Travelling to turkey, tips/advice?

[PopTheKettleOnx]

This year we are off to turkey, usually we holiday around Spain, Majorca, canaries but this year we fancied something different. We have booked a all inclusive resort near Antalya which we've been ever so excited for!

Lots of people questioning why we'd choose turkey and now scaremongering. We have all relevant insurance sorted and I'm aware our transfer will be lengthy around 1hr 15mins which I didn't realise until after booking but such is life.

Advice for a first time visitor?

Some key info -

We're holidaying with young teen, child and I'm pregnant.

We don't eat meat but do eat fish so any items of food to look out for or avoid on the buffet during meal times without getting Google translate out 100 times.

Anything cultural to bare in mind?

What's the best currency? And do we exchange here or there, I'm reading so much conflicting information regarding this.

Also what do we do regarding our phones, apparently our Sims won't work out there so do we just stick to WiFi for WhatsApp and calling etc or get a SIM before or after arriving?

Many thanks!!

What part are you going to?

Airalo Turkey e-sim card for your phone

Change in Turkey, pay everything in local Lira either cash or contactless (revolut is perfect)

learn the words for thank you and hello

Local food is plenty meat but you’ll have plenty fish options

your phone will work just check charges before committing or take an eSIM.

buy bottled water for drinking.

Antalya is huge! You’ll have a great time.

We go every year. At an all inclusive you’ll find everything very easy. Anyone being anxious about security is being ridiculous- it’s just another mainstream holiday resort in the main tourist areas.
You’ll find people are happy to take Euros or £ if you leave the resort or you can just use an ATM and get some Lira. Prices have shot up in the last few years so it’s not cheap any more.
I’d do a boat trip if you can. Always my favourite way to spend a day. Don’t book at the hotel. Just go out for a wander and there are boat trip sellers everywhere.
The buffets will depend on the resort. Not worth going to a very cheap one. We always self cater as we don’t like AI but some of the better ones have amazing buffets.

It's Turkey, not the moon. Not that different from Europe. They will take euros, buffet food won't be that different from Greece/Spain. Antalya is lovely. Airport is a shithole though.

Alanya 😊

Thanks for the tips so far, with every country there's always little bits of advice to give for those holidaying and I'm tired of reading horror stories from what seems a beautiful country, still really excited!

It was similar to when we went to Tenerife last year everyone had something bad to say about what is a beautiful island - in my opinion.

Thank you for the SIM advice (I'm not great with technology stuff 😂)

I feel like the odd one out when it comes to AI buffet food, I really enjoy trying all the different foods they have to offer but found a lot sometimes forget to add the English translation to their labels, which is fine, one bite or meat thinking I've picked up something fish or veg based won't kill me but I do avoid it 😁

I've been on Duolingo trying to learn some words and phrases best I can before we go. Seems Turkish is quite hard to learn but I'm getting there!

Been many a year since I was last in Turkey and Ive never been AI, but I can say I loved the food - at least 101 ways with an aubergine :)

We ate lots of beautiful mainly veggie meals ( we are meat eaters ) whilst there, in local lokantas , lots of vegetable casserole type meals, with rice and bread and salad ( the bread is to die for ) Try Turkish scrambled eggs for breakfast - menemen. If you do eat cheese the farmhouse white cheese is lovely . One of out favourite meals was at a trout farm. We sat under the trees, seriously the fish were lifted from the stream/river , filleted and grilled, served with a green herb salad cut to order in front of us and served as simple as that with bread

The Turks working in resorts all speak English - and can even mimic regional accents :)

Change about £20/30 before you go, so you can buy a drink at the airport on arrival and on some long transfers they stop for a 15 min loo stop . Change as you need to there at an atm and dont take the conversion, let your bank sort that

The local beer is lovely - Effes - really seriously good :)

Its a beautiful country. Tap water is fine for brushing teeth but bottled water or mountain water to drink ( natural spring water )