Regnum Carya golf course
Old Antalya waterfront
finish in daylight, the Carya offers night
golf. For class and elegance, try the Carya
or Montgomerie, with mature trees,
some long carries over waterbodies,
reasonably contoured greens, the best
bunker sand, and well-appointed clubhouses.
If you are a wanna-be Tiger Woods., it has
to be the National (three 9-hole courses,
the Irmak, Tuna and Ada), which I found to
be the most naturalistic, but with narrow
fairways and numerous waterbodies, also
the toughest.
When you fly into Antalya airport you
see a countryside that is somewhat barren,
a little like our own Rajasthan, but one
dotted with what looked like lines of salt. On
closer inspection, I found these to be plastic-
sheathed greenhouses, where tomatoes
were being grown. Fancy shopping malls,
theme parks (Land of Legends, for example,
combines a modest Disneyland experience
with a water park and an expansive upmarket
mall), a few striking historic monuments like
Hadrian’s Gate and Aspendos Theatre, and
proximate airports, cater to the enormous
tourist influx. With the Taurus mountains
and the Koprulu Canyon National Park
serving as a backdrop. The snake-like coastal
drive affords beautiful views of the deep-
blue Mediterranean and of modern, red-tile
roofed residential communities in charming
towns like Khas along the way.
For those interested in a time gone
by, go to Old Antalya, not far from Belek.
Buildings reeking with history built centuries
ago, cobbled streets, curio shops, cute bars
and restaurants, and a dainty marina laden
with boats from all ages. Harinakshi fell in
love with it, “the charm there is that it is just
so quaint, and exhudes such a wonderful
Old World charm. You can stumble on a
coastal outcropping where fishermen wait
interminably to catch a small fish. You
can buy fresh, warmed nuts wrapped in
newspaper from street vendors. Where it
is all about the people and their hospitality
and, actually, even a type of spirituality.
Like a throwback to a non-digital era, when
things were slower and more real…”
And then there is the grand city of
Istanbul! A must-see. Throbbing with life.
Colourful and tourist-friendly. Where East
meets West. Where the locals love you.
Where a hotel can be found to suit any
budget. Where magnificent mosques and
minarets jostle for space with bustling malls
and street markets. Where good public
transportation can be found. Where the
choppy Bosphorous Strait beckons you to
take a ride on a ferry. Where shawarmas,
fresh fish, mezes and baklava are to kill for.
Where you can shop till you drop, because
your rupee fetches you much more than you
thought possible.
So go to Antalya. All the golf resorts
there are fabulous. Pick one that fits your
budget and your golf game. And take in
Istanbul. It’s certainly worth a trip from India.
I guarantee you will have a golf vacation to
remember!
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