Belek, The Turkish
Riviera visited
October 16, 2001
finalized December 5
During the last millennium, when we initially planned our adventures, stopping in Turkey wasn't a consideration. Sure, we knew Istanbul was a historically prominent city, but Turkey as a travel destination? On the “A” list? Not! However, as we traveled, we heard people speak highly of their experiences in this country that spans two continents. So, when we set the itinerary for this year's trip, we added a short stopover in Istanbul. In Germany as we scanned travel brochures we saw what looked like some great vacation deals on the southern coast – the so-called Turkish Riviera. Always the bargain hunters, we switched a number of days originally scheduled in Greece for a week at an all-inclusive resort on the Aegean in Belek (near Antalya, in the south of Turkey.) We had considered visiting the ruins at Izmir, but the airfare was already pricey without the extra stop. Turkish Air has a virtual monopoly on flights inside Turkey, and their prices reflect this. We also considered driving around Turkey -- there are mountains, seas, natural wonders, historical sites and other note-worthy spots -- but the U.S. State Department's warnings about the unpredictability of Turkish drivers were enough to put us off. As you’ll see, the extra days in Turkey were a good move.
Our trip was planned for October, subsequent to the September 11 tragedies. Normally, we are, within limits, intrepid souls; but we did pause before deciding that traveling to albeit a very moderate, almost 100% Muslim country was a good idea, given the global political environment. State department bulletins for Turkey only indicated that caution was required, and friends who had been there assured us that we'd receive a friendly reception. Prior to September 11, we had already eliminated a planned visit to Dubai, but we likely would have cancelled that leg after the terrorist attacks. As I said: intrepid, but within limits.
Still, we were a bit nervous going to Turkey as the U.S. was bombing Afghanistan every day but Friday. Our flight to Antalya arrived after midnight and our arranged transport was waiting. An odd conversation with a Turkish physician, a man we met at the airport, in which he surmised that 95% of the Turkish people thought that the CIA was responsible for the attacks on the WTC (!!) was still fresh in my mind as we headed to the resort. Suddenly, our van slowed and pulled off to the side of the road. My imagination quickly began a battle with my grasp on reality. I was almost certain that we were simply having some kind of vehicle problem, but what if ….? OK, nothing happened, and about twenty minutes later a replacement van picked us up and took us without incident to the resort, but it could have been the stuff movies are made of.
Thus began our week at the Letoonia Golf Resort. “Golf” as used here is a bit misleading. This resort caters mainly to Europeans, and Germans in particular; we were certainly the only Americans there. In German “golf”, in addition to the sport, also translates as “gulf”. Although there are golf courses nearby, the latter definition obtained here.
After the barren brownness of Greece, the greens of Antalya and the tropical lushness of the resort felt especially luxurious. Letoonia (while there, I unfortunately started mentally singing Simon and Garfunkle’s “Letoonia, you’re breaking my heart ….”; it’s still with me a week later) is one of those Club Med type almost-all-you-can-everything places. Neither of us had been at one before, so it was an new experience. Letoonia is rated a 5-star resort, but is about 4-stars in my book. Rating systems ought to be more uniform and have half stars for differentiating within a grade. In any case, as my good friend Bob says: "All Turkish hotels have one too many stars".
We continued to be nervous and occasionally
even paranoid about being in Turkey. We tried to keep a low profile, but
it's not easy. The first night while making dinner reservations, I was
asked for my name and room number, then the hostess asked where we were from. Without
thinking I said USA, which I immediately regretted, and which she, of course, wrote
down. Then she said, "We were told there weren't any
Americans here." Oh Oh! Apparently someone had asked?!?
The next afternoon while we were out an envelope was slipped under our door.
It just had our room number scrawled on it. Paranoia again. I wondered about opening it; no
one but our travel agent knew we were at this resort. The mind can
consider so many possibilities... bombs, anthrax powder, threats. Anyway,
eventually reason got the better of me, and I opened it. It was an invitation
to meet our travel agent's local representative in the lobby the next day!
Letoonia is much as I'd expect a cruise or Club Med to be: well-stocked, good-quality buffets for meals (although served evening meals were also available), snack bars at the pool and beach, bars for drinks (including alcoholic beverages,) a dozen different organized activities from the "Animation" staff, (Dick and I only managed the step and stretching classes), a nightly, low-budget but entertaining "fun-show", and a disco that opens at midnight (which we never saw, since by then we were fast asleep.) In contrast to a ship, this tropical-like resort is spread out -- 3 huge swimming pools, a water slide, a long private sandy beach, and lots of flowers, banana trees and other greenery. Our room had a king-sized bed and a small balcony with a lovely view of the pool and sea. Pretty nice for $100/ night for 2 (we were there as the season rates switched), even if the plane trip was a bit pricey.
There are at least 4 golf courses nearby. Their fees run between $60-75 a round without cart. National, which we played and which hosted the Turkish Open this year, was an interesting tree-lined course with some nice water holes. It reminded us of Poppy Hills in Monterey, CA, fairways lined with pine and Eucalyptus. Other courses include Nobilis, Tat International and Gloria Golf. The latter two have associated resorts. There are also two new courses being built, so this area is soon likely to be "golf destination." In season, which is US winter, you need to book tee times well in advance. If you plan to visit the Turkish Riviera, consider flying to Germany and booking a week from one of the big German travel bureaus such as TUI, or Der Tour. They've got great package deals from many cities, air included.
All right, so Letoonia could have been almost anywhere: Turkey, but without the trimmings. However, we arrived in Istanbul confident that a more exotic experience awaited us.