Heading to Antalya for a Wedding

Q: I'll be in Antalya for a wedding in September. Can you recommend safe, economical housing for a senior, single woman? What is the best travel route from Durban? Are there must see or do things in the area? - Charlotte Holt Fuller

A: Antalya City on the Turkish coast has more than a million residents, so there are a host of hotels to choose from. The main tourist areas are in the old city and along the coast. Before you decide on where you would like to stay, you should find out where the wedding is being held and where it would be most convenient for you to be located in terms of transport, etc. Then you can find suitable accommodation by asking your travel agent or using one of the international discount booking websites. You can try www.expedia.com, www.hotels.com or www.agoda.com. I made some trial bookings www.booking.com, which gave me the prices in Rand. One of the cheapest on offer in the old city, the Sabah Pansiyon, had a single room for R245 per night, while a nice-looking three-star establishment, the Oscar Hotel, was charging R515 for a single room. If you want to be closer to the beach, the Ataer Hotel on Konyaalti Beach, has single rooms from only R245.To ease any concerns about comfort and security, check whether the hotel has a lift, 24-hour reception/security and is close to public transport. Be aware that the annual Antalya Festival takes place over 18 days between 12–29 September every year, so if the wedding falls during this period accommodation may be at a premium. You should consider booking an air conditioned room, as temperatures can be as high as 40 degrees Celsius in September. The average daily high during this month is 31,4 degrees Celsius. As for flying there, you could probably get there using a number of European airlines but it would be most convenient to fly with Turkish Airlines. The airline flies directly from Johannesburg to Istanbul with regular connections to Antalya (www.turkishairlines.com). The City Walls and the Hadrian Gate are two of the main attractions in the city, but the old city and many of the mosques and temples are worth exploring. Your best bet would be to do a city tour soon after you arrive and then you can return to any of the attractions which really catch your eye. (12/6/11)