lifestyle THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016

Travel : ’s Riviera

Paradise on earth, land of mythology

ocated on Anatolia’s flourishing southwest coast his city as a major tourist destination because of its bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the nature and luxury hotels. Llargest Turkish city on the Mediterranean coast with over one million people in its metropolitan area. It Beautiful - Turkey’s hidden gem is the land of history and monuments. It is a ‘paradise’ Belek is one of the centres of Turkey’s tourism indus- on earth, the land of mythology and legends. It is the try and home to more than thirty four-star and five-star most beautiful Turkish city, a ‘Turkish Riviera’ where sun- hotels. It is increasingly in the spotlight for being a rays meet with seawater, providing very promising beautiful resort town on the Turkish Riviera of Antalya, investment opportunities as the flourishing heart of which is well known for its white-sand beaches sur- . rounded by pine forests. Its old downtown is testimony Antalya is a resort destination in Turkey and gateway to Turkey’s traditional culture and charm; and in addi- to its southern Mediterranean region, known as the tion, one can make the most of amazing sights such as turquoise coast for its blue waters. During the Roman Duden Waterfall-Kapuzkaldiran, Mount and era, Antalya was a major port city; today, a modern spectacular views over its natural, green landscape. metropolis surrounds ancient fortifications. Beaches are flanked by large hotels, and popular outdoor activities History also has multi-dimensional movie technology in its service) is a perfectly legitimate and efficient mode of include golfing, diving and hiking the 500-km Lycian The history of Belek dates back to the 4th Century Oceanride XD Cinema, with its extraordinary features transportation and visitors are encouraged to try it. Way footpath. BC. Over the ages, it has come under the Hellenistic, that are highly impressive. Roman and Byzantine as well as Seljuk influence, which Golf: If you are into sports and a fan of Golf in partic- has impacted the architecture and history of the place. ular, Belek has 14 huge and beautiful golf courses. When King Attalos II handed the territory over to the Designed by famous names like Feherty, and Romans in 133BC, the Roman influence became pre- Montgomerie, these courses have given Turkey interna- dominant and found expression in the architecture of tional golfing credibility, and have ensured that a golf large buildings, stadiums, gymnasiums, turrets and holiday in Turkey is a once in a life time opportunity. mosques - many theatres were also built during this period. Steps of Discovery Mount Olympos is a must see for all tourists coming to Turkey. A mountain which is roughly 15 km north of the city, Olympos offers a beautiful view of the whole town. Visitors can soak in the lush greenery of bay trees, Following the recent Turkish-Russian crisis and the and pines, while appreciating the importance of this drop in numbers of tourists visiting Turkey, the first historic landmark, which was once one of the members Antalya International Summit for Middle East & North of the Lycian Federation in Lycian times. Africa was held to encourage both Arab tourists and The Belek town mosque is one of the town’s most investors to visit Turkey. The summit was sponsored by historic landmarks. It is beautiful and relaxing, especially Turkish Airlines and organized by the West during the evening. Located in the centre of the town, Getting there Mediterranean Development Agency with full support the mosque stands alongside statues and a waterfall. All Turkish Airlines offers international flights to Antalya from the Turkish cabinet investment support agency. this, en route to lovely shops which can be found on the with a one stop flight in Istanbul or direct flights from Out and About tree-lined boulevards of the town. Istanbul to Antalya for local flyers. As ‘Europe’s Best Antalya Downtown offers visitors the chance to Duden Waterfalls - Karpuzkaldiran are another sight Airline,’ for the fifth year running at the Skytrax 2015 spend the whole day wandering down the streets of the worth seeing in the province of Antalya. The waterfalls, awards, Turkish Airlines continues to impress travellers old downtown and experience the true culture of the formed by the recycle station water, are located 12 km with its award-winning service and unsurpassed coun- area with all its local spices and traditional food. The old north-east of Antalya. They end where the waters of the try network. town is also the perfect opportunity for visitors to pick Lower D¸den Falls drop off a rocky cliff directly into the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles loyalty programme Turkish handicrafts and souvenirs for friends and family . rewards frequent flyers, Wingo promotions provide back home, in addition to delicious Turkish delights also competitively priced tickets, and guests travelling busi- make nice gifts. Dining Out ness class can enjoy the recently enhanced luxury CIP Antalya Aquarium is a great place to visit, especially if Among the specialties in Belek, one can have a soup lounge in Istanbul. you are with your family. As the world’s biggest tunnel called kulakli whose ingredients are chickpeas and aquarium with a length of 131 meters and a width of 3 small pieces of diced meat; tahinli piyaz, which is a It attracted over 240 travel agents and media from meters, it offers visitors a journey with the most colour- dried-bean salad seasoned with crushed sesame seeds; various Arab countries in addition to some GCC and ful, unusual and often deadly marine life. The aquarium tandir kebap; kabak tatlisi (pumpkin desert) sweetened Arab diplomats in Turkey. The summit was inaugurated with crushed sesame seeds and grape syrup and berg- by Turkish Minister of Tourism and Culture Hussein amot jam. Piman, who stressed that Turkey would always remain an island of stability and security thanks to its democra- Transportation cy, history and people. There are three modes of transportation inside Turkish Airlines’ vice president of sales and marketing Belek-city bus, metro or cab. They are all convenient. In in the Middle East Adam Sialan stressed that the carrier Antalya in general, the public bus system is the best has developed its fleet and has been awarded the method of getting to most parts of the region. It is not world’s best carrier award for five consecutive years. He necessary to rent a car or taxi. The public transportation added that Turkish Airlines has over 300 offices world- options in Antalya are efficient, inexpensive and con- wide and flies to over 266 destinations. Antalya venient for tourists trying to get to most of the major Governor Muammar Turker stressed the significance of destinations and attractions. The dolmus (shared taxi

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