Climb off the rat race and come visit Antalya in Turkey. It’s the most beautiful city outside of Cape Town and it’s the holiday you deserve and can afford.
As Gasant Abarder writes in this week’s version of his #SliceOfGasant column, Antalya is the Cape Town we deserve because he had so many wonderful experiences there that he could never afford at home.
Travelling in Turkey on a family holiday has been a helluva rollercoaster ride – quite literally. I visited The Land of Legends in the city of Antalya last week and rode on terrifying rollercoasters. It is the closest thing to Disneyland that I can just about afford.
My experiences in Turkey ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime. We were treated like royalty at the Roxy Beach Club at Antalya’s Konyaalti beach with service and hospitality we could never afford at a day out in Clifton. Great food and drinks and friendly faces all round.
A day later, we cruised the islands on a boat around Antalya and I swam in the Mediterranean where the water is so clear you can see to the bottom. One of the islands is called the ‘Maldives of Turkey’. My friend, Smile FM’s breakfast show presenter Ryan O’Connor, wouldn’t have approved if I didn’t take what he calls a ‘mal dive’. So that’s exactly what I did, Ryan!
That evening we visited a sports-themed eatery to see Spurs demolish my Manchester United. As we were leaving, I asked a trader for the price of a Celtic kit for my daughter. He said 500 Turkish Lira and I tried bargaining. He became sarcastic, so we started walking. Then he called me a ‘f&^%ing Paki!’
I couldn’t believe my ears. But I was calm because the racism was so direct that I knew exactly what kind of person I was dealing with. It wasn’t a case of me thinking: am I just being sensitive? I guess the non-violent, subliminal racism cuts deeper.
But let me not give him more column space than this individual deserves.
Antalya is so similar to Cape Town but so much more affordable. I can dine at 5-star restaurants, go shopping, and be treated with a smile and a chat. Imagine, my surprise when my son and I were inside a store speaking Afrikaans when the owner replied to our conversation in Afrikaans. Luckily, I had said that the quality of his items was great.
We had a good laugh, and he gave us some great deals. Turns out, this Antalya local had an ex-girlfriend from Durban who taught him the language. The younger folks here are a lot wiser to the ways of the world and understand the value of tourism to their economy.
Though prices in Antalya have hiked due to the cost of living and the lira being in freefall, it is an affordable holiday for a family where you feel like you’re in an exotic destination with old world charm (even if the charm sometimes leaves the locals).
It’s the peak of the holiday season here with sweltering days and we can still comfortably afford all the experiences Antalya has to offer. To give you an idea: a meal at a top Indian restaurant for a family of six cost just R2 000. A tram to the beach cost R75. At the beach, we had three double day beds for hours and were waited on with food and drinks – an experience I will never forget. It hardly broke the budget.
If you can laugh at the trader for calling you a ‘f&^%ing Paki!’ in front of your kids (because last time I checked I wasn’t Pakistani), then Antalya is an overseas family holiday you deserve and can afford.
What I learnt most about this rollercoaster since my experiences in Istanbul last week is that you can either go with the rough and tumble or allow someone projecting their unhappiness to ruin an otherwise wonderful time. Once the Turkish folks learn that people come for the experiences, they will do even better at tourism that injects much needed funds into their economy.
The shopping will soon be forgotten. What I will never forget is my brain feeling like it would explode on a rollercoaster my kids forced me to ride or swimming in the invigorating waters of the Mediterranean for what felt like hours. Oh, and now I know what it’s like to take a mal dive too, Ryan O’Connor!
Also read:
Picture: Gasant Abarder
