A luxury trip to Antalya with Corendon

“Antalya’s population was 600,000 or 10 years ago. Today it’s 3 million,” said Ihsan, accredited tour guide, on a recent trip to southern Turkey. I blinked – not because I was blinded by the sun, but because of the enormous scale of its growth. It has increased five times in just 10 years.

When I returned home, I did what all the good travel journalists do and Googled it. And I also discovered that, ahead of cities like Dubai and Paris, it is currently ranked 6th in the world for the most international arrivals.

I don’t think there’s anything surprising. Antarya has an attractive mix of the sea, the sun, the old and the new – and the pace of life that suits both Wanderer and the very active, as we have found.

Antarya’s Old Town

Our Antalya experience began on a journey back in time. Isan introduced us to the old town of the city – Fresh – Translated to literally mean “inside the castle.” It is the heart and soul of the old Antarya, cobblestone lanes snake past Ottoman houses, bougainvilleas spill onto the rooftops, all within the defensive walls of the historic city.

Starting with the monument to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern turkeys, we confronted the minarets and red roof skyline before wiping out the ancient city and its marina. Beneath the fishing boats swayed gently as they have had for centuries, and the sea glowed blue, the painter’s dreams of but rarely matched.

From there, we adopted the Yivliminare Mosque, which has an interesting history. The prayer hall, which was converted from an existing Byzantine church, but thought to have been destroyed in the 14th century, was reconstructed in 1373 and is remarkable with its six domes, making it one of the oldest surviving examples of the Multidomy Mosque in Anatolia.

We were also taken to the Antalya Ethnographic Museum, housed in two restored Ottoman mansions. It introduces everyday life and provides insight into Antalya’s traditional culture, particularly during the Ottoman period.

Perhaps the most impressive architecturally, the Shezad Kolkout Mosque was a little further away. It was born as a Roman temple and converted to Byzantine churches before becoming a mosque. The characteristics of each era can still be seen – reminding us that the previous culture has not been erased, but has just been rewritten.

And don’t forget the gate of Hadrian, built in 130 AD to honor the ancient Antalya of the Roman emperor. Made primarily of white marble, it is a powerful reminder of Antaria’s rich Roman past, despite it memorializing only a fleeting visit.

This victorious triple arch gate, once part of the city’s walls, now shows worn stones. This is a testament to the passage of countless ancient carts.

Beyond the clock tower, we stopped by the statue of Atarus II, who founded Antaria as Antaria in the 2nd century BC. Here we had free time wandering the markets and cafes and perusing the products of spice sellers.

Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel

We stayed Corendon Playa Kemer HotelA comprehensive five-star resort with about 40 minutes drive south along the coast from Antalya.

Our standard sea view room was modern, airy and spacious with a small balcony overlooking the hotel’s pool and beach and Antalya Bay beyond.

There was a minibar refilled daily, you could help yourself and there was a small wine, snacks and fresh fruit to greet our arrival.

For the hotel food you are spoiled. Main Dining Area – Zefai Lantes – serves buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus food courts open outside of normal hours – perfect for late arrivals like ours. The Zephyrantes variety was very extensive and could please everyone, from adventurous foodies to the most popular.

There is also a separate a la carte restaurant (Bona Fiden) beyond the food court for a more intimate dining experience.

We ate here twice. The second visit was particularly memorable – a fun fish-themed evening featuring a meze – a precious staple of Turkish cuisine and social dining, perfect for families who want to enjoy quality time together.

In addition to providing a wealth of food, the facilities include a variety of bars, indoor and outdoor pools, spas (see Turkish bath experience below), gyms and water sports facilities during the main season.

We use our own cabanas overlooking the beach, with butler service and plenty of fridges, plus a small amphitheater hidden at one end of the complex hosting a variety of event programs.

The hotel has its own entertainment, but there are a variety of musical and cultural events that can be enjoyed in Antalya too. For example, next month alone, the city will host the Antalya Music Festival, the Antalya Acra Jazz Festival and Antalya Fashion Week, but later that year, the Kaleisi Old Town Festival aims to maintain and develop the city’s cultural and historical heritage.

Runtalya

The timing of our trip coincided with Runtalya, the city’s flagship running event. Now in its 20th year, there is a considerable number of supporters in Türkiye and internationally.

The event usually hosts around 10,000 runners from over 50 countries around the world each year. The name wall near the starting line showed that this year’s participants were taking part in all events, from 5K fun to full marathons.

Our youngest son, Tom and I rode the half marathon, and my wife, Becky, our older son, James, and the real hopes of the podium were registered at 10k. Unfortunately, James had to withdraw due to continued injuries, but his younger brother knocked over 10 minutes from the half marathon PB, finished 28m in 1H and landed in 50th place from over 900 runners. I finished in just under two hours (16th out of 57 finishers in my age category) and Becky completed the 10k with the 1 hour mark.

It’s a well-choreographed event, with plenty of aid stations along the route, and there’s plenty of support, a communal atmosphere, as well as entertainment that distracts us from the pain and pain we were experiencing along the way.

If you enjoy combining your travels with sporting events, like me, you may be interested in learning it X-Waters Antalya Open Water Swimming Race and Corendon Tahtalı runs into the sky Both will be held in the region next month.

Corendon Tennis Club Kemer

The morning after Lantaraya we went Corendon Tennis Club Kemerjust a few minutes’ drive from Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel. None of us would call you a tennis player, but we didn’t let it do.

The club caters to all abilities, includes 14 clay courts surrounded by Taurus Mountain hills and green forests.

Here we were warmly welcomed with the rackets, balls and optimism of the patients from two friendly coaches. We started with the coordination drill and learned to hit the ball without sending roughly from the court, and ended with a fun game where Team Corendon takes on Team Asics.

They may have been better than us at the running event the day before. One of them took a very impressive second place in the men’s half marathon, but I’m happy to report that they beat them in tennis.

The club also offers spacious and comfortable audience seating, cutting-edge floodlights for evening tennis, irrigation systems to moisten the clay, and on-site Corendon Club Café for meals and snacks.

Türkiye’s bus experience

Back at the spa at Corendon Playa Kemer Hotel, we ended our trip with the local ritual, the Turkish bath.

At first, there was a gentle poaching in the sauna. He was then called by Hammam. As we lay on a slab of heated stone, our therapists created a cloud of bubbles that looked like the size of a small sheep. We littered head to toe with soft foam before being taken to the treatment room for a main massage.

From there we headed to the relaxing lounge. There, a cooling face mask was delicately applied and reached its peak with us drinking Turkish tea.

The treatment felt both luxurious and cleansing. It was also perfect for loosening my legs after a half marathon. After a long recent run I usually feel pretty stiff, but oddly this time it wasn’t that bad.

Corendon Airlines

I flew at premium Corendon Airlines,Türkiye registered operations may not cause immediate recognition UK Or our travelers – yet. But like Runtalya, Corendon celebrates its 20th anniversary and is quickly gaining altitude.

We flew from Manchester on a Boeing 737-800 to Antalya. The front row seats gave me a bit more leg room than the already reasonable 30-32 inch pitch that most seats on the plane offer, so the 4 hour hops were a little more comfortable.

The boarding was smooth and I even managed to get a quick shot of myself, backing perfectly with the young man’s request to look at the cockpit before takeoff.

We moved the lights, but only the baggage (one 8kg cabin bag and one 3kg anchorage bag each), while the premium tickets were on two additional 20kg hold bags per person. So we could have brought our kitchen sink in, but of course we settled down to essentials and running gear to get through the airport quickly.

Corendon transports around 6 million passengers per year in a fleet of Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 737-800 Max model aircraft, providing direct flights to 65 countries to an extensive network of 165 airports. In the UK, flights to Antalya are available from London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Newcastle upon Tyne. British travelers can also fly directly to other Turkish destinations, such as Dalaman, Izmir and Istanbul.

Disclosure: Our trip was organized Corendon Airlines.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is an editor of luxury travel blogs and has worked in the travel industry for over 30 years. He is the recipient of the Innovation of the Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award by Wired Magazine. In addition to other awards, this blog was named “One of the World’s Best Travel Blogs” and “Best For Luxury.”