This
week, in Istanbul,
"Her gün nemli, sıcak." (Every
day is hot, humid.)
As
soon as I step outside after showering, I'm sweating.
At
the end of the day, my flip-flop feet are blackened from the dusty city streets
so I take another shower at night.
How
I long to be at a beach or swimming pool! All our friends are talking about
their summer vacations here in Turkey. We don't have any beach trips planned -
yet!
Soon,
a good friend is going to spend a relaxing weekend in the Çeşme
and Alaçatı
area, which reminded me of our fun weekend there last summer. I never really
posted any photos from that trip, so I thought I'd share some now.
We
loved staying at the Alaçatı
Zeytin Konak Otel. This small boutique hotel is the perfect
place to use as a base to explore the Çeşme Peninsula.
 |
| Alaçatı Zeytin Konak Otel's swimming pool at night. |
 |
| I could stay at this hotel in Alaçatı just for it's bountiful Turkish breakfast spread and for the local "puffy" bread. |
Although
the hotel has two swimming pools, we spent more time on the beach. The only
problem is that many of the area's beaches are set up as beach clubs so you pay
20 to 30 tl per person to lay out on the beach.
However,
my favorite beach we returned to again is Ilica Beach & Cafe, located near
Sheraton Hotel's private beach in Çeşme. Two chairs with an umbrella cost only
24 tl! We had packed our own Turkish towels, raided a nearby bakkal and brought our own beers to the
beach.
This
beach does get crowded, but the chairs are cheap and the Aegean Sea is crystal
clear and warm. The four of us took turns swimming so someone was always
watching our belongings.
Note:
bury your beer in the cold sand. It gets hot quickly and warm Efes is not good!
And
when you get hungry, I highly recommend grabbing a kumru, a local sandwich stuffed with Turkish sausage, melted cheese
and tomatoes, served hot from one of the beach vendors. I love cheese!
 |
| Enjoying a Turkish kumru sandwich at the Ilica Beach & Cafe. |
One
sandwich is like 2,000 calories, but washed down with a cold beer on the beach,
it's exactly what you need! (In fact, I'd like to find this sandwich here after
a night out on Istiklal Cad.)
Hopefully,
we'll get out of the sweltering city in a few weeks.
Where is your favorite beach in Turkey?
