Trip Report - Icmeler, Turkey
This was a fairly last minute holiday - we just wanted something at the cheaper end, with a nice beach, warmer than the UK and some nice restaurants!
I've been to many resorts that are reached from Dalaman but not this one, so it was a bit of an unknown, although I did know it's a quieter alternative to Marmaris which is close by, and has a more relaxed vibe. A lady opposite us on the transfer coach certainly agreed, but she could have been a little less vocal about her comparison between the two, especially as there were people all around us going to Marmaris!
Even so, I'd say Icmeler is a mid - large resort with bars and restaurants to suit everybody, and on the first night we stumbled upon one which happened to be one of the top rated on TripAdvisor - The Waterfall. This was a really lovely setting and the food excellent, but it was the first night and we joked it was downhill from here!
The hotel we chose was a small, boutique style property called Petunya Konak (https://petunyakonak.com/) - it's about 20 minutes walk from the town and a further 5 minutes to the beach. While some might be put off by the walk, actually it was the one time we took in the local surroundings that didn't involve food, drink or sunbeds! Along the way we saw goats getting their run around, basking lizards, a friendly cat, and locals going about their daily lives.
The beach at Icmeler is one of the highlights of the resort with pine forested mountains on either side, and along the promenade were numerous cafes and restaurants. The deal here is that you get free sunbeds, but they expect you to buy a drink. That was no problem!
As it was mid May, the weather wasn't too hot, and we had 6 glorious days out of 7. On the other day it didn't rain, but it was very windy. The sand was blowing everywhere so a beach day was out - it was a pool day. And we kept hearing "we've never had wind like this before!". How many times have I heard something like that!
Overall, a great budget break in the sun to Icmeler, Turkey!
We book a large range of holidays from the UK to Icmeler, Turkey, especially with Jet2 Holidays. The prices we charge are identical to those you'll see on their website.
Gary Barlow's Wine Tour South Africa
New series coming to ITV on Monday 11 November - 2pm Monday to Friday and on ITVx on-demand
Gary Barlow travels with friends and enjoys wine, food and having a good time!
Where in the world is this?
A few clues...
- It's a hiker's paradise with over 65 miles of hiking trails and almost 50 waterfalls
- A tradition is for hikers to leave rolled up bank notes accompanied by blessings and messages of inspiration.
- It's nickname is 'The Grand Canyon of the East'
- It's NOT in North Hertfordshire! But it is in the USA.
Travel on TV
Here's a few travel related programmes coming up...
- Friday 11th October on Channel 5 @ 8pm Las Vegas with Jane McDonald
- Sunday 13th October on BBC 1 @ 11:30am Scotland’s Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle
- Thursday 17th October on BBC 2 @ 8pm Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby
Travel News
Travel companies are continuing to bring out new types of tours and accommodation to suit current trends.
For example Jet2 have just introduced the 'Small and Welcoming' hotel collection. These are often family run, charming properties with personal touches and a home-from-home feeling. As an example, Villa Pattiera is a brilliantly located boutique hotel in Cavtat, near Dubrovnik, Croatia, with just 12 rooms.
Explore have brought out an 'Upgraded Collection' for the many people who like the idea of a small group adventure tour but with better and more comfortable accommodation than normal. As an example, their 'Discover Peru - Upgraded' tour is still done in a small group with boat, train and minibus transport, but with quality hotels such as the El MaPi Hotel, a boutique hotel with a pool, spa and a calming oasis feel. By the way, another highlight of this trip is the Titicaca Train - a scenic route from Lake Titicaca to Cusco, with panoramic views, live music and a three-course lunch on board
Travel on TV
Celebrity Race Across The World (BBC 1, Wednesdays) - the second series has just started - where 4 celebrities have to travel from Belem in Northern Brazil to Frutillar in Southern Chile. The first episode featured the classic dilemma present in all these programmes - do you try and go as fast as you can to win the race, or pause, and take in some of the amazing locations you pass through? After all, it may be very unlikely that you'll visit many of these places again.
My Tiger Family (BBC 2, iPlayer) - the story of Valmik Thapar who has followed the lives of the tigers of Ranthambhore in Northern India for over 50 years. This fascinating programme details the ups and downs of the park in terms of tiger numbers. It was somewhere I visited in 2002, and was certainly a beautiful reserve, but with less tigers than there are now. Even so, they have big territories, so you can never guarantee a sighting when out on a game drive.
World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys (Channel 5) - If you missed it, catch up on season 6 with Bill Nighy who travels places including Queensland, Australia, Southern Spain, and Denver, Colorado on the new route from Rocky Mountaineer. The great things about these series is that he lets the destinations do the talking, and doesn't make it all about him.
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