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Jackie’s trip to Turkey –

“I have just returned from my holiday to Turkey where we had a great time doing a twin centre, combining a Gulet cruise and a week in a resort.

We travelled with Anatolian Sky Holidays who specialise in this part of the world and have several Gulet cruises to offer. We flew to Dalaman and transferred to Datca to join the Gulet. Datca itself is a charming resort and is famous for three things: honey, almonds and fish and has plenty of shops & restaurants.

Over the course of the evening our fellow cruisers joined our Gulet from their various flights and we settled down for our first evening meal. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food (how they produce such good meals in the tiny kitchen is beyond me!) and had been previously told that our Gulet is known for the fabulous food – we weren’t disappointed. The cabins although small, were perfectly adequate and in fact better than anticipated and as the week went on we realised that the only time spent in there was to shower and to sleep. The following morning after breakfast we set sail and from then on each day was spent cruising from bay to bay with plenty of time to swim, snorkel or canoe. There are enough sunbeds for everyone and you can spend the day sunbathing, reading or socialising in the covered area to escape the sun. Twice our captain sailed with the full sails up which was fabulous but this obviously depends on the wind so isn’t guaranteed. A drinks package is offered which some took and others didn’t. The drinks were not expensive though, £17 for a bottle of wine or £6 for a beer (soft drinks & water are included).The weather was perfect, personally I wouldn’t have liked to have gone much later than we did (1st June) as it would have been too hot for me but apparently when it gets hotter everyone sleeps up on deck!

All in all we had a really great time on the Gulet and I would definitely recommend it as a fun, sociable, interesting & different holiday.

 

Our cruise ended in Selimiye where we spent our second week. It is a small traditional Turkish fishing village set on a wide bay with a mountain backdrop. It was perfect for what we wanted which was a quiet week with plenty of restaurants. Nearly all the visitors were Turkish and English is not spoken widely but it’s perfectly easy to get by and is a novelty nowadays! If you enjoy people-watching or indeed boat watching then it’s the perfect place as the boats/yachts/cruisers moor up literally at the restaurants so they can drop in for their evening meal.

We spent a day in Marmaris which is simply huge and extremely busy! It’s good for shopping (for all those genuine fakes!) and water sports but is far from ‘traditional’ Turkey! It is perfect for the younger market, who want to party.

 

Our hotel was a gem! Although only a 3 star it was spotlessly clean with towels & sheets changed almost daily. The staff are helpful, the position was fabulous and the breakfast was great (for a Turkish breakfast!). We had no complaints at all.

Turkey is still fantastic value for money and your pound goes a long way! We were eating out for an average of £20.00 to £30.00 for the two of us including wine! The food is fresh and tasty with plenty of sea food. The scenery along this coastline is simply stunning and well worth seeing it from a boat on a day cruise.”

 

New things to note about Turkey – a visa is now needed which can easily be obtained online and ALL electronic equipment (not just mobile phones) MUST be charged up for you to take on board in hand luggage  when leaving Turkey.

 

 

 

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