EXOTIC MED
Med confidential There’s more to the Med than beaches. These far-flung favourites come with cool culture and warm waters
Antalya, Turkey Urban stress-remedies don’t come simpler than a molar-dissolvingly sweet coffee with pastry in the tiny walled quarter of Kaleici, in the heart of Antalya. Harbours, waterfalls and beaches are attractions beyond the town, and warm (25ºC) autumn temperatures make the resort as popular with Turks today as it was with the Romans. STAY The Tuvana (tuvanahotel.com; rooms from $190, half board). Once guesthouses for Ottoman Society, these are now exquisitely restored houses with period furniture and a fruit garden: pick your own plums and pomegranates. Owned by a garrulous Armenian family, The Ninova Pension (ninova-pension.com; rooms from $64, B&B) has a citrus garden
and a beguiling atmosphere – with echoing footsteps and shadows from the old town lending mystery at sunset. EAT Sit in the garden at Kral Sofrasi (Kaleici Yat Limani 35, Merkez), looking out over cream and ochre rooftops, while forking at Turkish staples such as guvec (stew) and midye tava (mussels in batter with garlic). Guneyliler (Elmali Mahallesi 4) is a city favourite for its enormous kebabs and its lahmacun – minced beef or lamb on pizza-style bread (dishes from $7). SEE Start with a wander around the new marina, Kaleici, which bristles with cafes, gardens and mosque spires. It attracts Turkey’s newly wealthy, yet the hubbub evokes its earlier incarnation as a sleeves-
up working harbour. From here, you can board a boat for a half-day tour taking in views of the Duden waterfalls, plunging into the ocean. Back in town, lunch on fresh sardines and prawns in the garden at Hasanaga (00 90 242 247 1313), near Hadrian’s Gate. The gate itself is a Roman triumphal arch with marble columns, the slabs underfoot grooved by centuries of carts. Next day, leave the Kaleici quarter for Ataturk Caddesi, the main shopping boulevard, lined with date palms. Hop on a ’50s tram heading west to Muze. You’ll pass minarets and leafy squares thronged with stooped widows, lazing bikers and sun-seeking office workers at lunch. And don’t leave Antalya without walking to Hidirlik Kulesi – a watchtower from Roman times – to see the cherry-red sunset behind the Lycian mountains. KWT
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