After what has seemed like a LONG winter of cold in Almaty we decided to take a ten day road trip along the south coast of Türkiye. We heard from many friends that the coast line is beautiful and with 20+ degrees on the weather forecast we were sold.

We arrived into Antalya and spent the first night at Anatolian Apart Hotel. This was on the opposite side of the coast from the old town. Our flight was, as ever, pretty horrific with our stuffy nosed eight month old baby and a lack of cold air blowing through the cabin. Once we arrived we were so happy to see blue sky and sunshine! We collected our car and car seat from the rental company, Asraf remembered how to drive a manual car backwards and off we went. I’ve been to Antalya once before but couldn’t really remember it. The area we stayed in on the first night was very modern and very Russian with Russian sign boards and Kazkah restaurants! We laughed that we flew all the way to Turkey to still be surrounded by Russian. We walked along the promenade and had a drink but that’s about all we did as we were so tired. Little did I know at this point I was about to embark on ten days of sleep deprivation and delirium with a baby that would not and could not sleep on holiday!

The next morning we got up to go to Termessos the ancient city. It had been recommended to us by Flora and did not disappoint. At only 12 TL entrance it was also a bargain. The theatre was incredible with a backdrop of mountains. The ruins were really interesting and there was lots of information to read. We were both really impressed. We were the only people there apart from a couple from Germany and Zimbabwe who we chatted to on the walk back down. They said they had been expats for many years and also had one daughter who they took all over the world with them. We loved this place so much and over our trip we saw many ancient ruins but this one was our favourite.

After Termessos we drove along the coast to Fethiye. To be honest when planning this trip I just went along the coast on Google Maps and booked places that looked nice. Fethiye is a small coastal town with a harbour and a nice promenade. There is not much to do in the town itself but it has a lovely feel.

Whilst we were here we visited the ancient city of Tlos. This was 20TL entrance and again was really well preserved. We had the place to ourselves and there were some amazing views.

We also visited Saklıkent National Park. There is a canyon that you can walk inside but during the winter/spring it is largely inaccessible because of the water levels. We walked as far as we could and it was beautiful.

Our accommodation in Fethiye was Kilim hotel and it was very friendly. Everyone was very chatty and we had breakfast with a guy from Poland and a woman from Iran. They were really interested in Kazkahstan and promised to visit us! There were so many cute cats everywhere in Turkey but here especially.

After two nights here we moved on to Kas. I was excited to visit Kas because it had been recommended by several friends and it did not disappoint. It’s very beautiful. We stayed at Sole n Blu outside of the town and we had a sea view and a beautiful terrace. We loved it here.

We spent a day at the beach and we wandered around the old town, had some wonderful Turkish food and coffee and just enjoyed the peaceful environment. I can see why it is so loved. I can imagine in the peak season it gets very busy!

The water was so clear and the beaches were really clean. It was really a great place! After two nights we moved on to Cirali. We had decided to stay here for four nights because it’s quite tiring moving around and also because we found this really cute bungalow to stay in. It was called Canario Pension and the owner was lovely. It was across a little bridge over a river and was surrounded by mountains. There were chickens and baby goats and cats galore. The breakfast was amazing.

Cirali beach was one of the most scenic locations I’ve ever seen. It looks like something out of a movie. The water was so blue and the backdrop was just amazing. I couldn’t get over it. At the end of the beach is the ancient city of Olympos. The location of this was stunning but the ruins themselves were less impressive than others that we saw and it was more expensive at 90TL a person.

The next day, because we just love them so much, we went to another ancient city! This time, Phaselis. It is located on another beautiful beach.

Personally I can’t get enough of ancient cities because I just love history but I can imagine some people would be fine with just one. If that’s the case then go with Termessos.

To mix things up we went to another canyon, Göynük. This one was spectacular. We walked the trail to the furthest point you can go to without having to swim and it was stunning.

This was our last day in Cirali and I think this place is magical. I would definitely recommend it. The next day we went back to Antalya and stayed in the old town which was much nicer and more our scene than the other side of the city. It had more of an Istanbul vibe about it. We went to Kunsulu waterfall and although the waterfall is pretty, it’s very touristy and not really for me. Lots of people having photo shoots and not much of a trail to follow. Only 23 TL to enter. I had the most disappointing coffee.

That was the end of our ten day trip across the south coast. It was very beautiful, fun and great to spend time together without the stress and constant organisation of working full time. Asraf passed his TEFL qualification and received his certificate whilst we were there. I’m very glad that is over! We would recommend Turkey to everyone and we’d love to go back!