Antalya Review
Cheap holidays abroad to Antalya
Anyone travelling to Antalya in Turkey and
expecting to find the typical tourist resort
will not be disappointed but they will be
surprised to find there's much more to
this city that meeting the needs of holidaymakers.
Antalya is an important hub of Turkey's
agricultural industry and the wholesale market
in the city provides more half of all the
fruit and vegetable requirements of the country.
The older part of Antalya, known as Kalecei,
is a warren of narrow cobbled streets flanked
by a mix of architecture dating back to various
historical periods including the Roman and
Byzantine periods.
Like most coastal towns along this Turkish
coast, Antalya has a marina, but the one
here is not a modern construction rather
an older, more charming, harbour dating back
to Roman times. It is quite small and seems
more integrated into the town itself. There
are plenty of cafés and restaurants
around the marina where one can relax and
watch the world go by.
There are very few beaches to be found near
the main town, with some having only private
access, so holidaymakers looking for more
beach time may want to select a hotel located
on either of the Konyaalti or Lara beaches
to the west of the town. It is in this area
where you will find the larger hotels that
cater for many of the tourists visiting the
town.
The beach along the coast here stretches
for almost 5 kilometers with views of mountains
dominating the skyline in the south. The
beach is a mix of pebbles and different colored
sands, with a huge choice of serviced beach
areas, so there is plenty of room for everyone.
There are various interesting locations
that can quickly be reached from either Antalya
or Dalaman airports. One favourite would
be Patara with its ancient Lycian ruins.
There are also ruins of an amphitheater here
and a holiday here can be made complete with
lazy days on the lovely beaches in the area.
The Patara beach has been voted by some as
the best beach in the world, with 17 kilometers
of white sand to enjoy. Strict conservation
laws are in place here and there are no buildings
along the coast to spoil this very special
beach.
If you are lucky enough to be here at the
right time of year you may see the amazing
sight of Loggerhead turtles coming ashore
to lay their eggs on the beach, although
the beaches are protected and are sometimes
closed to the public during the hours of
darkness as this is when the turtles normally
come ashore.
Other resorts within reach of Antalya along
the Lycian coast include Kemer, Finike and
Kas. These towns all lie on the Lycian Way,
an ancient footpath that meanders through
forests, gorges, mountainside tracks and
summer pasture land. Kas is a small coastal
town with a picturesque marina. It is located
approximately 100 miles west of Antalya and
has only a few small Hotels
, making it a perfect location for a quiet,
relaxing holiday. Visitors to Kas normally
choose the location for the wealth of ancient
monuments in the surrounding area or for
its fantastic location as a base for scuba
diving.
The attractive Kaputas beach sits between
Kas and the nearby town of Kalkan. Mass tourism
has yet to reach Kalkan although there are
quite a few private villa developments around
the town that are attracting those seeking
a second or holiday home in the area.
Further towards Antalya, the town of Finike
owes its history to its past as a trading
port and still supplements its economy with
its busy yacht marina. Another part of the
areas commercial interest is citrus fruit
agriculture and oranges and other fruits
are exported from the area to all over the
world.
There are many small beaches and coves along
the coast around Finike and several are stopping
points of the Blue Cruises that sail along
the coast. Like Patana, however there are
concerns about protecting the natural habitats
of sea turtles which use the beaches to come
ashore and lay their eggs.
In the hills behind Finike there are ancient
ruins and monuments to explore and the town
itself also has city walls and ruins of a
Roman theatre explore.
So you can see that Antalya is a gateway
to sun and sunshine as well as an abundance
of history and ancient architecture. A great
mix for a fantastic Holiday
In addition to all these cheap travel options,
Turkey and its many different resorts have
proved themselves as one of the popular cheap
holidays abroad from Last Minute Holidays to all inclusive holidays their will always be a resort that meets
your budget
