Antalya end of June with 1.5 year old?

[ai38]

Hi everyone,

Would you take your 18 months-old to an all-inclusive resort in Antalya knowing that the weather would be around 40 degrees for your whole stay?

I am in the process of arranging a super last minute holidays for DH, DD and my parents next week. I have found a nice all-inclusive seaside resort in Antalya, but just checked the weather and it's going to be around 38-40 the whole time which makes me think we can't really take DD outside to the beach or use the outdoor facilities for most of the day. It's won't be a cheap trip so I am wondering if it is going to be worth it if we will end up just having to stay indoors?

Also, I have heard that resorts in Antalya are usually very crowded at this time of the year and I am thinking chances that she picks up a virus or something probably is quite high.

What are your thoughts? Would you do it or should I look somewhere cooler and less crowded in Europe ?

I took my daughter to live in Turkey when she 8 weeks old and we lived there until she was 18 months. She was fine, I would take her out in the mornings, stay in the shade during the hottest part of the day and go out again later. She never caught a virus anywhere.

You will be fine. I'm sure your hotel will have air conditioning and you can sit under an umbrella in the day and cool off in the sea or the pool.
You can go out in the evenings when it's cooler.

No I wouldn't because I can't stand that heat either! All inclusive is a waste for us because we like to explore local restaurants. Pools were full of screaming kids, buffet empty if you didn't eat at 5.30.
Try the Canaries, the heat is kinder at this time of year.

I went to Cyprus in June many years ago and it was about that temperature. It was unbearable and you couldn’t do anything in the day except sit by the pool with your legs in to keep cool! And I didn’t even have kids then! Personally I wouldn’t.

We took DD when she was 2, it was tricky. The only way to do it is to be up early for a walk to tire them out, a mid-morning dip in the pool (wear full UV suit), lunch inside then a long nap. She didn't eat much - too hot.
I wasn't worried about viruses, you can catch them anywhere.

No. I'm a heat lover but 40 degrees is too hot for me. There would be no point in going on holiday if I had to stay inside the whole time.

Except they are protesting against tourists at present!

If you aren’t a fan of that kind of heat stick to somewhere like Tenerife, Lanzarote, Spain, Portugal. It will be hot but should be a bit more bearable. Having said that, I’m sure she’d be fine. Avoid being in direct sun in the hottest parts of the day (she’ll probably take a nap around midday anyway, during which time adults can take turns sitting with her while the others go out). Early morning or early evening trips to the beach or pool will be nice. Make sure the resort you choose has something to entertain toddlers apart from the pool- play park or indoor play area of some kind. Some places to take day or half day trips would also be good, especially if it’s at least partly indoors but still enjoyable like an Aquariam on animal sanctuary. Get a big parasol for the buggy.

Unfortunately even mainland Europe can have similar temperatures. May and September may be better times to visit.

Regarding the temperature, if the air temperature is higher than 37°C then the body is having to actively try to keep the core temperature down to prevent organ damage, which is easier for young, healthy adults than it is for the very young, very old and those with heart conditions etc. This article shows the effect of humidity and temperature - you can check the expected humidity on Met Office and most weather maps. Next weekend has an expected humidity around 80% at the hottest part of the day in Antalya, with air temperature in the low 40s but feeling like the low 50s

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66249805

Air temperature in the 40s, humidity around 80% at the hottest part of the day

I would personally. We have took our kids abroad (Turkey numerous times also Egypt/Cyprus) August since they were 6 months. UV sun suits, sun cream applied correctly and shade when required. My kids are blonde and fair also. We often get round the pool early around 9 after breakfast then head in for a nap around 3ish so have had a good 6 hours out in the sun.

We went to Menorca last July, they were having a heatwave so temps were around 38 degrees in the day. My DS was 2, a couple of days he wanted to stay in the apartment watching his tablet and playing with his toys but other than that he was fine. I did find the heat made him really tired, he’d be out playing in the pool from say 10am-12 midday, then go for lunch, then he’d have a 3 hour sleep in the room (I took the baby monitor with me so he’d be asleep in the room and I sat on the balcony in the sun), then back out in the pool from 4-6.

Do you know how she copes with heat? We were once in tenerife with my 1 yr old and it was only 28 ish, but she ended up going to hospital as she couldn't regulate her temperature. She is generally bad at regulating temperature even now though. It depends on your plans, if it's got nice spacious bedrooms and the hotel has nice indoor bars, maybe a soft play etc then you could swim early and late and spend the rest of the time indoors. I guess she'll nap midday too. If you're planning all day/every day on the beach then I wouldn't recommend it...The algarve looks high 20s and has nice hotels and beaches

I wouldn’t go there at that time myself! Portugal might be a good option as it is often windy, likewise the canaries or Costa de la Luz (Spain, near Cadiz)

My son got heatstroke at lower temperatures than that on holiday in Spain one August when he was about 3/4 years old. He was in the shade all day or pool. Full UV suit, factor 50 etc but the air temperature was too much for him. Everyone handles extreme temperature differently but there's no way I'd book a holiday on purpose knowing it would be 40 degrees - total waste of thousands of pounds imo. People die at those temperatures. You might be worse affected than your DD. Too many variables for me 🤷‍♀️

Dd1 has just returned from an all inclusive holiday in Crete with her dd who is 13 months. She went with her dh and in laws and had a great time. Baby slept in the hottest part of the day, plenty of shade with all the umbrellas. Another pair of hands if they wanted to do something. Dd1 does have all the kit, snooze a shade, sunsuits etc. Already planning September in Turkey. They were in Singapore and Malaysia end of January/February and no problems.

yes it’s fine these places have a lot of indoor activities for kids with ACs, and the highest temp would be the hours to avoid 11-4 pm but rest would be fine and quite fun! obviously wear sun protection and plenty of bottled water

We love Turkey all inclusive, their hotels are another level. However I would say go mid to end of May to enjoy it more.

Absolutely not. I like the heat but that’s far too hot for me. I’d stick to somewhere cooler like Menorca or Mallorca.

Personally, I wouldn't. It's extremely hot on the coast, even in May. When we took our DD(8) she spent 90% of the time in our room. We tried to do a short walk to a local market, had to get a bus back and she passed out on the bus. She's never forgiven me, because she dropped her ice lolly.🤣
The last few times we've been to Turkey, we've headed inland to Ovicek. Higher altitude, so cooler. Inland, so cheaper. Short bus ride to Fetiye (town and harbour) or OluDenis (town and beach).

I've been going to Turkey every summer for the past few years with my kids, now aged 8 and 10 and also planning to go this summer. Last year, we even brought our 1-year-old and stayed at an all-inclusive resort—it went really well.
It was unusually hot, around 45°C, but we managed fine by spending most of our time either in the pool or relaxing in the shade with plenty of cold drinks. We’d have lunch indoors where there was air conditioning, which helped everyone cool down.
Interestingly, my kids actually got chilly a few times in the shaded kids’ pool!
As long as you're not planning to do a lot of sightseeing during the hottest part of the day—apart from maybe a boat trip or two, which were totally manageable—I think you’ll be absolutely fine.

No I wouldn’t.

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. We ended up going to a nice resort-like hotel in Istanbul instead of Antalya. The weather was around 30-33 which was more tolerable. We all ended up getting a stomach flu though towards the end of our stay but all in all we had good time and were able to use the outdoor swimming pool after breakfast from around to early afternoon.

Im glad you had a good time, shame about the stomach bug though. The water there isn't great.