“The population of Antalya was 600,000 nine or ten years ago. Today it’s 3 million,” our licensed tour information Ihsan informed us on a current journey to southern Turkey. I blinked – not as a result of I used to be being blinded by the solar, however due to the sheer scale of that progress. A five-fold improve in only a decade.
On our return dwelling, I did what all good journey journalists do and Googled it – and that’s after I additionally found Antalya presently ranks sixth place globally for the best variety of worldwide arrivals, forward of cities equivalent to Dubai and Paris.
I suppose it ought to come as no shock. Antalya’s received the ocean, the solar, the spellbinding mixture of outdated and new — and, as we discovered, a tempo of life that fits each wanderers and the wildly lively.
Antalya’s Old Town
Our Antalya expertise had begun with a journey again in time. Ihsan was introducing us to town’s Old Town — Kaleiçi — which interprets actually to imply ‘inside the castle’. It’s the guts and soul of outdated Antalya, the place cobbled lanes meander previous Ottoman homes and Bougainvillaea spills over rooftops, all throughout the historic metropolis’s defensive partitions.
We began with the Monument to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the daddy of recent Turkey, standing in opposition to a skyline of minarets and crimson roofs earlier than taking in a sweeping view over the traditional metropolis and its marina. Down under, fishing boats bobbed gently as they’ve for hundreds of years, and the ocean shimmered within the form of blue that painters dream of however not often match.
From there, we took within the Yivliminare Mosque which has an attention-grabbing historical past. Thought to have been transformed from a pre-existing Byzantine church however destroyed within the fourteenth century, the prayer corridor was reconstructed in 1373 and is notable for its six domes, making it one of many oldest surviving examples of a multi-domed mosque in Anatolia.
Our tour additionally took us to the Antalya Ethnographic Museum, housed in two restored Ottoman-era mansions. It showcases each day life and presents insights into Antalya’s conventional tradition, notably through the Ottoman interval.
Perhaps most hanging architecturally was the Shehzade Korkut Mosque just a little additional on; it originated as a Roman temple and was later transformed right into a Byzantine church earlier than changing into a mosque. Characteristics from every period can nonetheless be seen – reminders that earlier cultures haven’t been erased, however simply re-written.
And let’s not neglect Hadrian’s Gate, constructed to honour the Roman Emperor’s historical Antalya in 130 AD. Built principally of white marble, it stands as a strong reminder of Antalya’s wealthy Roman previous, though it commemorates solely a fleeting go to.
This triumphal triple-arched gate, as soon as a part of town partitions, now shows the worn stone beneath – testomony to the passage of numerous historical carts.
Beyond the Clock Tower, we stopped on the statue of King Attalus II, who based Antalya as Attaleia within the 2nd century BC. Here, we had free time to wander the markets and cafés, and revel in perusing the wares of spice sellers, a sensory last observe earlier than re-emerging into fashionable Antalya.
Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel
We stayed at Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel, an all-inclusive five-star resort about 40 minutes’ drive south alongside the coast from Antalya.
Our Standard Sea View Room was fashionable, ethereal and spacious, with a small balcony overlooking the resort pool and seaside, and the Gulf of Antalya past.
There’s a mini-bar, replenished each day, which you can assist your self to and, to greet our arrival, there was a small bottle of wine, some snacks and recent fruit.
For meals on the resort, you’re spoiled. There’s the primary eating space – Zephyrantes – serving a buffet at breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a meals court docket open exterior common hours — perfect for late arrivals like ours, the place the employees are typically aided by a robotic waiter. The selection at Zephyrantes was so in depth, it might please everybody — from adventurous foodies to the pickiest of eaters.
There’s additionally a separate à la carte restaurant – Bona Fides – past the meals court docket, for a extra intimate eating expertise.
We dined right here twice, and the second go to was particularly memorable — a pleasant, fish-themed night that includes meze — a cherished staple of Turkish delicacies and social eating, perfect for households trying to take pleasure in high quality time collectively.
In addition to the in depth meals providing, amenities embrace numerous bars, indoor and out of doors swimming pools, a spa (see our Turkish tub expertise under), a health club, and watersports amenities throughout the primary season.
We even had use of our personal cabanas overlooking the seaside, full with butler service and a well-stocked fridge, plus there’s even a small amphitheatre tucked away at one finish of the complicated that hosts a assorted occasions programme.
Although the resort has its personal leisure, there are a selection of music and cultural occasions that can be loved in Antalya too. Next month alone, for instance, town will host the Antalya Music Festival, Antalya Akra Jazz Festival and Antalya Fashion Week, while later within the 12 months the Kaleiçi Old Town Festival goals to protect and develop town’s cultural and historic heritage.
Runtalya
The timing of our journey coincided with Runtalya — town’s flagship operating occasion. Now in its twentieth 12 months, it has developed fairly a following, each in Turkey and internationally.
The occasion usually hosts round 10,000 runners yearly, from greater than 50 nations world wide. A wall of names near the beginning line confirmed this 12 months’s contributors collaborating in all occasions from the 5K enjoyable run via to the complete marathon.
Our youngest son Tom and I took on the half marathon while my spouse Becky and our older son James – and our real hope of a podium place – had registered for the 10K. Unfortunately, James needed to withdraw on account of an ongoing harm, however his youthful brother knocked over 10 minutes off his half marathon PB, to complete in 1h28m, and land fiftieth place out of greater than 900 runners. I trailed fortunately behind, ending in just below two hours (sixteenth out of 57 finishers in my age class), while Becky accomplished her 10K in underneath the hour mark.
It was a well-choreographed occasion, with loads of support stations alongside the route, to not point out loads of assist, a communal environment, with leisure alongside the best way to distract from the aches and pains we had been feeling en route.
If, like me, you take pleasure in combining sporting occasions together with your travels, you could have an interest to study that the X-WATERS Antalya Open Water Swimming Race and Corendon Tahtalı Run to Sky each happen within the area subsequent month.
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Corendon Tennis Club Kemer
The morning after Runtalaya, we headed to Corendon Tennis Club Kemer, just some minutes drive from the Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel. None of us are what you’d name tennis gamers, however we didn’t let that – or our achy legs – cease us.
Catering for all talents, the membership is dwelling to 14 clay courts, surrounded by hills and inexperienced forests of the Taurus Mountains.
Here we had been warmly welcomed with rackets, balls and the affected person optimism of two pleasant coaches. We began with coordination drills, realized to strike the ball with out sending it wildly out of the court docket, and completed with a enjoyable sport that noticed Team Corendon tackle Team Asics.
They might need fared higher than us at the day prior to this’s operating occasion – one in all them earned a really spectacular second place within the males’s half marathon – however I’m happy to report that we beat them at tennis!
The membership additionally presents spacious and comfy spectator seating, state-of-the-art floodlights for night tennis, an irrigation system to maintain the clay moist, and the on-site Corendon Club Café for meals and refreshments.
Turkish tub expertise
Back on the spa at Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel, we ended our journey with a neighborhood ritual: a Turkish tub – the right antidote to our current bodily exertions.
First got here a delicate poaching within the sauna, earlier than we had been referred to as to the hammam. With us mendacity on the heated stone slabs, our therapists labored up clouds of bubbles that had been seemingly the scale of small sheep. We had been lathered from head to toe in tender foam earlier than being taken to a therapy room for the primary therapeutic massage.
From there, we headed for the relief lounge, the place a cooling face masks was delicately utilized, and the expertise culminated with us sipping on a glass of Turkish tea.
The therapy felt each indulgent and cleaning. It was additionally nice for loosening off my legs after the half marathon – I’m usually feeling fairly stiff after longer runs these days however surprisingly I wasn’t so unhealthy this time round, and I’m positive that’s thanks – not less than, partially – to our Turkish tub expertise.
Corendon Airlines
We flew Premium with Corendon Airlines, a Turkish-registered operation which may not spark prompt recognition for UK or US travellers — but. But, like Runtalya, Corendon is celebrating its twentieth anniversary and is shortly gaining altitude.
We flew from Manchester to Antalya aboard a Boeing 737-800, with front-row seats affording us just a little extra leg room than the already cheap 30-32 inch pitch supplied by most seats on the airplane, making the four-hour hop that little bit extra comfy.
Boarding was easy and I even managed to piggy-back on a teen’s request to see the cockpit previous to take-off, to take a fast shot of my very own.
Although we travelled mild — hand baggage solely (one 8kg cabin bag and one 3kg underseat bag every) — our Premium ticket entitled us to 2 further 20kg maintain luggage per particular person. So, while we might have introduced the kitchen sink, we settled for the necessities – and our operating gear, after all – to facilitate faster passage via the airports.
Corendon transports roughly 6 million passengers yearly with a fleet that’s principally comprised of Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-800 Max mannequin plane, offering direct flights to an intensive community of 165 airports throughout 65 nations. In the UK, flights to Antalya can be found from London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. UK travellers may also fly on to different Turkish locations, together with Dalaman, Izmir and Istanbul.
Disclosure: Our journey was sponsored by Corendon Airlines.
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has labored within the journey trade for greater than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED journal. In addition to different awards, the weblog has additionally been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Telegraph.
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