This holiday season my hubby, Hasan, will be working in a travel and car rental agency. He will be doing his best to convince as many tourists as possible that they cannot have a fantastic holiday without going on one or more of his trips. Of course they have heard it all before from many agents all desperate to sell as many trips as they can. Hasan has his work cut out but I have no doubt he will be excellent at it as he has the gift of the gab in abundance. But I thought I’d give him a little helping hand anyway by just writing this post about some of the trips he will be selling, and if anyone is holidaying in Icmeler or Marmaris this year maybe Hasan can help make that holiday a bit more exciting.
The Good day Tourism company offers the usual Turkish excursions such as jeep and horse safaris, Village life tours, Turkish nights and Turkish baths. The Marmaris area is so rich in interesting sights and holiday makers are spoilt for choice for places to see and activities to do.
Here is a selection of the most popular:
The Dalyan tour includes a boat trip to see the Lycian Kings tombs, the turtle beach and ends with a wallow in the healing muds and a relax in the hot springs.
There are two water parks, Atlantis and Aqua Dream. nearby for all water babies young and old.
A boat trip going to Hisarönü to see the famous Kiz kumu.
The beautiful Gökova bay and the mountains is the place for rafting and diving adventures.
The Greek island of Rhodes is very near and there are daily boat trips. The boat gets into the harbour at 10.30 in the morning and leaves for Marmaris at 16.30, so the whole day is free for exploring the island. Rhodes town is considered to be one a the most beautiful towns in the Mediterranean, it is made of two parts the old medieval town and the new city. The Palace of Grand Master and the Monastery of Fileromos are both medieval sites built by the Knights of St John and both were reconstructed in the 20th century. On the island there is another monastery, Panagia Tsambika, the icon inside is thought to have miracle working properties. For ancient history lovers there is the Lindos acropolis which dates back to the Hellenistic period of history, nearby is the natural harbour where St Paul took refuge in a storm in 58 AD and from then on Christianity was established on the island. The Valley of the butterflies is a must for nature lovers, it’s a green valley full of Plane trees and running water making it a haven for butterflies to breed.
From Gökova bay a 2 hour boat trip goes to Cleopatra’s Island, legend has it that the sand on the beach was imported from the Red sea by Mark Anthony for Cleopatra and it squeaks under every step due to the grain’s unique shape. The trip allows 3 hours of free time to explore the island, as well as the beautiful beach there is an ancient amphitheatre and fortifications.
For travellers who don’t mind a longer journey and perhaps an overnight stay there are excursions to Pamukkale near Denizli and Ephesus near Kusadasi. Pamukkale means ‘cotton castle’ in Turkish and there is nowhere like it anywhere in the world. On top of a hill are pools of mineral deposits that can be paddled in, but a word of advice take great care as they can be very slippery under foot. Very nearby is the ancient city of Hieropolis which in ancient Greek means ‘Sacred city’. In the sacred pool it’s possible to swim in the hot water along with ancient artifacts, the vapours from the water were thought to have come from Pluto the Greek god of the underworld. If swimming doesn’t appeal, feet can be dipped into the hot springs renowned for their healing properties. The city was established in the 4th century BC and is remarkably well preserved and has a very impressive amphitheatre.
Perhaps arguably the most famous and important ancient city in Turkey is Ephesus, situated between Selçuk and Kuşadası this site is a must see for all visitors to the region. The site is crammed with very well preserved buildings, temples and roads and is well known for a great many things, here are a few; the first public toilets, the Library of Celsius, the huge amphitheatre and Cleopatra’s sister is said to be buried there. One of the seven wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis is very near in Selçuk behind the museum, but only one column remains. In 42 AD the Virgin Mary and St. John visited Ephesus and Mary then settled up in Mount Bulbul nearby, the house is still there and is visited by millions each year.
As well as selling all of these wonderful trips the other part of the business, Aktif Rent a car, does what it says in the title….rents out cars on a daily, weekly, monthly or long term basis. If that’s not enough they also ferry tired and excited holiday makers to and from Bodrum, Izmir, Dalaman and Antalya airports.
Situated on the only main road leading straight down to the beach, sandwiched between a bag shop and a Real Estate office on the right hand side the office cannot be missed. They are very well placed to do extremely well this season and I wish them all the luck in the world.
Carole Gardiner
back to life 