalays highlights – including the Hidirlik Tower, Hadrian Castle Gate and amazing viewpoints looking out across the bay to the mountains. We spent most of our time here wandering around the beautiful old streets, observing the local cats which there are plenty of and soaking in the picturesque views of the sun dropping behind the mountains.
Where to eat & drink in Antalya?
We spent only 2 nights here and only had a chance to experience a few local restaurants, but would recommend trying the vegetarian restaurant – Rokka Food – just outside of the old town gate. The portions are massive, prices reasonable and the food tastes amazing and very fresh!
In the evening we headed for a drink to Vanilla – where we were surprised by an amazing live music concert which turned our one glass outing to more like a bottle! Totally recommend if you are after a relaxing evening out. We arrived full but the food looked delicious so next time we are hoping to give it a go!
4 days in Kas
After a 3 hour scenic coastal drive, we arrived in Kas – desperate for some time to relax and read a book we found a hotel away from the center on a peninsula about a 5-minute drive into town. We booked a boutique hotel with gardens which led to a private sea entrance – after this experience, we have decided this to be our requirement for any future booking. It was sooo nice to go for a morning swim/kayak right from your doorstep.
The Suna Sun hotel is only 3 months old, and it felt like everything has been thought about – from free toothbrushes to cotton buds, lotions, conditioners to hair conditioner and shaving gel. The hotel was really beautiful and welcomed us with beautiful views and amazing breakfast every day. We would definitely stay here again.
Where to eat in Kas?
- Zaica – this was by far my favorite restaurant throughout the whole trip and almost my life. It’s a local Turkish restaurant with an amazing outside sitting area and a BBQ. It is here where I tried BBQ olives for the first time, but the dish that blew my mind was a Mutebbel – bbq aubergine blended with tahini, lemon juice and pomegranate syrup. This was literally one of the best starters I have ever had in my life! The bitter, sweet and sour mix of flavors totally impressed me!
- Oburus Momus – an amazing little restaurant offering many vegan and vegetarian options. They make amazing olive bread and falafels. Great place for a tasty healthy lunch.
- Panorama Restaurant – great seafood and finish mains and lovely view!
- Voyn Meyhane – great setting, tables are placed on many levels, you can even sit in a boat! This place really made us you feel like a local with Turkish music and big meze selection, very popular with locals drinking raki.
- Waffle – amazing ice cream and waffle shop with handmade cones! Josh had ice cream here everyday during our visit.
What to do in & from Kas?
1. Go on a boat tour to Kekova island! It’s a lovely 8-9 hour boat tour to nearby Sunken City on the island of Kekova and Simena village and many swimming spots. Out of many tour companies we decided to do our tour with Dennis – it was great for only £10 each we got a full day activity including an amazing lunch on the boat! The best bit about traveling out of season is there were just 7 of us on the boat, so it almost felt like a private tour!
2. Get lost in many local shops – amazing handmade ceramics, local cotton towels and lots of cosmetics and jewelry.
3. Visit beautiful Kaputas beach – lovely small beach just 30-minute drive from Kas. Can get really busy with both locals and tourists but definitely worth at least one visit.
4. Patara beach – the longest beach in the area with beautiful soft sand. Marine turtles nest here so if you are lucky you may be able to spot them walking on the beach (we didn’t see any during our visit). The beach is closed at night to give turtles some space and it costs 30 TL per car to drive into the beach area.
When to vist Turkey?
We would totally recommend visiting Turkey in October – it’s just after the holiday season, most places are not so busy the prices are lower than during the summer. The weather is still amazing – average temperature during our stay was about 28 degrees! The sea water was really really warm, the only downside being shorter days – it gets dark around 7 pm at this time of the year.
Don’t let the stereotypes stop you and book yourself a trip to Turkey! People there are all very kind and happy to help, the weather is amazing and food delicious.
Money
Flights to Antalya – around £220 each – if we were to book again we would probably try to book flights to Dalaman instead due to its proximity to Kas – our trips highlight.
Car – booked in Hertz, £160 for 10 days + 205TL for fuel
Boat trip to Kekova island from Kas – 80TL per person
Food & drinks at a restaurant
- Starters – 12-20TL per mez
- Main – 30-60TL per plate
- Wine – 18-30TL per glass
- Beer – 15TL for 500ml bottle
- Icecream – 8-18TL per 2-3 scoops
twice the world 