İçmeler

Gals Trip

Reading - Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel

Listening - Death of Me by PVRIS

Podcast - Private Parts (Binky episode) 

I was lucky enough last June/ July to be given a paid month off work, so my friend Rosie and I decided to book a low-effort, cheap, sunny trip away to chill out and catch a few rays. After looking on various websites we booked a week's all-inclusive trip to İçmeler in Turkey for a really good price. I have been to Turkey countless times before, both with family, friends and old boyfriends; and I stayed in Marmaris the next resort along from Icmeler in 2016, so knew it is a lovely area and would be nice and hot!

Our flight was late on Saturday July 6th, so we enjoyed a bottle of wine in the airport, a couple of glasses on the plane, and landed at about 3am. We had to pay £20 for a visa in the airport (standard in Turkey) and when I went to get the money out of my purse, I realised I had left it on the plane! Panic ensued, but I managed to run back to where we disembarked, and wave down a steward who went and checked my seat. Luckily, a few minutes later he came back holding it. Unfortunately £40 in there had been stolen, but at this point I was just relieved to get all my cards and actual purse (which in itself was an expensive Christmas present) back; that will teach me to get a bit tipsy whilst travelling! 

After an hour coach transfer we got to our hotel, the Suneo Club Mersoy Bellavista, around dawn, and tried to grab some sleep before starting to explore our home for the next week. Our room was in the adults only area (score!), so we had our own pool, bar and restaurant, as well as access to the hotel's 2 other pools, 2 bars and a restaurant adjacent to our building. We went for our first breakfast in the main restaurant, and I was really impressed at the selection, with cereals, cold meats and cheeses, pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausages, juices, fruit and a hot drinks machine with multiple options. Breakfast is my favourite meal, so it definitely got the holiday off to a positive start.

We spent the rest of that day taking full advantage of the all inclusive drinks, (wine average, but gin with lemonade and weird blue cocktails = agreeable) lounging by the pool, and eating at every opportunity. After our evening meal (again, excellent selection, especially considering I don't eat meat) we were pretty knackered from travelling the night before, so we just had a swift one at the hotel bar, then bought a bottle of wine from the local shop to take back to the room to drink whilst playing card games.

The next day after spending the morning sunbathing, we decided to do a recce of our surroundings. We walked down to the sea front, past the multiple shops and bars, and all along the shoreline in the direction of İçmeler, back to our start point and a couple of kilometres in the other direction to Marmaris, finally having a well deserved cider break at Moonlight Bar when the heat became too unbearable! That evening we went to a bar called Bistro Med that was privately owned but attached to the side of the hotel. They played great '80s tunes, had cheap cocktails, a pool table, and the two bar guys were friendly without being super creepy (I have found this to be a rarity as an often solo female traveller), so we were there until the early hours! 

Tuesday was beach day. We paid 25 lira (about £3) at a restaurant/ bar called Pier 15, which gave us a sunbed each, a parasol, access to their toilets and table service for any food and drinks - absolute bargain. They did delicious mango slushies, and we went and sat in the restaurant for lunch rather than have it on the beach; I had classic chips with a cheese toastie, and I very much enjoyed that they cut it into a heart shape for me. We stayed there until the sun started to set and then had a relaxed evening back at the hotel drinking at the other all inclusive bar.

Wednesday passed similarly at the pool, with a trip to the shops mid-afternoon for an ice cream, and then a stroll after tea in the evening to the seafront for a couple of margaritas at Palmiye Beach Cafe (followed by a cheeky few more back at Bistro Med). Thursday was our only big night out, and that was probably a good thing! After another day by the pool, we got doled up and did a quiz organised by the hotel, where we got chatting to a group of three girls a similar age to us from Glasgow. The quiz turned into karaoke, and then we all decided to make a night of it and head to one of the Irish bars in the town. Multiple shots, Jaegerbombs, dancing and cocktails later, I woke at midday on Friday with a pounding headache, no cash left, and no recollection of getting home!

The rest of the day was taken very tentatively, and I stuck to lemonade and coffee that evening as I still couldn't face anything remotely alcoholic. I did manage to finish my book though, and also get the online course completed for the mentorship scheme I started in September. Apparently staying off the booze really helps with productivity and brain power - who knew?!

Saturday was our last day, although thanks to a flight home at silly o'clock, we actually had until nearly midnight before our transfer coach was collecting us. We paid £25 extra to have access to a room until 5pm so we could make the most of the last day of sunshine yet still get showered and ready in comfort, and we treated ourselves to a final meal at a joint facing the sea called B&S Restaurant. We got a deal where we had traditional pide bread with tomato soup, then I had a seafood stew which was amazing and a glass of wine for 150 lira (approx £17.50); we were even offered a free dessert but we were so stuffed at this point we passed!

We had a couple of hours to kill before our pickup, so we went shopping for presents for people at home (I managed to barter for a pair of 'Vans' for £7!) and then sat in Bistro Med until eventually after some panic and confusion, a taxi came and collected us as the coach had missed our stop! Everything else went smoothly, and I caught a taxi home from the airport to save getting Chris out of bed super early on his only day off. I collapsed into bed at around 7.30am, fully aware that in a few short hours I would be in Manchester for my best friend's birthday bottomless brunch. No rest for the wicked!

Breakdown

Package holiday (inc flights, all inclusive accom, transfers & luggage) - £424.29 - TUI

Spending money - £175.74 (inc airport spending, £20 visa upon entry & taxi from airport)

Total = £600.03