Episode 6 Getaways

Welcome to the travel show where we go where you want us to go.

We've come to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey - the Aegean coast.

We asked you to contact our website with your top tips,

of what to do here and what to avoid.

We've taken your recommendations and are going to rate and review them

for ourselves and for you at home.

To get to the Aegean coast, you can fly directly from Dublin to Izmir.

The flight takes around four hours.

This popular region makes an ideal holiday for those

who love good value beach resorts in an area

that's also rich in history and culture.

Joe, what are you hoping to get out of this holiday in Turkey?

When I think of Turkey I think of high-rise apartments

and hotels, just lying on the beach all day,

then hitting the bars and clubs at night.

I'd like to see if there's more to the region than that. You?

I want to see if there's more than the package holiday reputation

-that it has. I'd love to see some Turkish culture.

-All right, let's go check it out.

We've taken on board the advice you sent to us via our website

and come up with our top-five things to do in this part of Turkey.

We've also thrown in a few alternative things to do in this area.

But before we get going, here are some of the essentials

you need to know about Turkey's Aegean coast.

Turkey has long been a popular tourist destination,

due in part to the fact that it's outside the Eurozone

and considered a lot cheaper than the Costas.

Now, you CAN spend Euros here. We'd recommend you don't.

Use Turkish lira, you will get better value for money.

It can be blistering hot.

We visited in July and it was over 40 degrees,

so you'll spend a lot of time looking for somewhere to cool down.

And it's not just the beach that's the attraction here.

Another huge part of Turkey's appeal is its amazing history

and archaeological sites.

There are many ancient ruins which feature in the historic tales

of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

We've chosen the best of your recommendations in this area,

and kicking off at number five is Kusadasi,

one of the most popular package holiday destinations in Turkey.

As one of the largest resorts on the Aegean coast, Kusadasi is long known

to Irish holidaymakers as a good value-for-money destination.

As well as catering for package holidays,

it's also become a popular cruise ship port.

It has a wide range of accommodation for all budgets

and lots of bars, restaurants and beaches.

Pigeon Island is one of the main landmarks in Kusadasi.

It was a popular resting place for migrating birds.

"Kus" means bird, "ada" means island.

You can see where I'm going here. The name Kusadasi, or Bird Island.

One of the things many of you associate with a Turkish holiday

is bagging yourself a wee bargain.

And Kusadasi has one of the largest outdoor bazaar areas

outside of Istanbul.

These districts and markets were set up to cater for tourists

who are looking for cheap leather goods, fake designer handbags,

carpets, other souvenirs which can sometimes veer

into the very tacky indeed.

-LONDON ACCENT:

-"Here you go, ladies and gentlemen - your genuine, fake,

"designer fragrances."

Yeah, you're bound to smell great when you're wearing them, eh?

Like a million lira.

This is a very Irish place.

Do you get a lot of Irish people coming here?

90% all Irish customers there. Second Ireland, we call.

-Have you picked up any of the accents?

-Sure. Like Dublin accent.

-Yeah, go.

-The Irish say, "Oh, that's gorgeous! Isn't it, O'Malley?"

That's my Dublin accent.

Hello, how are you? I'm Joe.

-Hi, I'm Sean.

-Sean?

You do have an Irish look about you. How much would this set me back?

This genuine fake Valentino Garavani?

20 euros, I give it you.

-I reckon you can do it for 10.

-15, I take.

-12.

-Give me your hand, you make good deal. Turkish deal.

-There we go.

-13, I take.

-No, 12, we said 12, we shook on 12! We shook on 12!

-12 is OK.

-13!

You've got to watch that lot, you've got to watch that.

And the appeal of Kusadasi as a holiday resort

is that there's bucket loads to do here.

It's a great place for all the family.

And if you've got kids,

this is the one place they will definitely nag you to visit.

We're here in Adaland, which is just 20 minutes outside of Kusadasi.

It has over 20 rides and attractions and is home to The Amazon,

one of the longest family slide in Europe.

And guess who gets that one? Yes!

Great.

But Joe's not having all the fun.

SHE SQUEALS

EXCITED SCREAMING

Adaland is expensive, as it costs from 20 euro for a ticket,

but it is one of the largest aqua parks in Turkey

so it's definitely worth splashing out on.

That's a ride!

I'm going to do that again! Woo!

Now, a great way to end your day is an evening

of traditional Turkish culture.

That involves Turkish food, Turkish music,

whirling dervishes and, of course, belly-dancing.

-Let's go.

-Hell, yeah!

ATMOSPHERIC TURKISH MUSIC PLAYS

If you're after a bit of entertainment with your dinner,

then this is pretty cheesy. But let's be fair,

it's not something you're going to see every night back at home.

A Turkish night like this normally lasts about two and a half hours

and costs around 35 euro per person. Food, wine and beer is included.

SHE SINGS

If Kusadasi feels a bit too package holiday for you,

or if you want to leave your hotel and explore,

in this region of Turkey there's plenty for you to see and do.

One of the best ways to see the Aegean coast is by boat,

and if you can't afford your own yacht,

there's plenty of day trip options.

The boat trips are popular because they take you to areas

that are much less crowded than those in the resorts,

and if you're up for some fun, they can turn into a bit of a party.

Before coming to Kusadasi, I thought it'd be really tacky,

and to be honest, it is a bit.

But if you're looking for a package holiday or a beach resort town,

I think it's far nicer than its European equivalents.

Plus it's a great place to use as a springboard into the rich culture of Turkey.

Kusadasi is the most popular resort for Irish people visiting Turkey,

and another reason for this is that you can take day trips

to some amazing sites.

And at number four of our top choices from your recommendations

is one of these day trips.

It's a two-hour journey from Kusadasi

to one of the most stunning natural features in Turkey - Pamukkale.

Pamukkale is one of Turkey's most unusual landmarks.

Pamukkale means "cotton castle" in Turkish,

which is a great description of these naturally-formed cotton deposits.

Pamukkale is a long drive from Kusadasi,

but we reckon this place really is special and makes a great day out.

As well as the calcified landscape at Pamukkale,

here you'll also find the ancient ruins of Hierapolis.

Hierapolis means "sacred city"

and is believed to have been founded by Apollo himself.

It is said that Antony and Cleopatra spent quite a bit of time here,

and in fact he gave her this entire area as a wedding gift.

Ladies, you've got to say, that man was a keeper.

One of the things you simply should not miss is the Sacred Pool

at Hierapolis, which is a World Heritage site.

The springs are famed for their healing properties.

Apparently it's good for your eyes, your skin,

arthritis and rheumatism, and if you come here,

you can swim amongst the original ruins that lie beneath the water.

One thing we really liked about this area of Turkey

is that it isn't just about built-up package resorts, and that's why

we've chosen the small town of Alacati as our number three choice.

Alacati is this region's most upmarket resort

and is a favourite with Istanbul's cosmopolitan crowd.

Alacati is a two-hour drive north of Kusadasi,

and I liked getting away from a busy resort to somewhere smaller,

quieter and more sophisticated.

And if you like antiques and collectables,

then you'll find a large antiques market here at weekends.

Formerly an isolated village,

the town's popularity has grown as a tourist destination

and many of the stone buildings have now been converted

into upmarket restaurants, designer shops and boutiques hotels.

Without a doubt, water sports are the biggest attraction here

and the area is famous for its windsurfing and kite surfing.

And when in Turkey, something you said we really should try

is a Turkish bath, also known as a hamam.

After a day in the sun,

this deep cleansing experience is apparently the perfect way

to relax and unwind, and leaves you feeling and looking great.

Now, lads, if you're someone who regards the hamam as a little bit

too metrosexual, you might want to go for something manly,

like a good old shave with a cut-throat razor,

plus a head massage,

facial and...eyebrow wax.

-Hello.

-Hi.

-How are you?

-I'm good, thank you.

Ahh!

I hope he's got a steadier hand than I do.

And he wasn't on the tour last night.

Here we go.

'To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect.

'It's a pretty hands-on experience.'

Look, it's like I'm in Father Ted.

I wasn't expecting this.

Another man cutting your nose hair.

Yeah, there's nothing more manly than this.

Relaxed? Yeah.

Looking good? I sincerely doubt it.

That was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had,

but I highly recommend it.

Are we done? Mustiq, my man, you've got magic hands. Beautiful.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

That was great. Come here. No, come on.

Coming up on Getaways, we take a visit to a town that's small

but perfectly formed, and journey through one of the world's

best-preserved ancient cities.

But first, if you can't stand the heat,

why not take a short getaway closer to home?

Now, for those who prefer not to travel too far

but still want a bit of adventure on their holidays,

I'm exploring an activity break in County Roscommon.

I'm in Lough Key Forest Park here in Roscommon.

Roscommon is somewhere people normally drive through to get to somewhere else.

But what you're about to see will convince you to put this place

right into your sat nav.

Lough Key Forest and Activity Park is about 3.5 hours' drive

from Belfast, and about 2.5 hours' drive from Dublin.

Being a forest park, there are a lot of what you would expect,

namely trees, trees and more trees.

And here they put the trees to very good use.

The forest park covers over 800 acres of parkland.

It has recently been developed with a new visitor centre

and has lots of different and unusual activities to try.

This is Zipit, an aerial obstacle course.

If you like heights, you'll love it.

If you're me, you will probably be glad when it's all over.

Basically, this is an aerial trek through the trees,

which has zip lines, a Tarzan swing, climbing walls and cargo nets.

I've taken bike rides in some unusual places,

but this is probably the strangest...

and potentially more dangerous. Let's just see, shall we?

HE LAUGHS

Now, if you don't fancy the high adrenaline experience

of zipping through the trees,

there is an alternative, non-scary version.

There's a walk-way through the trees, and I'd recommend

you hire a handset and take the audio tour.

It's a great way to get a bird's-eye view of nature.

This is the Lough Key experience, Ireland's only tree-top canopy walk.

The park has an interesting history,

and the trail also takes you

to a 19th-century underground servants tunnel,

which once served the estate house.

This is the tunnel that would have been under the main house,

and was used to transport goods in and out,

normally by donkey and cart.

She's fairly steep!

And look, there are bats down here. How cool is this place?

HE SQUEAKS

Look, there are stalactites down here.

Now, they're not very big, but that is 200 years of growth.

This is where the main estate house once stood.

It was destroyed by a fire in 1957.

Now, all that stands in its place is the Moylurg Tower.

Built in the '70s, it looks like somewhere you'd train firemen,

but it's actually used as a viewing tower.

If you can stomach the height, it's well worth it,

because the view from the top of the tower is just fantastic.

If your idea of fun on holiday is puzzle solving

in a place with a frankly bizarre Swedish name -

no, I'm not talking about a furniture shop -

then this is the place for you.

Lough Key's Boda Borg.

Here's my team. Lads, bring on the puzzle fun.

Boda Borg is a concept unique to Ireland.

You'll need a minimum of three people,

and a maximum of five per team.

You run back and forward, these lights go out. Touch them.

A lot of these are based around a team thing,

so I'm sitting this one out,

watching the lads stick the effort in, you know.

Now there are 47 challenges, no instructions,

you and your team have to work it out for yourselves,

and get through it as best you can.

This is real world gaming,

or Ireland's version of the Crystal Maze.

The aim is to get through as many rooms as possible,

but very few teams have ever successfully completed the course.

Some challenges are against time.

Others you have to get through the room without touching the floor.

Others are pretty physical,

and involve lifting a set amount of weight in so many minutes.

This is brilliant craic.

It's a mixture of physical and mental challenges.

For the kids, it gets them away from the computer,

and for you adults, you get to remember all those skills

you had when you were a nipper.

Look, I have calluses on my hands from climbing ropes and everything.

And there's also something for smaller kids.

The adventure play kingdom, with towers, slides,

climbing frames, roundabouts, swings, puzzles,

and other fun stuff - this is definitely one for the wee ones.

There's a lot to see in the parkland.

Follies, bridges, canals, trails through the woodlands,

and a bog garden.

This is the fairy bridge.

It was designed by John Nash, who also built Regent's Park,

and Regent Street in London.

Quite what it's got to do with fairies is beyond me.

But it is rather lovely.

Half an hour away from the forest park is something rather unusual.

Something I couldn't resist visiting.

Now you wouldn't often expect to find a mining museum,

and indeed, it wouldn't be my first port of call on my holidays,

but I figured I'm in the neighbourhood, I'll check it out.

The Arigna mine is Ireland's first coal mining museum,

and is a popular tourist attraction.

Who knew mining attract tourists?

Consisting of a 45 minute underground tour,

you get a detailed history of the industry and the area.

Led by ex-miners, the tour takes you down 400 metres,

through dark tunnels, to the coal face.

As they were driven from the main road into the mountain,

there were smaller tunnels taking off them.

You wouldn't need to be too tall coming through here.

I'm 6'4", and look, I'm hitting the roof of it.

Think what conditions were like for the men who worked here.

It is fascinating.

You get historical background that's also anecdotal,

because all the guides you get here were men that worked in this mine.

It's fascinating.

I got to say it, this is one trip that's guaranteed to be a blast.

I had a look at a few accommodation options at Lough Key,

and there's something for all budgets.

For those looking for an affordable option,

there's a camping and caravan park.

The nightly rate for a caravan is 22 euro,

and for tents, prices start at 12 euro.

If you fancy something a little different,

then the log cabins might appeal.

They are eco-friendly, but still have all mod cons.

The cabins cost from 400 euro per week,

and can sleep up to eight people.

If you've been saving your cash, and fancy a weekend of luxury,

then Kilronan Castle Estate and Spa is the place for you.

The castle's a half hour drive from Lough Key.

The rooms are plush,

and you feel like you're really living it up.

After your forest adventures, why not chill out

and get pampered in the spa?

A room here costs from 129 euro per room per night,

based on two sharing.

Back in Turkey, we've identified our top five

of your recommendations for things to do on holiday here.

So far, we've been to the package resort of Kusadasi,

seen the cotton castles of Pamukkale,

and taken a dip in history at the hot springs of Hierapolis.

Now it's time for number two choice.

It's the town of Cesme.

One hour drive from Izmir, or from Kusadasi,

Cesme is a village away from the main package holiday areas,

so it offers some respite from the crowds.

The northern half of the Aegean coastline has long been a getaway

for the people of the nearby city of Izmir.

It's popular for its beaches, and the ferry links to Greece.

Cesme is a great spot as a base if you want a resort

where there's plenty to do, and it's not as built up

as some of its sister resorts further down south.

Cumhuriyet Meydani is the main pedestrianised square,

where you will find plenty of boat trips out to such beauty spots

as Donkey Island - yes, really -

and the nearby Greek island of Chios.

One always likes to stay cool in such hot temperatures.

You could do a lot worse than try damla sakizli,

ice-cream made from the resin of local gum trees.

Thank you very much, sir.

That's like a frosty party in your mouth and everyone's invited.

This castle at Cesme, overlooking the harbour,

was built over 500 years ago by the Ottomans.

It now houses a small museum,

containing artefacts from the nearby archaeological site of Eritrea.

Cesme Castle is one of the key locations of the annual

international Izmir Festival, held between June and September.

Many world renowned musical acts perform here.

On the Aegean coast,

there are many different types of accommodation to be found.

If you're looking for an all-inclusive resort

that's suitable for families,

then the Onyria Claros Beach and Spa Resort has lots on offer.

It's a five-star resort, with two outdoor pools,

a spa, a water park, and a children's activity pool,

where there are plenty of slides and fountains to keep the children happy.

It's 45 minutes drive from Izmir Airport,

and only 35 kilometres from Kusadasi.

A standard villa here costs from 455 euro per person, per week.

This price is all-inclusive, based on two sharing.

Flights are not included.

The good thing about the all-inclusive package,

is if you're travelling as a family,

the extras, like ice-creams and drinks,

are available on tap, all day long.

However, with your three squares catered for,

there is a temptation not to leave the hotel complex,

and you could be missing out on some wonderful local eateries.

If you're looking for a budget option in Kusadasi,

then the Palmera Hotel offers good value for money.

It's set on a steep headland, overlooking Pigeon Island.

We particularly liked the pools,

one of which has a bar that you swim up to.

It costs from 168 euros for a room here for a week.

That's based on two sharing, on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

Flights not included.

If you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of busier resorts,

then we'd recommend the Beyevi Alacati Hotel.

For hotels in this region, the buzz word is "boutique".

Many of them, once privately owned residences,

have their own unique characteristics,

and they're great value for money. This is where I'd love to stay.

This small hotel has 15 beautifully decorated rooms,

and a relaxing pool area.

It's in a quiet street, but it's still near Alacati's main square.

The price per person per night is from 75 euro.

This includes taxes, breakfast and afternoon tea.

Time to reveal our number one choice from your recommendations

for the Aegean coast.

It may be loved for its beaches, but this area also has

some of the world's most impressive archaeological sites.

When in this part of the world,

you recommended a day out to the ancient city of Ephesus.

Ephesus is one of the biggest

and best preserved ancient cities in Europe.

It's one of Turkey's most visited tourist attractions.

Legend has it, it was founded by Androclus, son of King Codros of Athens.

King Codros told his son he should settle

in a place of fish and wild boar.

When Androclus arrived here, there were some locals roasting fish over a fire.

A couple of sparks escaped, ignited a nearby bush

and out ran a wild boar.

As signs go, that was pretty much on the mark.

The excavation here has been going on for nearly 150 years.

And though it may look impressive,

so far only 10% of this ancient city has been uncovered.

This is interesting, this is from the later Christian period,

which you can tell by the Maltese cross in the middle.

This is actually a backgammon table.

For you younger viewers, that's kind of the fourth-century Xbox,

if you will. Now to work out where you plug it in. Hang on.

This is the site of the hospital.

When they were excavating this, they found early examples

of forceps and scalpels, but no evidence of anaesthetic

because they didn't have any.

They tended to use the fruit of the vine

and imbibe certain leaves that grew out of the ground.

I'm surprised they got anything done, to be honest.

Ephesus at one point had a population of 250,000 people.

The streets, as you can see, were paved, illuminated at night,

they were even signposted.

One of the remaining signs here has a number on

with the lady's face etched into it,

indicating that it was, well, a house of ill-repute.

Ephesus was a great ancient civilisation,

with many temples, a library and even a medical school.

This thriving metropolis was once the leading city

in the province of Asia.

If you come to Turkey, you simply have to come to Ephesus.

It's one of these places you must see before you die.

Here is a word to the wise.

Pick your time to come here, it can get very crowded, and

because it is very hot here, bring loads of bottled water with you.

Don't buy it outside because it costs a fortune. Bring your own.

The other famous site close to Ephesus is the House of the Virgin Mary.

It's believed Mary spent two years of her life here before returning to the Holy Land.

The house was discovered in 1891,

following descriptions of visions of the German nun, Anne Catherine Emmerich.

Today, it is a place of pilgrimage and is visited

by millions of tourists every year.

In recognition of the site as a place of pilgrimage,

the last three Popes have visited here.

Even if you're not religious or spiritual,

the House of the Virgin Mary is actually worth a visit.

Just be prepared for the crowds

and don't expect to get too much quiet time by yourself.

Well, Joe, we've sadly come to the end of our holiday in Turkey.

-What was your favourite part?

-I'm going to go for Ephesus.

It was a breathtaking place to visit.

It is immensely interesting, but I also loved a bit of male pampering.

I loved the Turkish shave. I felt wonderful.

I thought Alacati was a fabulous town, but the hamam is something

-that everyone should experience at least once.

-Absolutely.

Let's just finish our Turkish tea. We'll see you next time on Getaways.

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