Antalya, Turkey

Antalya, Turkey, also known as the Turquoise Coast, is situated in the country’s southern Mediterranean region. I had never been to Turkey before, so finding a hotel was proving difficult. I eventually chose Adin Beach Hotel in Alayna, Antalya as soon as I saw the pictures and read the reviews, and I was not disappointed. It was meant to be a family holiday, but in the end, it was just me and my mum who went, which I think the best decision!

This was the first proper abroad holiday we’d had, and I felt like the travelling aspect was so long. We had a connecting flight from Heathrow to Istanbul and then to Antalya. The drive from Birmingham to London is about 2 hours so by the time we got to the airport I was already tired. It didn’t help that we got to Heathrow around 4 hours early, but better safe than sorry (my family did not agree with that, but oh well!). We flew with Turkish Airlines, and the flight was good. As soon as we landed in Istanbul though, I thought I was going to die. Before we left, I felt like I had planned every last detail but I hadn’t thought of the most obvious thing… the change in weather between the UK and Turkey. I stepped out of the plane into a literal oven.

It was August, but in typical London style, it wasn’t warm. It was about 30 degrees in Turkey. I was wearing a maxi dress, with an underneath top, a kimono and leggings. People were looking at me as if I was crazy, but to be fair, I did probably look like an overdressed tomato (I tend to go very red in the summer, or most times, generally). We flew to Antalya about 3 hours later, and when we arrived, there was a driver waiting for us with a sign. The drive from the airport to the hotel was 2 hours, but the scenery was just amazing. I definitely understood why it is called the Turquoise Coast.

We eventually arrived at the hotel at 8am, local time. We weren’t expected until 11am but the staff were so accommodating, and they made us a room up. As soon as we went up, the first thing me and my mum did was go to sleep, which meant we missed breakfast. The view from our room was just amazing. We were on the top floor, so we could see the sea stretch for miles. The rooms were gorgeous too, albeit a little smaller than expected. We went down around lunch time and explored the rest of the hotel, which was just amazing. Once we had done that, we quickly realised there was a MASSIVE language barrier between us and almost every other person at the hotel, both employees and guests, which we did not expect at all. Well, of course I expected people in Turkey to speak Turkish, but I thought the employees would also speak English. Fortunately, there was one manager and a tour guide who could help us so it was ok in the end. The staff were so nice, they made sure we had everything we needed and seemed so genuine. The guests seemed a little strange with us though. The first thing I noticed was that I was the tallest person in the hotel, not even exaggerating. The average height of a Turkish women is 5’2 and I’m almost 5’9, so it was quite noticeable. I also think it may have been because my mum asked for tea and then proceeded to add milk. Perfectly normal for us, but the look of disgust from the employees and guests was hilarious. That didn’t stop my mum though, and from then on, they always had her tea ready with milk!

The hotel advertised seven restaurants with different cuisines in the hotel, three of which we tried. At the time, I wasn’t a vegetarian, luckily, as the veggie option was normally cucumber. The first day was awful, neither me or my mum could eat anything, even the chips tasted different. I thought food was going to be a massive issue as the only thing I had in my suitcase a was packet of Revels, but it got much better throughout the week. The best thing was definitely the ice-cream, there were so many different flavours and it tasted so good in the heat.

One of the main reasons I went with this hotel was because it had a women’s-only area. Being a Muslim girl, this was important as it meant I could wear whatever I wanted without having to worry about anything. There was both an indoor and outdoor pool, spa, restaurant, and most importantly, a beach! I spent most of my time on the beach, reading 'Very British Problems' by Rob Temple, and eating ice-cream, it was great. The only downside to it was that phones and cameras were not allowed in, and the security made sure of it. This was annoying because it meant that I couldn’t take any pictures or use my phone but it did mean that I was able to enjoy the moment more.

We spent most of our time in the hotel as there was so much to do, but we did visit a shopping mall which I deemed the ‘Bullring’ of Alayna. We briefly met a family from Devon there, and it was so good to be able to have a conversation without using Google Translate and Images! We also went to some local markets on another day. They were definitely everything we expected and more. It was so busy but the smells were amazing. There were so many stalls, with spices, fruit and vegetables, and Turkish delight everywhere. The first person we went to was selling Turkish delight. He gave a piece of every single one to try, I loved it. There were so many unique flavours like banana, honey, orange, chocolate etc. We also found the cutest little baby belly dancer outfits, which I bought for my cousins, who looked adorable in them. We went back to the same guy 4 times to change colours. I also managed to get genuine Turkish lamps. They’re so beautiful but I didn’t realise until I got back home that it’s almost impossible to get a light in them, which is a huge shame.

Back at the hotel, I was having the best time. The weather was about 40 degrees and the sea was actually warm. Combine that with unlimited ice-cream, soft drinks and dessert everywhere, and you have one very happy girl! The atmosphere was so good there, I did not want to leave. The week had come to an end so quickly, it was actually unbelievable.

Surprisingly, the journey back so much more stressful than on the way there. It was late but it was still so hot, which just makes everything feel worse. The plane ride to Istanbul was only 2 hours but it felt like forever. I was so glad when I eventually arrived back in London. This time, we made the opposite mistake. I was just wearing a maxi dress and kimono, I was actually freezing and nobody thought to bring a blanket for me! Nevertheless, I had never been happier to see my dad and sister, get a hot chocolate from Café Nero, and go home (to see my cats).