Наша Турция Our Turkey

Our Turkey. . .
Introduction
Turkey, despite the specific regional flavor, remains our favorite holiday destination. And so it would have been on this trip, if it had not been partially spoiled by the TEZ TOUR company.
Tour order

Obviously, having not had enough rest in the domestic south, we decided to additionally go to Turkey. This time, we started to prepare for the trip in advance and chose a hotel in various agencies, about two weeks in advance. And what surprised us was that many agencies were ready to offer excellent hotels at very competitive prices (some had 300 rooms available), but there were no flights for these hotels? ! At the same time, offers for very dubious hotels constantly popped up, from large operators in Turkey with an already reserved transfer, from which we concluded that these operators simply book hotels and charter flights for them in “packages” (this fact will be important in the future narrative ) leaving no options for customers. Realizing that the choice is being delayed, we made an order for a tour from a major nearest operator in Turkey - TEZ TOUR. And here it was not without problems, it turned out that no one knows if the hotels have multi-room rooms, as a result of which we had to order two standard rooms for convenience. In addition, it turned out that for some reason tickets for the flight for the day we needed had suddenly run out, and the flight had to be split into two days. Booking the tour cost us $2187, which is just an insane amount for a week-long vacation in Turkey, and in a hotel of very incomprehensible quality (more on that later). Speaking about prices, I will say that for this price you could easily book an excellent vacation in a 5 * hotel in Tunisia and almost exclusive in Egypt, and by paying another $ 500 you could go to very decent conditions in Morocco.
The work of the tour operator
On this trip, the conduct of business by the TEZ TOUR company unpleasantly surprised us. In the process of rest, we realized that this operator, as mentioned above, tritely books low-quality hotels and flights for them with "packages", then, offering these packages to customers at clearly inflated prices (and this is constantly "striking" in everything). From the tourist escort of this company, only a transfer from the airport to the hotel can be called normal. The rest, and the choice of the air carrier company, and the selection of the hotel, and the work of the company's managers in the hotel are simply ugly. Separately, I would like to say about the work of the managers of the company TEZ TOUR in the hotel. There were 4 of them, and they frankly did nothing but sell overpriced tourist trips (which could be bought in the city for 40% cheaper), sit on sofas in the hotel lobby and eat unearned meals in the hotel restaurant. In resolving problems with the hotel administration, TEZ TOUR managers practically did not help Russian tourists, the phrase constantly sounded: “contact the chief manager of the hotel”, to which the answer was constantly followed: “why are TEZ TOUR managers sitting here then? ”.
Briefly about the Kemer region
I will say right away that the Kemer region is much more picturesque and environmentally friendly than the regions of Antalya, Manavgat, Side and Alanya, more developed by Russians. In Kemer, the mountains come closer to the sea, which gives a milder, albeit humid, climate. It is impossible not to note the beauty and uniqueness of these places (there is definitely something to see here). An important factor is that there are actually no industrial enterprises here and the environment is better than in other regions of Turkey.
Flight

Our flight was to be operated by Atlant-Soyuz from Vnukovo airport. This combination did not impress us, to put it mildly. Since we were leaving in two stages, the Saturday flight was relatively normal, not counting traffic jams on the Moscow Ring Road and at the entrance to the airport. The flow of departing tourists at check-in for the flight and at passport control, and at the inspection was uniform, everything moved quickly. The flight went well, except for the obvious maximum load on the liner. But the Sunday departure did not work out at all. Given the presence of traffic jams on the direction of Vnukovo airport, it was decided to go to the airport by the Aeroexpress railway, but it turned out that not everything was so simple. The trains ran with a break of an hour, and for some reason there was no pre-registration for charters at the station (this just pissed me off, since I was hoping for registration at the station). Having overcome the route to the airport, and having arrived at it, practically, by the middle of the check-in for the flight, it turned out that the check-in had actually just begun and all the passengers of the flight were moving through the check-in stages in a huge crowd, and at a galloping pace, and the latter had to just run to the flight and through no fault of their own.
The flight itself can be called tolerable (glory to the IL-86 airliner and domestic pilots who have not yet "drunk" their skills), except for the fact that hot meals were not served on board, and despite the fact that the flight was a day one, and many passengers by that time were on the road for 3 hours, and the hotel would have hit no earlier than 20 hours. After landing at the Antalya airport, the whole procedure went perfectly and quickly (praise to the Turks).
Transfer to the hotel
There were no problems with this process, this is perhaps the only thing that the TEZ TOUR tour operator handled without any complaints. The whole procedure, from getting on the buses and ending with the process of moving to hotels, and information support was on top.
Hotel
I will try to tell you clearly and objectively about the PR CLUB GUL RESORT hotel. The hotel is located on the outskirts of Kemer and is a rather old 4 *. If the managers of some travel company will tell you that part of the hotel on the first line corresponds to 5 * do not believe it, it is not even close. I emphasize once again that the hotel is physically old and it is for this reason that it only draws a maximum of 3-4 *. In fact, the hotel consists of two territories and three buildings. The territories of the first and second lines are connected by an underground passage under one of the main roads of the Kemer settlement. The hotel has five swimming pools (one closed next to the baths) and two restaurants (one of which is not operating), there is a beach snack bar and a paid mini-restaurant with service (both quite pleasant), there are three bars (two of them are open, service is disgusting).

The territory of the hotel, although green, is trampled down and poorly groomed, it comes to the point that the garbage from the bins is not removed for 3 days. As we were able to understand, the hotel has three types of rooms, standard in the basement floors, standard on the main floors and standard and multi-room on the attic floors. All rooms are small even by Turkish standards and clearly do not correspond to the 4th * level in terms of technical condition and equipment, they are barely 3* (and this is not to mention the fact that there is no cabinet furniture in the rooms, there is only built-in furniture, which is generally nonsense) . The rooms are generally in rather poor condition. For example, in our room there was no overhead lighting in any of the rooms, the walls were painted on concrete without plaster (I meet this for the first time), there was only built-in furniture for outerwear, beds and a chair, there were no cabinets with shelves at all. The plumbing was in poor condition, the shower switch didn't work, the toilet drain system was constantly hanging, the towel racks were almost torn off. In general, the problem with the quality of hotels is a problem of recent years and it is so relevant that it has already begun to disturb vacationers from the EU, for a couple of days there was a report on German television about the drop in the quality of hotels, in which Deutsche terribly complained that, having paid whole 500 Euro they can't get decent 3-4* for a week (would they know how much we pay). I will say this, the quality of the PR CLUB GUL RESORT hotel does not at all correspond to the price requested by the TEZ TOUR operator for it, we paid $ 226 per day for 3 people, a completely inadequate amount for a hotel that is at the general level of quality 3 * +. One of the serious shortcomings of the hotel is that the hotel is located close to the mosque and all vacationers at 5 o'clock in the morning wake up the local mullah with his prayer (naturally, this disadvantage does not apply to citizens of the corresponding religion), we were not able to sleep normally for more than a single day.
Pools and beaches
We liked the pools of the PR CLUB GUL hotel, although they are old and somewhat worn out, but well-groomed and clean. The areas next to the pools are relatively spacious, there are bars next to the largest pools. Equipment next to the pools, although old, but serviceable. The beach of the hotel, on the contrary, did not inspire us at all. It is strongly narrowed by the restaurant buildings of the hotel and has a width of no more than 70 meters, while its entire area is lined with sunbeds and awnings. When the bulk of the hotel population goes to the beach, it begins to resemble the Sochi beaches of Soviet times. There is a very decent water sports center on the beach, some of the services of which are included in the price of the hotel, for example, sea kayaks and pedal boats. After observing the situation with the beach, we preferred to go to the wild beach next to the hotel, it turned out to be freer and more spacious (by the way, if you go relatively far, you can go to the beach of some camping area covered with small pebbles). One of the shortcomings of the beaches in this area was the presence of fuel oil discharged from the ships of the port of Antalya, and all of it turned out to be on the pebbles of the beach, actually not being present in the water.
Meals at the hotel

A lot of negative impressions were caused by the organization of the catering process at the hotel. The fact is that with 3 buildings sufficiently populated, only one restaurant worked in the main building, on the first line, and there was simply not enough space for everyone who wanted to eat. The lack of space was felt mainly at dinner, and sometimes at lunch, because of which we often dined at a snack bar on the beach, and didn’t go to dinner at all, going to eat in the city. At the same time, the buffet itself at the hotel was quite worthy, and the dishes were quite refined and varied (thanks to the chefs), the only thing that got it was that there was no whole beef or lamb in the assortment (of course, there is no talk of pork), the meat diet was represented by chicken , turkey, and offal, as well as some strange cutlets made, it seems also from chicken meat, sometimes we were spoiled with fried fish. I was somewhat surprised that the fruits were poorly presented, and those that were were simply ugly (this situation is completely uncharacteristic for Turkey). In addition, I will say that when the situation with food at the hotel got to us, we found an excellent Georgian restaurant in the city with original wine and ate there (in this regard, the paradoxes of our life are surprising, now to taste Georgian cuisine and wine you need to go not to Georgia but to Turkey ).
The work of the hotel staff
Watching the work of the hotel staff, one could think that they were "tired" of something, either work or vacationers. Laziness and neglect, especially felt in the work of waiters and bartenders. Against the background of general irresponsibility (this phenomenon is common in Turkey), the receptionists and maids were relatively responsible, although the latter for some reason stubbornly forgot to close the doors of the balconies, despite the fact that it was phenomenally easy to get access to the balconies of the rooms of this hotel, especially on the attic floor .
Resort and hotel contingent
Turkish resorts have almost ceased to be visited by Western tourists. Approximately 90 percent of vacationers are now tourists from Russia and the former Soviet republics. In our PR CLUB GUL hotel, the proportional ratio was absolutely similar, while among the foreigners there were single Germans, Dutch, Poles, Finns, Hungarians and the Turks themselves.
Behavior of Russian-speaking vacationers
Strange as it may sound, but with the overwhelming Russian-speaking contingent of the resort, its behavior was quite cultured, and not defiantly aggressive. Some exceptions were tourists from (from) Ukraine, they looked very preoccupied, nervous and dissatisfied. As before, there are two problems in the behavior of Russian-speaking tourists: drunkenness (but now it does not have aggressive forms) and the boundlessly depraved behavior of some Russian-speaking women (and this just has pronounced, conspicuous forms). Moreover, it should be noted that our ladies have undermined their image so much that they are already talking about it and it seems like the Turks are interested in the situation, the meaning of their speeches boils down to the fact that “it's just not normal when a woman gives herself to everyone indiscriminately almost after the phrase hello ".
The behavior of the Turks

I will say that over the past 14 years since my first visit to Turkey, the inhabitants of this country have become much more civilized, more calm and less annoying. But the only thing they have not added is responsibility, it is noticeable in everything, how they do business, how they work, how they treat tourists.
weather and sea
This time we were in Kemer in very unusual weather conditions. The weather was mixed. Part of the day was sunny, part of the day was cloudy, and part of the day it was raining. But such a situation did not prevent us from relaxing at all, since the air temperature did not fall below 27 degrees, and the sea was very warm and amazingly clean, I have not seen anything like this for a long time.
Purchases
The deterioration of the situation with goods in Turkey began around 2005, it was then that the quality of consumer goods began to fall, and prices for it began to rise unjustifiably. Now the situation looks somehow strange, in fact, Turkey has become a country of counterfeit goods at high prices. For example, it is not clear to me why I should buy fake jeans for 200 Euros, when I can buy branded, although not the “highest” brands, for 100 Euros in Russia. The situation is similar with other goods. Buying such goods was justified when they were cheap, but not now. In general, the incomprehensibly high level of prices for many goods that used to be cheap is surprising, for example, it is completely incomprehensible why I should want to buy a banal leather jacket for $ 900, and a very average forged bag for $ 600, despite the fact that the Turks are now trading very reluctantly and within very limited limits.
Trips and tours
I will say right away that in the domestic tourism sector, there is a serious regression in the field of security, although it would seem that with the development of tourism in the country, everything should have been the other way around. Next, I will list in order the main tourist routes in the region and talk about those that we have visited and about which we received information from guides and vacationers.
Main tours:
1. Travel on a yacht
Quite banal sailing on a yacht on the sea with swimming and lunch. Sometimes different sights are shown. The same quality is done by "official" (hotel) and "unofficial" (street) tour operators.

2. Travel on a yacht + jeep safari (there is an element of danger)
Sailing on a yacht as described above with completion of the route in jeeps. You can drive your own cars. There is a significant element of danger when traveling on mountain roads, the behavior of the accompanying guides is completely irresponsible, and practically no one monitors traffic safety.
3. Jeep safari (there is an element of danger)
Described above. I will only add that the condition of the jeeps is relatively bad.
4. Journey to Pamukkale + Ieraplis
Pamukkale (salt mountains and baths) is a unique natural phenomenon on a global scale, I advise you to visit and explore, but it is better to take a two-day tour so as not to get tired. It is worth asking in advance what kind of bus will be, so that it does not turn out that they will send a “hackneyed wreck” for you.
5. Quad bike safari (unsafe tour)
The tour this time seemed to me quite dangerous, this was confirmed by the video materials that the Turks showed us, either by accident or on purpose at the end of the trip. Of the 30 emergencies shown, at least 6 were critically dangerous and could result in the death of tourists. The Turks understand the danger of this entertainment and now they began to sign a document that relieves them of responsibility. True, now both the "official" and "unofficial" organizers of such tours began to give helmets to the rally participants. It should be noted that the “unofficial” organizers make a more interesting tour with a climb up the mountain (although it is more dangerous), and the “official” ones simply ski along the track in a pine forest.
6. Rafting (unsafe tour)

Rafting is rafting on boats and kayaks on a mountain river. This time the rafting went very badly, with a number of dangerous, almost critical situations. On one of the rapids, a kayak, which was part of our group, turned over and the tourists who fell into the water were almost covered by a multi-seat boat following them. Then a girl fell out of one of the bots, who was barely pulled back. At the stop, they arranged a swim with diving into the water from a mountain ledge, but the current was so fast that Ukrainian tourists were swept under the boats of an adjacent group passing by. At the same time, I was surprised by the behavior of the accompanying guides, who did nothing to help tourists who were in danger. It should be emphasized here that the responsibility is low for both the “official” organizers and the “unofficial” ones, but the former at least give tourists helmets to protect their heads.
7. Night trip on a yacht
Simple sailing on a yacht sometimes with a mini disco. Usually a boring event.
8. Disco
I've been to this event a couple of times, it looks very strange. Usually, a lot of Turkish guys sit in the hall and wait for tourists from different countries to be brought to the club (or they will come in themselves). Only then do some dancing begin, and often they do not begin until the morning. It got to the point of being ridiculous, foam discotheques used to blow foam just to satisfy a couple of dancing people.
3. Turkish bath
A very useful procedure, but it is better to do it immediately after arrival in order to cleanse the skin, and then calmly sunbathe. Sometimes you don’t have to travel far for a normal “hammam”, you have it in your hotel. Ladies, I want to warn you that during a “single” trip to a Turkish bath, it is very likely that Turkish bath attendants will allow themselves to grab you by intimate places.
10. Diving
Diving under water in Turkey is a boring event, there is nothing to see from the flora and fauna. It is only interesting if you are taken to places where there are sunken ships or ruins of cities.
11. Sea fishing
The usual exit to the sea for fishing at 5 am. The event will be interesting only to the fans.
12. Fishing + picnic.
It takes place in beautiful places. You can catch the fish yourself, then fry and eat. This tour is not particularly entertaining, but gives you the opportunity to relax.
13. Visiting the water park in Antalya.
In my personal opinion, these are the best water parks in Turkey and worth a visit. You will get a lot of positive emotions and have a great rest. In addition, water parks in Antalya are relatively safe, unlike the option near Alanya and some hotel parks.
14. "Turkish night"
Nothing special, simple dinner with dancing of national bands. Something similar is regularly arranged in hotels above 3 *.
15. Climbing Mount Tahtali
They say it's beautiful, but definitely, this entertainment is not worth $ 50.

16. Visit Chimera.
A trip to the local Mount Olympus with a visit to the place Chimera, where natural gas bursts out of the ground and constantly burns. This spectacle is most impressive at night. There is also a picnic option.
Communications and communications
Calling from a cell phone in Turkey has become completely unprofitable. For example, one call and three SMS almost immediately depleted my phone bill by $10. For phone calls, it is most advantageous to use a local calling card. With a capacity of 50 units, according to our calculations, it is enough for about 20 minutes of conversation. You can use the Internet in a few Internet cafes and in hotel lobbies where there is WI-FI (it was in our hotel).
Transport and movement
As before, the cheapest mode of transport in Turkey remains the local shuttle bus (and the bus in general). Rail transport is not developed. And renting a car, although relatively cheap, is not profitable because of the insane prices for gasoline. In addition, it should be noted that the traffic on the roads of Turkey has noticeably decreased due to the crisis, and the driving culture, on the contrary, has noticeably grown.
Return

This time the return to Russia was just awful. We were picked up from the hotel on time and quickly taken to the airport. But that's where the problems started. Due to the gigantic influx of domestic tourists, the airport services could not cope with their service, and we stood in gigantic queues almost everywhere, both at check-in, at luggage packing, and at passport control. The hustle and bustle in the duty-free shops was so unbearable that we didn't even make big purchases there, limiting ourselves to little things. And the prices in the airport restaurants, as they were gigantic, have remained so. But the worst part was the flight. I don't think I will ever forget him. If the take-off and most of the flight were relatively comfortable and calm, then its completion was simply terrible. There was a cyclone over Moscow, it was raining in the city and a gale-force wind was blowing. Because of this, our plane was not allowed to land, and we circled over the airfield for almost 40 minutes in conditions of terrible turbulence and lack of fuel. We sat down in some kind of emergency mode with fast braking, it seems, only thanks to the skill of the pilots and the monumentality of IL - 86.