Where better to book your holiday to Turkey than right here at Jewel in the Crown Holidays? And why holiday anywhere else in the world when there is a stretch of coastline which is stunningly beautiful, with pine-clad mountain ranges dropping gently into the crystal clear and inviting sea? This is the beauty of Turkey and it is less than 4 hours away.

It was the early 'eighties when we first visited Turkey. Then, it was totally uncommercialised, and the large tour operators did not even consider operating to this wonderful part of the Aegean or Mediterranean. We will not pretend that Turkey has not changed; it has. It's become a lot more popular and all resorts now cater for every need of the tourist and, as a result, many regular visitors have now purchased property out there. When we first visited Olu Deniz there were half a dozen hotels and several had around a dozen what can only be described as garden sheds, that were rented out to Turkish families. We still use one of these original hotels but it now has a new wing with air-conditioning. The garden sheds are still there though, albeit hidden discreetly in the olive groves. We hasten to add they are not still used by us!

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The Turkish people are extremely friendly and hospitable. In the summer, the hotels are staffed mostly by students who speak excellent English. We were driving past Patara when we picked up a flat tyre. We opened the boot; the spare was flat too, so the first house in the village of Patara became the AA/RAC! They managed to get us a taxi that took us to the local garage on the main highway. The spare was repaired and the taxi driver took us back. The taxi driver helped us change the tyre and for his trouble he charged us approximately £6.00 plus the cost of repairing the two tyres of £4.00. The whole village turned out to find out where we were from, what we were doing? Simple values are never too far away.

Turkey is predominantly a Muslim country. So how does that affect the holidaymaker? Well, it doesn't. Local older women wear headscarfs and the calling to prayer from the minaret 5 times a day is the only thing that is different. The regions away from the tourist areas do tend to be more conservative but people keep their religion to themselves. Turkey has and always will welcome the tourist.

Eating out is an absolute must. There are lots of local vegetarian dishes, beans, borek (filo pastry with cheese), mezes, and a mixture of different starters and a variety of salads as well as kebabs, and mouth-watering tandoor; lamb that is cooked in an oven for up to six hours; and is delicious. Turkey is still a relatively inexpensive place to eat out. Local drinks are also very inexpensive. Try the 'Efes' beer or raki (similar to Greek ouzo), often termed 'Lion's Milk'. Your rep will explain why! In most larger towns, there are local lokantas, traditional Turkish restaurants, where the food is cooked in large dishes and displayed for people to select. It's just great to experience traditional Turkish food. These are the most inexpensive and delicious places to eat.

There is more history along the Turquoise Coast than in any other part of Turkey. This was the ancient kingdom of Lycia, with thousands of distinctive rock tombs. The best of these are in the Dalyan and Fethiye areas, although Kas and Kalkan have lots of interesting sites as well. There is even a beautifully-preserved tomb in the middle of Kas high street. Recent discoveries of ancient sites have also occurred in Patara and, with the removal of sand from the steps of the amphitheatre, an almost intact site has been revealed causing great excitement! History is everywhere. Visit Ephesus for some of the best preserved sites in the world.

The area from Turunc to Kas is, we believe, th emost beautiful part of Turkey. the scenery is spectacular. There are three distinct possibilities available; the less commercial resorts such as Turunc, Calis, Dalyan, Kas and Kalkan. the slightly larger resorts of Icmeler, Fethiye, Hisaronu, Olu Deniz and Ovacik. Finally Marmaris, which has thousands of shops, bars and restaurants to offer, ideal for peopls who want the hustle and bustle of a busy cosmopolitan resort.

Click here for our guide to the resorts of Turkey...