What is the best resort in Turkey for a trip with children and what to consider?

Turkish resorts are very popular with Russians. They are affordable, not ruinous for the family budget, quite comfortable and well adapted for children's holidays. There is everything here - nature, the sea, and entertaining excursions, without having to fly to the ends of the world. Turkey is very close.

Pros and cons

Rest in Turkey has an important plus, which is decisive for many - the absence of a visa regime. In other words, you do not need to obtain a visa to enter this hospitable and beautiful country. More precisely, it is not required in advance. The visa is issued at the airport. It is very convenient - especially if the vacation "happened" suddenly, they did not prepare for it (or a hot tour turned up with a very decent discount).

To get to Turkey, it is not at all necessary to first go to Moscow, direct flights to this warm country are carried out from many large cities of Russia, in addition, there are a lot of charter flights. The flight time from different airports is different, but in general it will not take more than 2-4 hours. The only exception is the Far Eastern region, from where tourists will have to fly for almost 11 hours.

In Turkey, 99% of hotels have an all-inclusive system. Many hotels also offer a separate children's buffet. A family on vacation will not have to puzzle over where and what to feed the child.

Another plus in Turkey's favor is the attitude of the local population towards receiving tourists. The Turks did not rely on ancient ruins and palaces alone, which they have in abundance, and they also decided not to rely on the charm of the sea, and therefore created a very strong and developed base for active recreation. Here you can go diving, rafting, and surfing, you can go on a jeep safari, try your hand at sailing, parachuting, and in winter - practice mountain skiing.

Each resort, without exception, offers a wide range of medical procedures - from the traditional Turkish hammam to SPA and acupressure. There are thermal springs, therapeutic mud, some resorts offer individual programs for weight loss.

Turkey is a country of souvenirs. It is quite difficult to leave this country without magnets, textiles, amulets, ornaments. Prices are not fixed as local merchants love and appreciate buyers who trade skillfully and persistently.

The disadvantages of a holiday in Turkey include overcrowding of beaches during the high season.... Sometimes finding a place for comfortable swimming and sunbathing is simply impossible. Another disadvantage is the local mentality, which is firmly embedded in a passion for deception. With all the Turkish hospitality here, every merchant, waiter and taxi driver just dream of choosing a convenient moment in order to deceive a tourist for at least half a dollar. You should be very careful - check receipts, make sure that all promised services are provided in full.

The language barrier in Turkey is quite significant. Most of the Turks do not know English, but those who have been working in tourism for a long time know the basic Russian phrases, and therefore it is difficult to explain at the hotel, but it is possible, but outside the tourist areas the situation becomes completely deplorable.

The beaches are not clean everywhere, and the service is polite. In general, there are much more pluses in Turkish vacations than minuses.

Seasons

The tourist season in Turkey begins to gain momentum in May. At this time, you can enjoy excursions without crowding, visit health resorts and get pleasant and healthy procedures. If you want to go to sea, it is best to go to Side or Alanya in May, here the water temperature already reaches 20-22 degrees. At this time, it is best to go on vacation with small children, since the Turkish sun is not yet very merciless, and the wind is warm.

In June, the main tourist season begins, and almost everywhere the sea becomes very warm - up to 24 degrees. In July and August in Turkey, the influx of tourists, prices rise. But there is no need to expect surprises from the weather, it is stable: the air temperature is almost everywhere around +30, the water temperature is 24-25 degrees.

In September, the heat subsides, but the sea is still warm. This time is also ideal for family tourism with small children. You can swim and sunbathe until mid-October, but then the weather will change rapidly: in the evenings it is already quite cool, sometimes it rains.

November and December are good times for shopping and wellness. The ski season begins in January and lasts until March. April is a month of calm, at this time the lowest prices for holidays in Turkey operate. It is still slush in Russia in April, but in this country everything is blooming and fragrant, this time can be devoted to cognitive rest, having traveled with your child to the most interesting sights.

Popular resorts

Antalya

This is the most popular resort in Turkey, the undoubted advantage of which (in addition to the soft sand on the beaches) is its proximity to the international airport. The resort is perfect for outdoor activities, as well as for leisurely pastime with children of all ages.

Alanya

This resort is quite popular among Russians. It is more suitable for families with children than for noisy parties of youth companies. There are, of course, nightclubs and adult entertainment, but traditionally most of the tourists here are parents with children. The resort is located near interesting historical sites - former pirate caves and fortresses, and therefore there is quite an interesting excursion tourism.

Belek

A very quiet and measured resort where time passes slowly. There are gorgeous pine forests, fragrant eucalyptus trees, which is why the largest number of hotels with medical services is concentrated in Belek. If the main purpose of the vacation is not treatment, but rest, then it should be taken into account that it will be more interesting for older children. There are plenty of opportunities for them - surfing lessons, sailing lessons, rock climbing lessons.

Kemer

Great resort, but not kid-friendly at all. The beaches here are mainly pebbly, but the infrastructure for active recreation is very developed, so this resort is the best choice for young people and families with teenagers.

Side

A great place for an educational stay. There are so many antiquities and sights here that they will be enough for several vacations in a row. The beaches are covered with soft golden sand, the water is clear and transparent. These factors make the resort quite attractive for families with children of all ages.

Marmaris

A resort for connoisseurs of clear water, great depth and golden sands. The center of yachting in Turkey is concentrated here, and therefore you can have fun with a teenager here, which cannot be said about babies. But Marmaris hotels offer excellent children's infrastructure.

Fethiye

A resort for those who love extreme entertainment, such as paragliding or scuba diving into an underwater cave. Here are cozy bays, secluded beaches, all lovers of peace and quiet will like it here.

Bodrum

A favorite resort for everyone who travels not just to lie on the beach, but to have fun in a large and noisy company. There is an incredible number of clubs, restaurants and cafes. Families with children who want to sleep in silence at least at night should better go to the western part of Bodrum, it is much quieter here.

The best sandy beaches

The beaches in Turkey are varied - and at times quite unexpected. There are sandy, pebbly, rocky beaches, there are even places for swimming, carefully rolled into asphalt and poured with concrete. With children, it is best to choose sandy ones. To do this, you can use the list compiled from reviews of family tourists:

Patara... This beach in the resort of Fethiye is considered one of the best not only within the country, but throughout Europe as a whole. Here is not just sand, but snow-white sand. The beach is well organized and the beach cafes have very affordable prices for lunch and dinner. Finding the beach is easy, just focus on the small town of the same name.
Belek beaches. Almost all the beaches of this resort are covered with yellow sand. The length of the beaches is about 20 kilometers. Sprawling palm trees grow on the beaches, and the descent into the water is smooth and gentle, due to which the water near the coast always warms up better. Children will be quite comfortable here.

On these beaches you need to be careful - there is always a risk of stepping on a sea turtle egg. It was Belek that these creatures were chosen for procreation. The Turks declared the beaches of Belek a nature reserve area.

Antalya beaches. In this resort area, almost all beaches have sandy and coarse sand cover. Especially families with children loved Lara beach, which is located on the outskirts of the city (in a place called Kundu). The entrance to the water is very smooth. There are breakwaters. It is incredibly clean here, since the local cleaners remove algae and everything that tourists left after the rest twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.
Side beaches. This region of Turkey is also famous for its sandy beaches, many of which are distinguished by golden quartz sand. The water near the coast is clear, and the descent into the water is "childish", smooth. Most often, families with children are recommended to the beach in the area of the Kumkoy village. There are many kids here, there are trampolines and small inflatable water attractions.
Alanya beaches. When going to Alanya, you need to be especially careful, because in this resort there are beaches with a wide variety of surfaces. Sometimes even the neighboring beaches can be completely different - one is rocky and the other is sandy. Children will feel comfortable on Cleopatra Beach, located in the west of the city. Here, not only the beach is sandy, but also the seabed. The beach near the village of Incekum is slightly inferior.
The beaches of Marmaris. Here, with sandy beaches, things are worse, but only quantitatively. Qualitatively available beaches have a lot of advantages that are not found in other holiday resorts.

With children, you can go to the beach of Cleopatra Island. Here the sand is white and ashy, such is found only in some paradises of North Africa. Fine sand awaits vacationers on the Iztuzu beach, which is 14 kilometers from the city of Dalyan.

The beach, which is quite remote from the city of Marmaris (40 kilometers), is located in the village of Sarygerm. There are several quite comfortable hotels on it.

Hotels with kids clubs

It is not very difficult to choose a hotel in which good conditions for children's recreation will be created in Turkey - the choice of hotels is large, the service is quite acceptable. To make it easier to choose, you can see the rating of the most "children's" hotels in this country. Many parents leave positive reviews and recommend these places for family vacations.

It is better to select a tour using special services such as OnlineTours: you can see in one place all the offers of the largest tours. operators and read reviews about the hotel.

Each of the hotels has children's clubs, animators work, there are children's training groups, coaches, a children's menu in the restaurant, baby cots in the room and separate pools with water slides:

Delphin Hotel Botanik 5 * (Alanya);
"Utopia World Hotel 5 *" (Alanya);
IC Hotels Green Palace 5 * (Antalya);
Fame Residence Lara & Spa Hotel 5 * (Antalya);
Alva Donna Exclusive Hotel & Spa 5 * (Belek);
"Maritim Pine Beach 5 *" (Belek);
"Vogue Hotel Bodrum 5 *" (Bodrum);
"Rixos Premium Bodrum 5 *" (Bodrum);
Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa 5 * (Dalaman);
Tui Biue Sarigerme Park 4 * (Dalaman);
"Euphoria Aegean Resort & Spa 5 *" (Izmir);
"Paloma Club Sultan Ozdere 5 *" (Izmir);
Alva Donna World Palace 5 * (Kemer);
Akka Alinda Hotel 5 * (Kemer);
Sealight Resort Hotel (Kusadasi);
"Richmond Ephesus 5 *" (Kusadasi);
Julian Club Hotel 4 * (Marmaris);
Hotel Aqua 5 * (Marmaris);
Otium Eco Club Side 5 * (Side);
Club Hotel Turan Prince World 5 * (Side);
"Club Tuana Fethiye 5 *" (Fethiye);
"Club & Hotel Letoonia 5 *" (Fethiye).

Read our tips for choosing a hotel in Turkey in another article: you will learn a lot of interesting things and get acquainted with detailed examples of suitable options.

Tips for choosing a hotel

All Turkish hotels offer their guests all-inclusive meals. To provide your child with delicious and fresh food, it is worth checking in advance if the selected hotel has a separate children's table with a children's menu. Most hotels in the 4-star category and above have their own water attractions (and even water parks).

When choosing a hotel, pay attention to the distance from the sea. Bit happens that the distance is quite long or the road to the sea is very difficult, which will be a clear disadvantage for families with children. You don't have to worry about the beach equipment, since in hotels that have their own bathing areas, sun loungers, umbrellas and towels are given out to vacationers completely free of charge.

Check what age limit applies to children who can attend the mini club. Are there separate groups for children from 3 to 5 years old, what the club can offer to children 6-7 years old and older. Some hotels have teenage clubs for children over 12 years old during high season.

Is it possible to rent a home on your own?

If you want to go to Turkey as savages, then you will surely face the question of where to live. It will not work to rent an apartment in this country inexpensively in the summer months - the Turks overestimate the cost of real estate, even if the house is rural and is located at a considerable distance from the sea.

It is possible to find a budget option without intermediaries, but it is not as easy as it seems. The surest way to get into a mess, be left without a roof over your head and lose money is to choose the first ad you see on the Internet. Real estate fraud is highly developed in Turkey.

It is best to look for housing for rent on sites that are engaged in buying and selling real estate in Turkey. Usually, realtors help who sell Turkish real estate and are engaged in its subsequent lease. Ads on this site are not always displayed on the intermediary, sometimes the data of the owner himself is indicated.

It is better to rent an apartment in advance, several months in advance, then the rent can be 10-20% cheaper. By the way, such an early rental is also convenient in terms of purchasing air tickets for a regular flight to Turkey; in this case, they will also have a significant discount.

Children's camps

There are many children's camps in Turkey, which gladly accept Russian children during the holidays. They can be used by young people under 22 years old. A standard shift lasts 14 days. Children are usually accommodated in organized groups on the basis of existing hotels. The children are watched by teachers and educators, every day of vacationers is thought out to the smallest detail.

It is worth purchasing a voucher in advance, 2-3 months in advance, then it will be cheaper (the average cost of a voucher in the summer of 2017 ranged from 500 to 700 euros per shift). Departure with escort is usually carried out from Moscow.

When choosing a camp, pay attention to age restrictions, living conditions, food and reviews about the camp. Camps in Turkey are different - linguistic, educational, mathematical, sports, youth, dance and so on. The most popular among Russians are presented in this list:

"Adakule" (sports, for adolescents from 14 years old and for young people from 18 to 22 years old);
"Mischievous orange" (beach, for children from 7 years old);
"Hummingbird" (sports, for children from 7 to 18 years old, for young people up to 23 years old);
"Russian speech" (creative, educational, for children from 10 to 16 years old);
"Banana Club" (entertaining, wellness, for children from 16 years old and youth up to 22 years old).

Entertainment

There is enough entertainment in Turkey even on the territory of the hotel. If you are already tired of the beach holiday and the pool with slides near the hotel, it's time to go to learn something new. You can go on typical excursions, or you can plan your trips yourself. If you choose the second option, you should know where it is advisable to visit with a child in this country so that the vacation will be remembered for a long time:

Dolphinarium "Dolphin Park" (Bodrum). You can go here with both a one-year-old baby and a teenager - dolphins, sea lions and walruses will not leave anyone indifferent. For an additional fee, after the show, you can feed the inhabitants of the dolphinarium, ride dolphins.
Aqua Fantasy water park (Kushanasy). The large and interesting water park has 21 slides for adults and five attractions for kids in its arsenal. The highest slide here is 222 meters high. On the territory of the water park, animators work all day, and you can eat in one of the many cafes in the park.
"Sealanya Sea Park" (Antalya). This marine park gives you the opportunity not only to swim to your heart's content, but also to acquaint you with many marine life. Interactive aquariums contain only safe animals that will not cause any harm to children.
Amusement Park "Vialand" (Istanbul). In this park, you will find more than 50 attractions, including water rides, a large stage where festivals and concerts are held, several themed zones designed for children of different ages. Usually a visit to the park takes a whole day.
Museum of Underwater Archeology (Bodrum). The museum itself is located in the castle of St. Peter, it contains the greatest collection of finds from the bottom of the sea. Much of what (since the Bronze Age) has ever sunk in shipwrecks is on display in this exhibition. The museum consists of 13 large rooms. It will take several hours to see everything and listen to interesting stories from the guide.
Dinopark (Kemer). There are 28 dinosaurs in the forest area near Kemer. All are life-sized, they growl, flap their wings, open their mouths, move. The child will be satisfied. And after an entertaining excursion, you can also ride themed attractions and take part in the most real archaeological excavations.
Alanya Luna Park. This park is designed for preschool kids. All the rides here are safe, bright and adapted for toddlers. Younger students are offered to ride a rollerdrome.

In addition, it is advisable to visit the Antalya Oceanarium. At the same resort with teenagers, you can go rafting on the Kepruchay mountain river. In Kusadasi, an amazing steam locomotive museum is waiting for adults and children, and in Istanbul - a toy museum and a real snowy town where you can play snowballs and go ice skating. In Side, the large Discovery Park is worthy of attention, and in Antalya - the valley of sand figures.

From educational excursions with children, trips to Ancient Ephesus, Xanthos, the ancient city of Phaselis, the Princes' Islands, the house of the Holy Virgin Mary, the ancient city of Side and Pamukkale are recommended. And that's not all.

Important nuances

There is no need to do any special vaccinations before traveling to Turkey. What is in the preventive vaccination card will be quite enough. For those traveling with children in the midst of the summer season, it makes sense to get vaccinated against rotavirus, which is often found in the water on crowded beaches.

Acclimatization for a child will not be long and difficult, since the Turkish climate is an improved version of the Russian south. It is soft and easy to carry even for babies.

Baby food for babies up to one year old is sold in large shopping centers, in large pharmacies.

Reviews

Usually, reviews about family vacations in Turkey are positive. Many parents prefer to return to this country almost every vacation, because for children it is as comfortable and interesting as possible. Moms and dads warn other tourists with children against inattention on excursions - they can steal things, money.

It is difficult enough to communicate with local doctors, say those who had a chance to deal with them. The language barrier and the lack of extended insurance will make the child's treatment very expensive and difficult. So it is advisable not to be stingy and arrange extended medical insurance, at least for a child, before departure.

Many hotels are located quite far from the airports, the journey takes several hours, which is excruciating for young children. Experienced tourists are advised to pay special attention to this item.