Travel: Turkey

This is the Turkish coastal town of Side, in the region of Antalya, home to the partly reconstructed 2,000-year-old Temple of Apollo, which occupies a stunning location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Reputed to have been built on the orders of Antony as a token of his love for Cleopatra, the temple is a magnet for tourists and locals who come to stand beneath its pillars for romantic sunset photographs or to marvel at what remains of its architectural brilliance. It also appears something of a graveyard for what is left of the rest of the vast structure, a jumble of marble lintels adorned with womens' faces and lions' heads, cornices carved with leaves and yet more broken columns.

To anyone familiar with attitudes towards such antiquities in this country, the seemingly careless approach to conservation is surprising, but also somehow liberating. To be able to touch these remarkable objects and walk among them in their original setting makes them part of the present rather than artefacts of history seen through the glass of a museum display case. In that sense, the town of Side is a living museum where the remains of Roman temples, baths, homes and colonnaded streets are cheek by jowl with the cafes, shops and crowded thoroughfares of the modern world.

And yet with every passing year the elements wipe away another layer of the past. It is not something that has occurred to our guide. She tells me I am the first person to have voiced concern over the protection of the site, but she understands the importance immediately. "I will write to the minister responsible and tell him we must do more," she reassures me.

In its pomp, when the Greeks held sway, Side was an important trading centre for pirates and our stroll around the bustling town brings us into contact with their modern counterparts, sharp salesmen in open-necked shirts and jeans fleecing tourists for hundreds of euros with their "genuine fake" handbags and designer clothes. It is perhaps no surprise that, to an untrained eye, the quality of these items is indistinguishable from the real thing given that we are told factories which make genuine items for international fashion houses are pushing fake items out of the back door at the same time.

As stunning as the Roman remains at Side are, nothing could have prepared us for the truly incredible visit to the city of Aspendos, some 25 miles inland and to the west. With a history that goes back as far as 1000BC the area has a rich architectural heritage with basilicas, public squares, Roman aqueducts and other monuments. The most famous site, however, is the breathtaking 7,000-seater theatre, considered one of the best-preserved of the ancient world. Once again the access to these sites is beyond anything conceivable in the UK. Visitors can walk freely around the stage as well as climbing up the worn stone steps to the curved seating areas above.

The only irritation is locals dressed as centurions offering tourist photographs "just for fun". It transpires it is not just for fun when I raise my camera to take a picture of one of them with my daughter and he waves me away frowning. Discovering we are from Glasgow, however, he is keen to discuss the fortunes of both Rangers and "Sheltic".

At the height of summer this incredible structure is heaving with tourists, but during our visit it is relatively quiet. As we sit high in the gods we are given an impromptu demonstration of just how good the acoustics still are when a visiting choir assemble in front of the main stage and start singing.

Proof that the Turkish authorities are, in fact, aware of the importance of many of the artefacts from the country's history is in evidence at another of our stops, the Antalya Museum in the city of Antalya.

At the end of the First World War, when the city was under Italian military occupation, Italian archeologists started to remove archeological treasures from the surrounding area.

To prevent this theft, provincial governor Suleyman Fikri Bey collected what remained and established the museum - which now houses a remarkable collection of giant statues of Roman emperors and empresses besides vast mosaics and sarcophagi.

Bounded by the Taurus mountains and the Mediterranean, Antalya is now the centre of Turkey's tourism industry. The most obvious symbol of this emerging dominance is the millions invested in the development of golf courses carved from the pine and eucalyptus forests that run along the coast, designed or endorsed by such names as Colin Montgomerie and Sir Nick Faldo.

The region also has outstanding natural beauty with long stretches of beaches, mountainous regions with attractions ranging from skiing to birdwatching and noted sites such as the Manavgat Waterfalls, whose green foaming waters provide a soothing backdrop to a number of shaded tea gardens along the banks.

Our base for the week was the golf resort hotel of Letoonia on the outskirts of the town of Belek, one of many hotel complexes built along a stretch of the coast. The resort is spread over 75 acres nestled among pine trees along the seashore. Guests sleep either in the poolside hotel or in bungalows tucked away in a garden setting with streams and trees. With the golf industry such a burgeoning market, the resort has a driving range and putting area, and a golf professional offers lessons. However, the resort is equally suitable for families on a beach holiday or investigating the area.

Letoonia is an all-inclusive resort which means most activities and entertainments are free. The concept of all-inclusive catering tends to conjure up images of overweight families jammed around the breakfast buffet, plates piled high with pastries and pockets stuffed with whatever cannot be eaten now, but it is not at all the case in this quiet family resort.

It has a number of excellent a la carte restaurants offering waiter service and a range of cuisine from traditional Turkish to fish and Chinese, but the food provided as part of the package served in the communal dining area was also superb. Fresh salads, grilled meats and fish, baked vegetable dishes, couscous and fresh bread were all beautifully presented and delicious.

As well as having its own private stretch of beach, backed by gardens with hammocks, the resort has outdoor pools, including one with slides, an indoor heated pool, a spa, tennis courts and a small gym.

In summer, the temperatures reach an average of 28C with highs of 34C, but our visit was a more manageable 20C, although on hotter days we sunbathed at the pool.

The overriding theme at the hotel is one of relaxation. With everything to hand and with the help of the friendly staff throughout the complex you can focus on switching off, taking part in some of the daily exercise classes or simply reading by the side of the pool. There are plenty of activities for children too with a daily kids club and a family show in the evenings.

The on-site Kutlu spa was also excellent with a range of treatments and massages including sports and Thai. The highlight, however, was the traditional Turkish massage. Having your buttocks scrubbed with an exfoliating mitten may not sound like everyone's idea of fun. But preceded by a full head and body massage after being bathed in warm water then covered in foaming bubbles, the whole experience left me feeling incredibly relaxed by the time we were wrapped in towels and sitting in a darkened room reflecting on our week-long visit.

The Turkey we visited is a land of sweet tea, fragrant orange blossom, bitter black coffee and the neon glow of mosque minaret towers at night. It is also a place of stunning antiquities, beautiful beaches and a genuine welcome from people of warmth and charm.

TRAVEL NOTES

GETTING THERE AND WHERE TO STAY

Return flights from Glasgow to Dalaman and a week-long, all-inclusive stay in a twin or double room in Letoonia costs £721 per person. Price valid from May 4, 2015. Visit thomson.co.uk and letoonia.com.

OTHER INFORMATION

Find out the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey