Sainsbury's Magazine - August 5, 2005

The New Tuscany?

Has Turkey arrived as a chic destination for the discerning traveller? Travel editor Sharon Ring explores the Turquoise Coast to find out…

Turkey has been a budget destination for 20 years, with a reputation for quantity rather than quality. Now it’s being hailed as a rival to Tuscany – superior accommodation, wonderful food, undiscovered classical treasures and fantastic shopping.

Is this far-fetched marketing or are we really going to see photos of Tony and Cherie belly-dancing on their hols?

One region laying claim to Tuscany’s attractions is Lycia, known as the Turquoise Coast because of the colour and beauty of the sea.  Until recently you could only get to it by boat but now, with good roads built, new resorts have grown and prospered.  Yet the place has lost little of its age-old charm.

Hip Hotels
Exclusive Escapes specialises in guiding tourists towards small, select hotels in beautiful locations.  The Dionysos near Turunc Bay and the Kalkan Regency at Kalkan are typical, although different in style.  Here, fellow guests include a judge, banker, dentist, publisher, landscape gardener and chef.  Poolside, iPods outnumber gold chains.

Sculpted into the mountainside as if it has been there for ever, the Dionysos is a chic, hideaway sort of place, private yet convivial.  The open-air terraced restaurant and infinity pool boast breathtaking views across the bay, and Jacuzzis, tennis courts, a spa and gym are tucked away in the grounds. 

Little bungalows with sitting room, kitchenette, bedroom and shower are roomy, comfortable and air-conditioned as temperatures, even in autumn, can reach 30ºC.  Days pass in sunny, soporific haze, broken perhaps by a trip on a gulet, the local sailboats that drift in and out of the bays, feeding guests on Champagne and seafood before dropping them into the sea for a dip.

Further along the coast at Kalkan the more traditional Regency – dark polished  wood, plush hangings, in-house hammam – stands on the edge of a burgeoning resort and has another spectacular sea view from the terrace.  The atmosphere in both is friendly and spontaneous so you really don’t have to work at spoiling yourself.  And barbecue night at the Regency is not be missed – 30 different meze made with infinite care by three chefs.  Some this morning, some this afternoon, but none yesterday.

Home-Grown Cuisine
Forget kebab-shop cuisine there isn’t a Turkish restaurant in Britain that can do justice to their native home cooking.  One of the few countries in the world that is totally self-sufficient the choice of fresh produce is dazzling.  Little cafes and village restaurants cater for local families – school kids eat lunch there and mums cook breakfast pancakes (gozleme) over hot stones in the garden.

Meals are taken in the open air at both hotels, from fruit, eggs, yoghurt, honey, sausage, and cheese, plus spinach and cheese gozleme at breakfast, to the last spoonful of liquer-drenched oranges, honey cake and ice cream after dinner.  Dishes cooked with a minimum of  fat or oil, are delicately spiced and herbed, and local wine is perfectly drinkable and cheap – a pleasant surprise as so little of it is exported.

Soups are especially  good, and a big chunky fish one, followed by light, lemony kebabs, meatballs, rice and fries with a bottle of rose cost £25 for two at one harbour restaurant.

In the mountains outside Kalkan a lunch for two of local goats’ cheese, fried calamari, aubergine baked in yoghurt, and two brown trout fresh from the millstream with a tomato and pepper salad and garlic dressing cost under £30, including a bottle of wine.

Stress-Free Shopping
Some 20 civilisations in 10,000 years have left plenty to explore here.  Many sites that were thought to be Classical Greek are in fact Turkish – Troy and Ephesus for a start.  The smaller ruins can be hauntingly beautiful.  Xanthos, the ancient Lycian capital, stands on a hill overlooking the sea.  Scattered remains of friezes, mosaics and sarcophagi lie among shattered columns along with bees, goats and thistledown.

The true jewel in antiquity’s crown lies further north along the coast.  More tourists visit Ephesus than any other site in Turkey, and it’s worth an overnight stay, although its glories can be sampled in a day.  Most of the ruins date from the 1st and 2nd centuries.  Don’t miss the Temple of Artemis – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, dating back to 7BC, now the haunt of ghostly storks – the excavated theatre, baths and the Marble Road still with the ruts of ancient carts.

Town and country are a kaleidoscope of images – tortoises ambling across the road, sleek café cats walking the high harbour walls looking for scraps of fish, bustling markets selling ceramics, leather, linen, cotton, spices, honey, cheese and little clay birds that warble, and the nightfall sound of jazz from the restaurants of Kalkan mingling with the call of prayer.

Quality Shopping
From the Dionysos it’s a 40-minute ferry ride to Marmaris where, for around £10, a personal shopper will guide you through the arcades to help you find Turkish-made fashion items and brand-name copies, reducing haggling to a minimum.  And put aside some spending money for jewellery – the raw materials and workmanship are good and cheap.  Shopping in Kalkan is excellent too – with the bonus of two dozen good restaurants for refreshment.

Our Verdict?
So what’s Tuscany got that Lycia hasn’t?  It will be some years before Turkey can acquire the Renaissance chic that attracts the Blairs to its Italian villas.  However, a four-star holiday in Turkey is about a third cheaper than it’s Tuscan equivalent.  And that’s not the whole story. 

There is still much to be discovered and enjoyed along this staggering beautiful stretch of coastline.  Here farmers beckon you into their herb-scented gardens to pick pomegranates, plums and pears.  Here you can eat magnificently and return home with the same waistline.  Here you can expect a high degree of comfort and care in good hotels.

And here the schoolchildren will run up to you, invariably with the question, ‘Is our country lovely? Is it nice?’ Actually it’s a whole lot better than nice.  But don’t tell the Blairs…