Hi guys welcome to another episode of Ultimate Bucket List, and on today's show I show you around
one of the most interesting and cost-effective winter-sun destinations that you can visit
Antalya, the jewel of southern Turkey. this is famous for its cultured city,
its historical sites, and the many Las Vegas style resorts that span each of its beaches. With warm
year-round temperatures and its location on the Mediterranean,
this is the perfect winter sun destination and the best part is it's cheap. Very cheap! A holiday
here won't break the bank but more on that later. Probably the first stop in our tour of Antalya is
this Kaleici or the old town. This is the original part of Antalya and even though
the weather was a bit crappy on the day that I actually went into town, it doesn't detract
from the fact that there's a lot of things to see. But be warned; it's like a bit of a labyrinth so
whilst you're wandering down all these side streets and back streets having a look at all
these old buildings and old shops, it's pretty easy to get lost. So I highly recommend that
you download an offline map and keep it on your phone just in case you can't find your way out.
It really is kind of like a labyrinth in here albeit a very interesting one.
Probably the most famous bit of Antalya is this the Yivli Minare Mosque. The tower itself
is the symbol of Antalya, kind of like what the Eiffel tower is to Paris,
but significantly smaller. You can see this tower from miles away and especially out at sea.
But the tower is actually attached to the town's mosque and the mosque itself, you can
actually go inside. It's ornately decorated on the inside and it's pretty interesting to
walk around but bear in mind remember to take your shoes off before you enter the building.
Whilst you're around the mosque you'll find one of the many museums that adorn the city.
I went into this one it looks pretty interesting especially some of the artefacts on display.
Once again shoes off before you actually go inside.
But the main attraction of this particular museum is a whole bunch of dead guys. So I don't know who
these people are, but yeah apparently these guys are really really famous and in boxes.
Somewhere along the city you'll find this: Hadrian’s wall. Not to be confused with this
Hadrian’s wall that encompasses Scotland, but this is to commemorate the roman emperor of Hadrian,
and was built in about 130AD, so it's a pretty old wall.
Another roman thing you'll encounter is this the Hidirlik Tower
which is another Toman tower and it overlooks the entire harbour. And there's this cool
vantage point that you can go on and take some cool pictures of it. Okay, today's not the best
day in terms of weather to take pictures but it's still pretty cool to look at.
Speaking of harbour the actual harbour of Antalya is pretty interesting also. Now, if you wander
around the old harbour you'll come across some very crazily themed boats. Literally you've
got pirates of the Caribbean here, and you know, skull and crossbones here. It's all pretty funky
but the harbour itself is actually quite nice to wander around especially on a day where it's not
chucking it down with rain. And if you've got time I highly recommend that you jump on a boat and
actually take a tour around Antalya's coastline. You get to see some pretty amazing stuff like
caves and buildings you've got a lovely view of the mountains over in the distance,
and whilst you're on the boat you can pretend to be Rose from Titanic, just like this couple
here. I did it myself but obviously nobody wanted to be my Jack which is a bit of a shame really.
From the boat you'll see waterfalls and there are two waterfalls in Antalya that you must visit
the lower duden waterfalls which is this place. Admittedly I usually try and fly a
drone to get some nice aerial shots of this but this particular waterfall happens to
be in the flight path of Antalya airport so no flying drones whilst you’re around here.
It's still pretty cool to look at from the coastline though.
And this the upper duden waterfalls located in duden park and admittedly these waterfalls are
slightly more impressive. You'll probably need a separate bus ride to get you to these waterfalls
but they are definitely worth a look. If you can't be bothered venturing out on your own,
you can see the waterfalls from a boat and whoa check out that guy! Look at how many churros that
guy got on his head?! Wow that guy's got skills! But the main city of Antalya itself is a lot
more modern than I let on. It's got modern shops and modern bars and modern eateries,
and if you're a shopper and you do like shopping this is a complete heaven for you.
Pretty much every shop along here sells designer goods and unfortunately none of them are real, but
that just means that they're incredibly cut price. And the quality of these fake designer goods
is actually quite reasonable so long as you haggle with the seller at a reasonable price you could
come home with a nice big wardrobe full of new clothing, and it won't cost you very much at all.
Just so long as you know that they're fake from the outset there shouldn't be any nasty surprises.
But let's say you don't want to do any of that. Maybe you don't want to see any sights. Maybe you
don't want to go shopping. What if all you want to do is lie on a beach, top up your tan, and
eat lots of food and drink lots of alcohol? Well believe it or not Antalya is the perfect place for
you because on either side of Antalya city there lies two very famous beaches. Konyaalti beach
which is located to the west, and Lara beach which is located to the east. And the beaches themselves
are incredibly clean they go on for miles and they have lovely views of the sun and the mountains.
So you can sunbathe and swim and run to your heart's content. And on those beaches are Las
Vegas style hotels and resorts as far as the eye can see. and I’m not joking about that!
Some of these hotels wouldn't look out of place in Las Vegas and inside it's all five-star luxury.
In fact, most of the hotels along the strip of Lara beach are all five-star hotels so if you're
looking for a very extravagant hotel that you can just drink your holiday away or eat plenty of free
food or just take it easy, any one of these hotels along the stretch of beach will do the trick.
And even though they're five-star hotels they don't come with five-star prices
literally all-inclusive hotels along this strip don't cost all that much at all. The exchange rate
is generally favourable to western countries and the service at these resorts is second to none.
Everything that you see here is included in the price, so if you are after a cost-effective
holiday staying on a beachside resort along Lara or Konyaalti beach is probably a good way to go.
And it's not just for adults either. There's plenty of things to do for kids there's plenty
of things to keep kids entertained. So if you do want to take the whole family but not actually
have to look after your own kids, there's plenty to do here! Whether it's on-site amusement parks,
outdoor swimming pools, nightly entertainment. It's all included in the price and whilst i was
staying here I stayed at a place called the Aska Lara resort and all it cost was £300 all-inclusive
for an entire week. Which is probably the cheapest deal that you'll find anywhere.
So if you are looking for that kind of holiday I recommend that you find a hotel
right along the beach so that you can walk out of your hotel room straight into the sea.
But let's say you want a bit more excitement. Let's say you want more things to do what
else is there to do in Antalya? Well if you're a big fan of sports Antalya has its
own football and basketball teams which are incredibly popular with the local residents
if you want to see an Antalyaspor game, tickets are usually incredibly easy to come by, except if
they're playing any of the big teams from Istanbul such as Besiktas, Galatasaray or Fenerbahçe.
You can also visit the ancient sites of Aspendos the Karain caves- both of those I’ve yet to do
which gives me another reason to go back there. Or you can visit the Ancient city of Perga,
which is absolutely immense! So immense that I actually made a separate video about it
right here on my channel - I highly recommend that you check that out!
So guys if you want a holiday that's rich on culture, rich on things to do, rich on
quality of resorts, but you don't actually have to be rich to go there - Antalya is pretty much
the perfect destination for you. Especially if you're willing to travel out of season.
Okay Ninh, I’m sold what do I need to do? Well you need to come here to the city of Antalya.
You'll need to fly directly into the city's airport which is Antalya International Airport
and that's about 15 miles away from the town of Antalya. It's pretty easy to get into Antalya
from the airport either use the buses you can pay exact cash or take a prepaid card,
or get a tram card and use the tram instead. The most expensive way of getting around town
is the taxi and they cost pretty much western rates, but if you're going to places like the
ancient city of Perge, it's by far the fastest method to actually go somewhere.
The cost? Well pretty much everything is cheap from the food that you eat there to the drinks
that you drink there to the actual hotels that you stay in. My flight and accommodation for
a week's day here in January cost just £300 and that's all-inclusive all my food or my drink. So
if you are on a tight budget and you want maximum value definitely definitely consider going here.
But buyer beware though, if you go into a shop and no price is displayed you're expected to
haggle don't pay the first price that they offer you. Always try to whittle them down
until they can go down no more. Obviously if the prices are displayed like it is in a supermarket
that is the price that you pay. If you're looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend staying on
any beachside resort on Lara beach. Especially if they're five stars and especially if they're
owned by the Stone Group. So the Royal Holiday Palace, the Royal Seginus, the Royal Wings.
I’ve stayed at most of these and I can attest that they are some of the finest hotels and
some of the finest service that you'll find in all of Turkey. This time round,
I did stay at a different resort. I stayed at the Aska Lara, and whilst it was okay if I had
to come to Antalya again (and I probably will), I would probably stay in one of the royal resorts.
Is there anything else I need to know? Yes, when you're walking around Antalya you'll find that
there's lots of stray animals everywhere. Particularly on the beach, particularly at
your hotel resort. Turkey is a Muslim country and ownership of pets isn't encouraged so most of the
time people have communal pets where people look after animals that just happen to be around them.
And this is pretty cool so if you do come across stray dogs like this you'll be safe to know that
they're pretty much clean and taken care of. And in my hotel I even had one as a dinner guest one
evening which was nice. It helps to learn basic Turkish phrases but you don't need to be fluent
in order to get by. You could always find someone who speaks English here so even
though it's a predominantly Turkish-speaking country you'll always find someone who can
communicate in your language. Especially if you're staying at these high-end resorts
the people here are lovely and if you treat them with lots of smiles and lots of tip money
that can go a long way to making sure that you have a fantastic holiday.
And finally travel restrictions due to coronavirus are incredibly lax here so if
you're not fully vaccinated that's okay, if you're fully vaccinated that's okay.
They want your tourist money so they try and make it as easy as they can for you to visit
their country. But always check travel restrictions before you end up going.
So guys if you do want a fantastic all-inclusive cost-effective holiday in the sun look no further
than Antalya and if you have enjoyed this video please be sure to like share and subscribe.
Comment on the comment section below and if you've got any other suggestions for Bucket
List ideas you know what to do, Tweet them at me. If I get enough suggestions I’ll go
ahead and do that so guys thank you very much for watching and we'll see you in the next episode!
Ninh Ly – www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK