Young Turks
A first foreign family trip abroad to Turkey goes surprisingly smoothly.
We're both terrified of flying, although thankfully we have never been involved in an air accident, or had occasion to find out whether the oxygen masks really do deploy automatically.It's flying with our children that we have a problem with. Pre-family, given half a chance, Graham and I could happily tour the world on board a plane. Now the mere thought of a 747 has us shaking in our shoes. Other people seem to have children who can sit quietly, absorbed in their own thoughts. Our gorgeous gals – six year-old Eve, and Hope, who's two – are turbo-charged whirling dervishes.
They laugh, they shout and get up to all sorts of mischief. Quite frankly, we are related to them and we wouldn't choose to be in the same airport, let alone on the same flight. However, it's time to confront our fears and take our first foreign holiday as a family, to the all-inclusive Letoonia Resort Hotel near Fethiye in Turkey.
After an early start, and one major meltdown over a jam doughnut in an airport café, we arrived relatively unscathed in the departure lounge of Glasgow Airport to await our flight to Dalaman.
Descending from 33,000ft, I glimpsed Turkey's fabled turquoise coast, bathed in a wonderful early evening glow, over the heads of the girls, who were fighting for control of the window. Luggage collected, we exited the airport to be met by our chauffeur with his roomy people carrier – driving in Turkey is not for the fainthearted.
While the exhausted girls tried desperately not to sleep, Graham and I looked longingly out of the car window. It felt as if you could open the door and step into a National Geographic photo essay. We had done our research carefully, planning extensive educational tours of nearby ancient sites, and we couldn't wait to get started.
The resort is set in a pine forest but thanks to extensive landscaping, even if you arrive after dark an intoxicating blend of smells subtly tickles the senses. Bougainvillaea, both white and cerise, cascade from all the balconies, and jasmine, geraniums, aloe vera and marigolds all release their heavenly scents.
After being met by Olga at reception we were taken to our apartment on a golf cart with a trailer on the back. The girls were thrilled with this mode of transport, which they dubbed the "trolley bus".
Our apartment was situated at the top of a white marble staircase, just off the main plaza. While the views from the balcony in the apartment block would take your breath away, so would carrying a tired toddler up flights of stairs, so we'd opted for a stress-free holiday and the luxury of conjoining rooms in the hotel building itself.
Lykia, the restaurant where we had most of our meals, makes a wonderful dining area, with stunning views across the bay to the town of Fethiye and the mountains beyond.
Rooftops appeared out of the early morning mist and the omnipresent mosques dotted the skyline. Finches cheekily hid in the vines overhead to keep everyone amused. We could not fault the magnificent spreads we sampled. After all, who can resist Turkish delight for breakfast?
Holidaying on an all-inclusive package was also a complete revelation when it came to the stress of dealing with children's eating habits – it doesn't matter if they have ten helpings.
After a quick dip in one of the many pools and a paddle on one of the beaches, face painting at the mini-club rounded the afternoon off nicely as we made our way wearily back to the hotel complex.
In the evening moonlight, the beach is transformed into a romantic open-air restaurant. We were shown to the best table in the house. Couples gazed into each other's eyes, serenaded by a guitarist, as waves gently lapped the shore. With hindsight, it was quite late for the kids to be eating and they refused to sit still. Eve insisted on scampering off to play in the sand. To our eternal embarrassment, Hope announced to the entire restaurant in her clearest and loudest voice, "Mummy, I've done a poo."
Can you disown your children?
There is much to do at the complex, from messing around in the pools and flumes, to dancing lessons, tennis and archery. There's even an open-air theatre. Eve and I went to a show based on The Addams Family. The best bit was watching the bats fly around in the floodlights prior to the performance.
We had a quick tour of the spa and Eve was obviously very taken with the concept of relaxation. Later, as she lay on her recliner, hidden underneath a towel, she announced that she was "having a wee relax". Who said spa treatments have to be expensive?
Still, I guiltily decided to treat myself to a Turkish bath, leaving Graham alone in the hotel room with the kids while I sloped off to the spa. I was exfoliated to within an inch of my life in the Haman before being covered in oodles of soapy bubbles and gently reinvigorated by the massage. Bliss.
To even things up, Graham enjoyed a back massage, and as an extra-special treat, the gals had their nails painted a delicious pink by the manicurist.
A small ferry boat runs between Letoonia and Fethiye and we had planned to visit the ancient Lycian rock tombs there, as well as the weekly bazaar. However, it became crystal clear that a rethink was in order when we realised that ancient ruins and hot kids just don't mix.
We decided to relax and enjoy our holiday at a slower pace. We took the boat, but the closest we got to exploring ancient ruins was sauntering along the seafront at Fethiye. Following earthquakes, rubble from the ancient city of Telmessos has been incorporated into the foundations.
After an enjoyable play in the local park, we lunched at the family-friendly Tadim Café, in the shade of a huge pepper tree. Then, after a quick foray to buy souvenirs, and the mother of all tantrums at a supermarket, we decided to catch the boat back to Letoonia.
Our greatest adventure came the next day, on the hotel's private 17.5 metre yacht, Letoonia. Captain Yasar welcomed the passengers aboard. A brass plaque above the wheel stated: "The captain's word is law." We weren't quite sure what Hope would make of this.
The captain's young helper, Serdar, dubbed "the captain boy", saw it as his personal mission to steal kisses from the girls throughout the day.
Obviously, kissing strangers is not a life skill we intend to encourage as our girls reach adolescence. He dived for sea urchins as gifts for them, coaxing smiles and laughter from a reluctant Hope.
There were only eight people on the yacht, and the older ones offered sage advice and kind words about raising families.
After steaming to an unspoilt inlet, and a refreshing plunge into the turquoise sea, we headed to the pretty marina town of Göcek. We had an hour to explore the shore before returning to our mooring for a sumptuous lunch. Then it was back to sea for a further two swim stops at secluded bays.
The girls were unable to overcome their fear of swimming in the sea but the captain dived in at one point to cool down. Sadly, we waved goodbye to the yacht, at the end of a marvellous voyage.
We decided to take a closer look at the Moonlight disco on our final day. We had spotted the dancefloor on the peninsula from the yacht, and it looked very Saturday Night Fever. Eve and Hope performed a short dance routine before Hope pronounced "all done the dancing and chancing". Out of the mouths of babes, indeed.
By the end of our holiday Eve was practically inseparable from her new German chum, Sophie, with whom she had bonded while splashing about in the pool, communicating in the universal language of children.
We bonded with her parents, Silke and Moritz, over the shared pain of the mini-disco. Since returning we have stayed in contact with our new friends – what an unexpected bonus. There was an impossibly early start to get to the airport on time but we arrived home safely. And a week hasn't passed since when we don't wish we were still there.
Letoonia Resort, which is open until 31 October, is situated 31km from Dalaman airport.
This article first appeared in Scotsman Magazine 26/04/2008
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