Laguna City Hotel

Rafting

by MalenaN

Going rafting is a fun thing to do. From Antalya many tour companies have daily rafting tours. The rafting is done in the national park Köprülü Canyon and it starts by an old Ottoman bridge. You will not be alone as many tours are also organised from Side and Alanya.
I went with Mevlana tours in Antalya (run by a very nice couple). In the morning everyone was picked up at their hotel and then the minibus left for Köprülü Canyon. After arriving we had to wait but finally got helmets and lifejackets. Before going down the river in the boats everyone got the opportunity to throw oneself from a rope into the freezing water. And cold it was! It took some hours to reach the final destination and we made some stops along the way, one for lunch. At some points we jumped from the boats, but did not stay long in the water because it was so cold.
The price for the day can differ depending on company, how many you are etc.

Bring a waterproof camera if you want to take photos along the boat ride.

A "Wine House"

by Jetgirly about Ayyas Mehane

I walked past Ayyas Mehane several times, and later I decided to stop by for dinner. A mehane is a traditional Turkish restaurant where music and food go hand-in-hand. At Ayyas they have a nightly buffet (if you walk past in the afternoon you'll see the portly owner preparing each dish by hand), which is then charged by the plate. There were some interesting dishes at the buffet that I hadn't seen elsewhere, and also there was a good selection of vegetarian choices (in the dim lighting I thought the hot dogs in the photo were actually carrot slices!). Later, two performers came to the outside patio and performed contemporary and traditional songs with their guitars. Ayyas Mehane would be a great spot to have a light meal and drinks with a group of friends, or even just to experience Turkish music and cuisine at an affordable price.

the historic town of Side

by piglet44

Side is a charming little town along the coast east of Antalya. It has a beach and lots of intersting historic remains. It is just after the Manavgat waterfalls.
In the language of Anatolia "Side" means Pomegranate. From inscriptions it appears that Side dates back to the Hittite Period. The city was constructed on a peninsula and was a Hellenistic and Roman town, protected by city and sea walls. Notice the city gates and walls, as well as many remains of aqueducts which brought water from the foothills of the Taurus Mountains and the surrounding country. The old baths have been restored and turned into a museum, in which are exhibited some of the statues and art treasures found in Side.

One of its most important buildings is its 15,000 spectator theater. The difference between this Roman theater and other antique theaters in the region is that it is not built against a hillside. The 2 storey theater, built on a series of arches, is 20 m. high. The orchestra and the stage are in a state of ruin. Rainwater canals run under the theater. Side has colonnaded streets, a triumphal arch, a harbor, baths, fountains, cisterns, aquaducts, temples and an agora.

In the new part of the town near the beach is a lovely pedestrian street with lots of souvenir shops .

My short trip to Antalya

by balfor

I visited Turkey for several days when I was in the Navy. We stopped in Antalya for about 5 or 6 days. Knowing Turkey to be a Muslim country with primarily a heritage of Arabic peoples, I was expecting the stereotypical middle eastern country. Much to my surprise and delight the women were not all swarthed from head to toe in cloth, all the men didn't sport turbans with long beards and it wasn't a barren desert.

It was rather odd to me that several times a day everything kind of stopped as the minarets on the mosques suddenly got loud, and people faced toward Mecca and performed their prayers. Of course I tried to not seem the oblivious American tourist and paused my activities to respect their prayers. After all, I expect a bit of respect from others during my prayers.

The lushness of the Turkish coast, however, it what really amazed me. This was no barren desert!

(I'll get a picture in this spot when I get it scanned. )

And of course, the Roman ruins were just amazing. The cultures that have lived in Turkey, and the amount of time they have been there truly boggle the mind!