The blog is looking rather sparse of late, due to my holiday to Side in Turkey which is (unfortunately) now over. Now I am back on English turf, I will continue to blabber on thrice weekly as before!
Side (said see-day) is a sizable holiday resort about a 40 minute drive away from Antalya airport. I went on holiday there last year with my family and had a lovely time, so decided to return there this year with my boyfriend, my best friend (whose parents own the apartment we stayed in) and her boyfriend. The apartment we stayed in is part of the Side Hills II complex, w
hich is a modern collection of residences a 20 minute walk away from the main tourist area. We had access to a communal pool, scenic views of the mountains and a well equipped three bedroom apartment for the twelve days that we were away for.Side itself is an eclectic mix of old and new, where ancient ruins appear out of nowhere next to elegant restaurants and bustling bars. At the entrance to the main area is a huge archway surrounded by an old amphitheatre, bathhouse and temple that provide a great backdrop for holiday snaps, as well as a good helping of history for those who like to learn something new whilst being away from home.
We cooked in the apartment on a few of the nights, but we often ate out in the restaurants, a number of which I was very impressed with. In particular on one of the last nights my boyfriend and I ate in Tropic Bistro which was along a new promenade built this year. As well as the traditional Pide bread served at the start of the meal, we both had starters (I had some gorgeous garlic mushrooms) and then shared a Testi kebab, a local speciality where the dish is cooked all day in a clay pot, that is then brought to the table and smashed in front of you before the meal is served. We had the beef version, and it was delicious, the meat was beautifully tender having b
een bubbling all day, and the side orders were enough to feed an army!The main street is filled with shops and bars, where owners try and grab you to buy their wares, whether it is turkish delight, shisha pipes or fresh spices and herbs which all look wonderful on display. As in a lot of places abroad, if you haggle you often get a good deal, especially on the fake designer goods such as watches and sunglasses some of which are quite convincing copies!
Dolphin Beach, the nearest beach to where we were is very nice, and a lot of the beach bars offer free sunbeds and a bus service back to your hotel/ apartment if you buy a few drinks or eat there during the day which we found to be a very good deal. The waves were quite rough on certain days when we were there which was fun, and there are rockier areas around the edges of the bay that provide good spots for snorkelling or diving. As well as just sunbathing and messing in the sea, there are lots of watersports available, from parasailing to jetskiing, and they seemed to be competitively priced from what we saw.
We didn't do a lot whilst we were there except relax and read, although on one day we went on a trip to the waterpark which was great fun (posts on books and the waterpark to follow!). I would definately go back again, as there is so much to do in Side, even a third time there and I don't think I would be scratching the surface! A lovely holiday destination that I would recommend to anyone wanting a relaxing break in the very hot sun!
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