Turkey is a fabulous country to visit, with beautiful warm seas, sandy beaches, unspoilt countryside and a fabulous rich and varied cultrual history. Turkey itself is a huge country 9 times the size of the UK, the Capital city of Istanbul is the only capital in the world to sit on two continents and throughout Turkey you can see evidence of this mix of European and Asian cultures.

Turkish people are a very welcoming people as a whole, who often can't go far enough out of their way to explain the oddities of their culture or language or to point the lost tourist in the right direction. As a family we have been visting this area of Turkey since 1998 and some of us have even worked out here for a couple of seasons! Obviously you apply the same rules as you would at home, but we have been chased out of restaurants with gloves left behind and out of shops with the change we have forgotten.

As Turkey has become more popular as a tourist destination, flights have become cheaper and more regular but a real effort has been made to control development. There are tight restrictions on building heights and styles and there is an outright ban on building works on the Bodrum pennisula during the summer months. This has resulted (at least in the Bodrum area) in a bustling and growing metropolitan city, surrounded by developing villages that still maintain their local markets, beach access and countryside.

Turkish cuisine mixes fresh vegetables and olive oil from the mediterranean with traditional slow cooked country dishes and rich spices and flavours from Asia. From vine leaves and mezzes to casseroles, shish kebabs, pides and patisseries, even the smallest cheapest restaurants usually offer fabulous fresh and varied, seasonal dishes. There is an abundance of fresh seafood along the coast and the larger towns will offer an international menu of everything from chinese to mexican to bacon and eggs. Turkey is also a good choice for vegetarians, as there are always fresh vegetable starters, pides and casseroles available. Although alcohol prices are similar to the UK, a 3 course meal will set you back about half the price you would pay at home plus there are always good quality budget options available.

As easy as Spain or Greece to fly to, Turkey is another world entirely, from the calling of the mosques in the morning to the pungent spices in the markets, to the chickens on the local bus (or dolmus) service, Turkey is a real escape...