Hey guys, I’m back from Turkey and ready to share my adventures with you from week two! Before I get started I want to acknowledge the reason for my delay in posting. The day I arrived home I received the shocking news that one of my oldest and best friends was very ill, and an hour after that I was told she had just passed away. So of course these last couple of weeks have been hard and I’ve not had the motivation to do much. But now I’m back to Jennie’s Journeys, I’d like to take this opportunity to dedicate this blog post to my dear friend, Leah.
Leah as my bridesmaid.
Now remembering happier times, let’s have a look at what Graydon and I got up to during our second week of our travels…
Aqualand
From my research before going away I had found out there were two waterparks fairly near to our hotel which was in Antalya centre. We never ended up going to The Land of the Legends because it turned out to be very difficult to get to and expensive. But that didn’t matter as we had the best day at Aqualand!
Aqualand was the perfect waterpark for me because although I love all things water, I do get pretty nervous about rides. However the slides at Aqualand were the perfect balance of fun but without being terrifying. So maybe if you’re a huge adrenaline junkie you wouldn’t enjoy it as much, but I left feeling very satisfied with myself for braving so many rides and loving it!
Another fantastic thing about Aqualand was that there were barely any queues, which is normally a huge problem at waterparks. This meant we could go on rides as many times as we wanted (we were actually exhausted by the end of the day) whereas in the past we’ve literally only been able to go on each ride once.
From our hotel near the old town we caught the Nostalgic Tram to the end of the line where Konyaalti Beach is, as mentioned in my previous post, then it was a short taxi ride to Aqualand. It was all straight forward going but be careful in taxis as on the way back the driver pretended not to understand what we were saying so he could drop us off further than we had asked and get more money!
Other than that though it was a fab day and I would definitely recommend Aqualand!
Antalya Aquarium
Antalya Aquarium is literally across the road from Aqualand and is open till 11pm, so we went straight over after Aqualand closed at about 5:30. But BE CAREFUL crossing the main road to get there as there are no crossings and we had to do some questionable things in order to get across safely! However after we made it across it appeared there may be a little train which goes between the two, which would obviously be the safer option.
Antalya Aquarium is also home to a reptile house and ice land (I’m not sure of the exact names but you get the idea). We only went in the Aquarium though as that alone was pretty expensive, and oddly enough they told us the price in dollars even though the currency in Turkey is Lira.
The Aquarium was good but nothing too special, although it is home to the world’s longest aquarium tunnel which is pretty impressive and we didn’t want to miss seeing it whilst in Antalya!
Park Orman
Park Orman is easy to get to as it’s on the end of the New Tram line, the stop is called FATiH. Then you literally walk straight forward continuing in the direction of the tram and after a couple of minutes you reach the entrance.
Park Orman is a strange one because on the website it shows all these adventorous activities it offers, such as zorbing, zip lining and high ropes. However when we got there it seemed deserted. Maybe this was due to it being a week day so there weren’t many families with children though, but it’s such a shame as this place has so much potential and it doesn’t really seem to be on the tourist radar.
I dragged Graydon on a rollercoaster that was most probably for little kids but oh well, then we were going to go horse riding. But after realising the staff didn’t speak any English we though better of doing an activity where we were inexperienced and couldn’t understand the instructions!
We ended up going Go-Karting which was a new experience for me and I loved it, especially as we were the only ones on the track! Also it was much cheaper compared to England and we had a whole 10 minutes.
We figured that Park Orman is a fun place to try if you’re staying in Antalya for two weeks or longer like us, but if you have limited time it’s probably not worth the visit.
Rafting
Rafting was something we were unsure about as we questioned how safe it would be. However we realised how many people take part in this activity every day, and also the fact that it’s summer so it’s not as much as a ‘white water’ experience as usual. This was great for me who’s a bit of a scaredy cat, but if you love the action then summer may not be the best time to go as there weren’t that many choppy parts.
The trip was really fun and also offered the opportunity to go zip lining and swimming in the canyon, however this was definitely the most disorganised trip out of all of them. The company was called Dallas Rafting and we just spent so long waiting around that we were probably only rafting for about an hour and a half out of a very long day.
Graydon and I braved it and jumped into the coldest water with the strongest current we’ve ever been in for a swim. But beware of jumping in if you’re not a strong swimmer as Graydon practically had to save a girl we had befriended from drowning!
Koprulu Canyon
Ruins and Manavgat Waterfall
This trip was great because everything was included in the price – entrance fees to three ancient sights, a waterfall and lunch (except drinks). Our guide was really informative and friendly, and you could tell he had a genuine interest in the history of these places.
We visited Side which was beautiful but strange as there were all these ancient ruins surrounded by shops and cafes. We only got about 45 minutes here, but let me tell you, Red Bull definitely saved the day as I was in no mood to be looking around when I first got off that coach!
Side
We had a quick stop at Manavgat Waterfall next which was long enough, as although it’s a lovely sight, disappointingly you’re not allowed to swim in it.
Manavgat Waterfall
Next was Aspendos amphitheatre which is so well preserved that I was blown away. I’ve never seen ruins that incredible, even if my fear of heights did get the better of me.
Aspendos
Finally we saw Perge which is a huge site. It’s very impressive, but don’t make my mistake of not having a drink with you as there’s a lot of walking involved. I’ve never been so desperate to down a Coke or fantasised so much about taking a cold shower.
Perge
This trip was great and as with all our organised trips, we booked with Nirvana Travel. Their shop is situated just inside the old town after you walk through Hadrian’s Gate. The staff are friendly and helpful and we thoroughly enjoyed every single one of our trips. The only downside was that actually finding the correct coach before and after trips caused a bit of anxiety due to poor organisation! But it always worked out fine, you just have to keep on your toes.
Mermerli Restaurant
I mentioned Mermerli Beach in my last post, and overlooking it is Mermerli Restaurant which obviously has gorgeous views but also great service and delicious food. I felt really fancy dining here what with my calamari rings one night and sea bass another, but for the quality the prices weren’t bad.
Mermerli Restaurant
And I felt like my life had reached it’s peak when I finished off a beach day and fancy meal with drinking straight from a coconut from one of the local drinks stalls!
The Sheffield Pub
For those of you who don’t know, we’re Sheffield born and bred, so no surprise that we were both thrilled and shocked to find a pub called ‘The Sheffield’ smack bang in the middle of Antalya old town!
We went in for a drink hoping for a chat with the owners who we assumed would be from Sheffield. However the staff member who served us told us the owners were Turkish but wanted to set up an English pub. I guess we’re pretty honoured that they chose to name it after good old Sheffield!
I was really impressed with how accurate they were in portraying an English pub though, so much to the point that I even felt my usual pang of anxiety that I get when walking into a bar back home!
Antalya Museum
Our flight home wasn’t till 10pm so our last day was well spent. We caught the Nostalgic Tram to the end of the line where Konyaalti Beach is again, then stopped for a nicely decorated iced coffee with a sea view. After that we wondered across the road to Antalya Museum.
We’d heard a lot about this museum on our trip to the ruins, as many of the artifacts were from those sights. At first we thought we wouldn’t be able to read any of the item descriptions, but as we got further into the museum they were in English as well as Turkish.
Walking amongst so many mighty statues was an exhilarating experience, and the selection definitely gets better the further into the museum you get.
Airport Transfer
Unfortunately our trip ended with a bit of stress. We’d booked our transfer through Jet2 who were great to fly with, but I think they need to be careful which companies they use to represent them abroad, as Holiday Taxis was a shambles!
There had already been confusion over them not letting us know what time they were picking us up, then they ended up being an hour late as they got lost but only informed us of this when we rang them! Thankfully the hotel owner was lovely as ever and sorted it out for us, and we still ended up being too early to check in at the airport.
In conclusion…
Turkey was a fantastic trip. Antalya might not be too popular as a holiday destination for the British, but I honestly don’t know why! There is plenty to do for two weeks as it allows you a great balance between action-packed activities and beach days.
Have you visited Antalya and if so, what were your favourite things to do – is there anything I haven’t mentioned? Or if you’re wondering where to book your next trip, Turkey might just be right for you. Let me know if you have any questions!
Jennie xx
Jennie's Journeys 