Antalya, Turkey

Antalya was exactly the kind of vacation I needed in Turkey. Istanbul was fun and exotic, blah blah, but very polluted, hectic, hot, crowded and overwhelming. My BFF, who I was visiting in Turkey, had never heard of Antalya, except through other study-abroad students. I had only heard about it through my parents who had gone there on vacation 40-some years ago, and when a tourist-targeted bombing occurred there last summer. Woohoo! (In fact, everytime we left and arrived in a vehicle, the hotel would do a bomb search at the entrance). Anyway, we did the R&R, umbrella-drinks-on-the-beach, swimming in the warm sea, open-air-dance-club thing, and I highly recommend it. A couple observations: absolutely NO American tourists, lots of Arab visitors, the old town isn't worth visiting, Turks are better looking in Antalya, and hotels try to trick you into going to ritzy, touristic, over-priced restaurants. The best meal we had was at an outdoor cafe on a cliff overlooking the sea and beaches - despite the bastards running out of nargile-tobacco. It was truly my first "adult" vacation (with a friend, without family, paid for ourselves, planned by yours truly, etc.). And best of all, quality BFF time (no comments please).