Beach at Kas, on Turkey’s Lycian coast
Turkey’s bucket and spade strengths have been key to its inexorable rise as a mass-market tourist destination, but child-friendly holidays are only one string to the country’s considerable bow.
From romantic hotels on secluded beaches to adult-only properties close to the nightlife, Turkey has a lot to offer those who travel two-by-two.
“Turkey is far enough from home to offer a taste of the exotic in its culture and food, yet it is only four hours away with good flight connections from UK airports,” says Olympic Holidays commercial director Photis Lambrianides. “Couples don’t need to spend the earth to escape for a romantic couple of weeks.”
By the beach
Many operators name-check resorts a little distance from the major airports and towns for couples, offering them a little peace, quiet and exclusivity.
Certain areas of the Bodrum peninsula fit the bill. “The Bodrum peninsula offers the chance to stay in a luxury villa or boutique hotel and have the peace and quiet of traditional village life,” says Ilios Travel product manager Patricia Woodburn.
She suggests the Med-inn for couples, a very stylish hotel situated on the sea. All 26 suites have balconies overlooking the bay of Güllük and there’s a private beach, a swimming pool and an excellent restaurant. Prices start from £400 per person, per week, staying in a Junior Suite, on a bed-and-breakfast basis.
Cosmos Holidays recommends the modern, boutique, five-diamond Hotel Baia Bodrum near Gundogan, which has a spa, Turkish bath, sauna, gym, cinema, disco and amphitheatre, and buffet and à la carte restaurants. The operator offers a week there from £569 all-inclusive, including flights and transfers.
Unspoilt by mass tourism, the Datça peninsula is another great option. As part of its Indulgent Escapes range, Jet2holidays offers the D-Hotel Maris, which sits on a clifftop above the sea surrounded by forested hills and is 20 miles from Marmaris. The former Select Maris Resort has been completely renovated, and there are two à la carte restaurants, bars, a spa and fitness room, and five private beaches, so clients can kick back and relax in their own haven. Prices with Jet2holidays start at £619 for seven nights’ B&B, and clients can arrive in style with a helicopter transfer (payable locally).
New to the Thomas Cook Adult Style programme for summer 2012 is the four-star Hotel Marti La Perla in Icmeler, also on the Datça peninsula. Formerly part of the mainstream programme, the hotel is now adults-only, and seven nights’ all-inclusive in April costs from £820 per couple, flying from Gatwick. Sitting on a Blue Flag beach, the resort is nearby via a promenade. Icmeler, a former fishing village, was developed as a quieter alternative to nearby Marmaris.
A short walk from Icmeler, the 4T Hotel Munamar is featured in the adult-only Thomson Couples range. It is newly refurbished, and has a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gym, sauna, Turkish baths and spa. Seven nights’ all-inclusive in May costs from £505 per person, including Gatwick flights and transfers.
The rugged Lycian coast, where fishing villages and smaller resorts are interspersed with bays, also has plenty to offer the adult market. Clients can take day or longer cruises on wooden gulets, or walk among the pine forests.
The little town of Kas retains its villagey feel, with shady cobbled alleyways and a sleepy harbour, and a few antique ruins littering the streets. Mosaic Holidays features a number of adult-only hotels here, with no children under 14 permitted. The 26-room boutique Villa Hotel Tamara has an old Mediterranean feel and costs from £879 per person for seven nights’ B&B, including flights from Gatwick and transfers from Dalaman.
Not every couple wants to be tucked away from the action, however, and for couples looking for options in larger resorts, Lambrianides recommends the Isis Club in Gumbet, Elegance Hotel in Marmaris and the five-star Marmara Bodrum, a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World with a wonderful spa, which features in Olympic Holidays’ Gold & Platinum Collection. The operator offers 14 nights’ B&B in the latter for £1,265 in June, including flights from Gatwick and private taxi transfers.
Stephanie Pritchard, managing director of Sovereign Luxury Travel, recommends the Oyster Residences in Olu Deniz for couples looking for a livelier holiday. “It is an adults-only hotel, only accepting guests over the age of 14, and with just 26 rooms it is a great option for an intimate hotel experience. It is located in the heart of the lively Olu Deniz, with plenty of attractive bars and restaurants for those looking to go out for the evening.”
Sovereign offers savings of up to £146 per couple on stays at the Oyster Residences in Olu Deniz when booked before October 17, with seven nights’ B&B from £575 per person, departing May 3, 2012. The price includes flights from Gatwick and private transfers.
Villa Hotel Tamara, Kas
Beyond the beach
Mosaic Holidays has seen a surge in popularity for Cappadocia, the mountainous region in central Turkey. Clients can float over the ‘fairy chimney’ rock landscapes in a hot-air balloon or walk through quiet valleys and see Byzantine frescoes in cave churches. With cycling and hiking to attract the active tourist, Cappadocia also suits those looking for a softer adventure.
“Our rustic properties such as the Anatolian Houses, where there is a quirky wine fountain in the courtyard, and the boutique luxury Sacred House in Urgup, offer intimacy without compromise for couples,” says Mosaic Holidays managing director Sabina Shaida. “These are special hotels, with a small number of rooms and a personal atmosphere.”
Mosaic Holidays offers four nights’ B&B at the Anatolian Houses from £819, including flights and transfers, between January 5 and May 20.
With its bazaars and mosques, galleries and restaurants, a city break in Istanbul is a wonderful option for couples. There are plenty of accommodation options in the city, with the central Sultanahmet and Beyoglu districts the areas of choice.
For something a little different, Anatolian Sky managing director Akin Koc suggests staying at Heybeliada, the second-largest of the Princes’ Islands, an archipelago off the Istanbul coast. Couples can stroll in pine forests, explore monasteries and villages, and visit beaches and markets, and Istanbul is less than an hour and a half away by ferry for a city visit.
Koc recommends the 36-room Halki Palace Hotel, built in the 19th century, but now with a swimming pool and tennis court and nine suites. “It offers couples the perfect romantic getaway while having one of the world’s greatest cities on its doorstep,” he says. “Any agent selling this can expect nothing but the best feedback on their clients’ return.”
Anatolian Sky offers four nights’ B&B from £689 including return flights, ferry to the island and a horse-drawn cab to the hotel.
