Turkish delight in Kusadasi package
INDEPENDENT travel breeds a reverse snobbery towards the package holidaymaker that somehow makes it seem sane to pity those with a roof over their head while bedding down on a railway platform for the night.
And then parenthood happens and suddenly it feels a tad irresponsible to venture beyond the garden gate without secure food and lodging and sufficient knowledge of the local language to scream: Does anyone know where I can buy a replacement Peppa Pig beanie toy?
So when a week in Turkey beckoned it seemed like a good idea to give the two preschoolers their first taste of foreign travel with a package that left little to chance.
Izmir, the main arrival point for the resort town of Kusadasi, is four and a half hours flight away so it’s manageable, although tolerance levels in the next row were tested when the four-year-old repeatedly asked why the plane had stopped during periods of smooth flight and then whooped with delight during turbulence, hollering: “Now I know we’re really flying” just as the neighbours were reaching for their rosary beads.
The first thing to remember about package holidays with children is that they’re not just travelling with you — they’re travelling with everyone else on the package and not everyone is going to love them like you do. Apart from the Turks, of which more later.
It was a lovely feeling to arrive at an airport and have holiday reps waiting with transfer coaches. The coach was comfy, the rep’s patter warm and welcoming and the hotel check-in was effortless. What could go wrong?
Well, opening the door to the family suite was the first mistake. The kids left dust clouds in their wake as they tore around inspecting the adjoining rooms while parents tore around moving items of furniture in front of balcony doors that couldn’t be locked.
Just as that potential disaster was being averted, the two-year-old clambered on to a bed and immediately bounced off backwards, landing skull first on the tiles with a crack that is the stuff of parental nightmares.
And so the first night was spent on a mattress on the floor beside the tear-stained toddler, watching a large angry bump for signs of further growth, monitoring its owner for any signs of ill-effects, and thinking rather illogically that this would never have happened on a railway platform.
Next morning she made her customary protest against wearing anything remotely resembling a dress, which was as good an all-clear as any neurosurgeon could have given so, with much relief, it was off to forage for breakfast.
Except, on a package holiday, it’s all laid out for you and the only challenge is deciding which end of the buffet spread to start from.
The choice was good and the sight of the kids scoffing eggs, tomatoes, yoghurt, giant slabs of watermelon and freshly baked breads with admittedly too much jam allowed for a mental ticking of the protein, dairy, carbs and Vitamin C boxes.
At this rate, they’d only have to be fed once a day. This was all too easy. And sure enough, smugness is rarely rewarded.
If there’s one thing more challenging than keeping kids safe from heat stroke on a sun holiday, it’s keeping them amused when the sun is a no-show.
It was a freakishly cloudy, windy and wet week, completely at odds with the region’s almost guaranteed uninterrupted May to September sunshine.
The kids were game for the pool but had to be extracted shivering in under 30 minutes. The hotel playground provided diversion for another hour, and the kids club with its Montessori style playroom was useful, but the beach, a tantalising few minutes stroll away, was not an option.
Kusadasi was worth exploring for while it is not a handsome town, its hilly streets, winding bazaars and anarchic town planning generate plenty of buzz.
A trip to the centre on the No 5 bus which bumped past the hotel every five minutes was never less than entertaining for its mix of confused tourists and bemused locals, while the long promenade, dotted with cafes, ice-cream vendors and small playgrounds, made a good spot for people-watching and juvenile energy expending.
Kusadasi is also a good base for various day trips and there are countless local excursion agents offering guided tours.
Ephesus, less than an hour’s drive away, is a must-see. The remains of the ancient city are brilliantly preserved, and with only about a fifth of the site excavated so far, it’s an attraction that will continue to improve.
Other options include trips to the unspoiled Dilek Peninsula National Park [in this case spoiled by rain] or to hillside villages draped in olive groves, cherry orchards, vineyards and row after row of trees bearing peaches, pears, oranges, almonds and walnuts.
It sounds idyllic but in truth, it’s a hardscrabble existence for many and a trip through their world gives an interesting insight into life in one of the next EU candidate states.
A surprise hit on this expedition was Oleatrium, a museum dedicated to the history of olive pressing, set in beautifully restored farm buildings with well exhibited artefacts and machines that the kids gleefully declared to be robots.
The sun did come out eventually on the afternoon of the last full day of the holiday and it gave a welcome if belated taste of what a typical week could be like.
Ladies Beach, the most popular in Kusadasi, is not large but it is clean and stone-free with beautifully clear waters that shelve very gradually making it safe for paddlers of all ages.
The beach is lined with cafes and bars, most appealing directly to Irish and British tourists with menus heavy on the sausage and chips, but they also offer good fish options, superb salads, the inevitable kebabs and Turkish mezes which are small plates of cheese, vegetable, nut and seafood based snacks that can be ordered alone or in combination to make a spicy, varied meal.
The local beer, Efes, is very good and much cheaper than imports, while the wine was an unexpected delight.
One of the other surprising things about Kusadasi is the number of repeat visitors. On the transfer from the airport when the rep asked for a show of hands by those who had been before, the first-timers were in the minority.
One woman who stopped to chat on the beachside had come twice yearly for nine years, collecting her wide-brimmed Jackie Onassis sun hat from behind the counter of her favourite restaurant each time so it wouldn’t get creased in her case.
That kind of hospitality is undoubtedly a factor in the area’s appeal, as is the cost as it’s one of the budget options for sun holidays.
It’s not as well set up for younger visitors as Spain and Portugal but the Turkish people adore children. At home, it is the four-year-old’s brown curls that attract most comment but in Turkey, it was all about his very blonde sister and, in the post-Madeline McCann era, it was initially disconcerting to have everyone from elderly women in shawls, to taximen, bus drivers and waiters wanting to kiss her for good luck.
Travelling with children is always going to be an adventure whether or not you package the experience, but it was a comfort to know that if the bed bouncing incident had resulted in more than superficial injuries, there was a 24-hour on-call English-speaking clinic and a travel rep at the end of the phone.
On the other hand, we did locate the toyshop by ourselves. Even in a package, there’s room for a little independence.
Caroline O’Doherty travelled to Turkey courtesy of Sunway Holidays and stayed in the four-star Sea Pearl Hotel in Kusadasi. Seven nights B&B in this hotel on July 12 with flights from Dublin or Cork and including airport transfers, accommodation, 20kg checked in bag, resort representative service and all taxes starts from €599. www.sunway.ie or phone Sunway 01-2886828
Currency is the Turkish Lira which roughly converts at three lira to the euro, and meals in beachside restaurants can be had for €3-€6 for salads, €6-€9 for kebabs, €8-€14 for fish. Kids menus are often available, but very chip-dependent, for about €3. A big bottle of local beer costs €2-€3.
Turkish visa requirements changed in April and a visa can no longer be purchased on arrival but must be secured electronically in advance. The application process is simple, however, and 48 hours in advance is time enough. Details on www.evisa.gov.tr
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