The Sunday Times - February 6, 2005

The Big Country

You can always find a beach holiday in Turkey, but this giant of a nation is also great for rural hideaways, mountain adventures, cultural tours and lazy, luxurious escapes.
Dana Facoros explores.

Low prices first lured us to Turkey, and 20 years later it is still a bargain compared with the rest of the Med. So, if you’ve never been there, let your wallet be your guide. But then hold on to your hat.

Here, magic lurks in places that defy easy definition. Wander through Cappadocia, where boulders teeter on pinnacles and tiny houses are hollowed out of rocks resembling mushrooms and melons. Watch the moonlight fill Lake Bafa, where, in Greek myth, the Moon herself fell in love. Drift along the turquoise Coast in a wooden gulet, past pristine coves and ancient Lycian cities. Watch the sun rise over the statues of Hellenistic kings on Nemrut’s mountain, or light up the pale pools of the calcified waterfall at Pamukkale, the fairy-tale “Cotton Castle”.

Dine in an old Ottoman pleasure garden on the Bosphorus to the soft sounds of a Turkish lute. The dream list unrolls for a thousand miles, in a country three times larger than Britain.

Turkey not only straddles two continents, it straddles time itself. There’s a buzzing, up-to-date vibe in the cities, especially in Istanbul, which puts on a calendar of cultural events the equal of any in western Europe. But venture into the countryside, especially into Central Anatolia, and a sense of timelessness prevails. You’ll find it in everyday lives of farmers and their wives, who gather roots to dye the wool they weave into carpets.

Tailor Made Holidays
The age of their traditions is impossible to divine: you’d need a scorecard to keep track of all the peoples and culture that have passed this way. As far as anyone knows, the fertile plain around Konya is the real cradle of civilisation – beneath one vast mound, archeologists found Catalhoyuk, the world’s oldest city, from about 7000BC. You can climb Mount Ararat and look for signs of Noah’s Ark. Visit Harran, Abraham’s town. Or stroll through wall-grit Hattusas, capital of the Hittite empire, or Troy (much better than the movie).

The Greeks and Romans built gorgeous cities here; and for 1,600 years (a record no city can match), Istanbul was a capital of empire. It houses the most exquisite treasures of the Byzantine and Ottoman peoples, from the Hagia Sophia to the delicate tiled pavilions inspired by the sultans’ aesthetic love affair with the tulip. To this day, it is Turkey’s national flower.

Turkey also has a tangible feeling for the future. Vowing to be an asset and not a burden to the EU, the country is under going huge changes, making this an exciting, optimistic time to visit. The rampant inflation that saw property prices spiral and a kebab cost millions is now under control – and, as of January 2005, six noughts have been slashed off the currency, making the new Turkish lira about 2.5 to the pound instead of 2.5m.

Turkey’s big resorts, with their charter flights and nightlife, do a roaring trade; while tucked in nearby coves, luxurious hotels wait to spoil you. Traditional guest houses (pansiyons) are as cheap and cheerful as ever, but there are now boutique hotels with gourmet restaurants, many set in old Ottoman konaks (mansions).

Sea-kayaking, canyoning, nature walks and paragliding are popular, especially on the stunning Lycian coast. Yet all this is leaving the best for last, for the Turks themselves are the icing on the cake – It’s hard to imagine people more engaging, kind and hospitable. Their country is full of natural and man-made wonders, but they are wonderful too.

Beaches

Turkey has great beaches – the ancient Greeks spent 10 years camped on one outside Troy, though you may want a bit more variety. The big, brash resorts have all the bars, discos and clubs you can ask for. There are fashionable enclaves with all the trimmings, hidden on nearby coves; and fishing villages, preserved by law from the cement-mixer, where you can swim, drink raki with the locals and feast on seafood. Go in September or early October, when it’s warm enough to swim and the beautiful sands are free of the summer crowds.

Recommended

On the wooded Bozborun peninsula, near Marmaris, but light years away in atmosphere, the peaceful Dionysos is a village style hotel where luxe, calme et volupté reign supreme. It is spread across the top of a canyon overlooking Kumbuluk Bay and beach, with hot tubs and hammocks scattered here and there on wild garden terraces that descend towards the sea. Guests can pick their own organic fruit and cool off in a stunning infinity pool; it offers tennis, a Clarins spa and a deluxe motor cruiser for jaunts.

With Exclusive Escapes (020 8605 3500 www.hiddenturkey.com), a week in June costs £525pp, B&B, based on two sharing and including flights, transfers and a complimentary cruise on a luxury gulet.

Exclusive Escapes also offers week long Method Putkisto breaks, to make you fitter, firmer and healthier; a week, staying at the Dinysos, starts at £990 for a single room, half-board, including two two-hour sessions a day.