Balbey Family Apart

A stroll of literally three minutes from the hotel door takes you to the entrance of Kaleichi, the Old Town of Antalya, with its bazaar, cafes and restaurants. Five more minutes and you arrive at Hadrian's Castle Gate, a triumphal arch built in the name of the Roman emperor Hadrian, who visited the city in the year 130, the only remaining entrance gate in the walls that surrounded the original city and harbor. From here you can wander the beautiful cobbled streets full of historic houses and cascading bougainvillea down to the harbor and enjoy a day on the Mediterranean on one of the wooden tour boats. If your walk has tired you, the Ascensor lifts you back up to street level as you watch the harbor disappear below you. For a day on the beach, an antique tram from Kaleichi takes you on a fifteen minute ride to the beaches of Konyaalti, with views of the sparkling Mediterranean along the way.

But Antalya is more than just beaches and historic buildings; walking streets for an evening promenade; top-class shops for browsing, especially the high-fashion mall Mark Antalya; restaurants and cafes, with plenty of small food venues for a döner kebab while you are taking a stroll.