Gelidonya to Antalya
It was a 1.5 hour drive to Antalya not a very long journey. We had two days in Antalya, during these two days we had planned to visit two destinations, Manavgat Waterfall and Köprülü Canyon National Park. Both destinations were about 3 hours round trip from Antalya.
Three hours round trips to see a waterfall and a canyon was too unappealing. In the end we skipped both destinations as we were very contented to rest and relax at Antalya. Just ate, slept, relax, ate, slept and relax for the two days!
Antalya Kaleiçi ANcient City & Marina
From our stay was just a 5 minutes (200m) walk to Antalya Kaleiçi Ancient City & Marina. We walked to the main road crossed it and reached a “park” with a elevated pavement to a lift “Kaleici Panoramic Elevator”
At the side of the lift was a viewing deck which looked out into to sea and down to the marina.
The view was fantastic. We especially loved the backdrop. The sea, the layers of mountain ranges, so far and yet so near. We took the lift down to the marina to explore.
Antalya Kaleici Ancient City was not a ruins. The Old City Marina was the site of the first harbor in Antalya. It was still an active marina with fishing boats and yachts alike moored here. The alleys were cobbled pavement with well maintained houses lining the streets.
There were cafes, restaurants and shops selling local cuisine and products. After some exploration we sat down by one of it waterfront cafes, “Arma Restaurant” to have our coffee/tea break. The sun was out and its rays brought out the “brilliance” of the various shades of blue, blue sea, blue sky and blue mountain ranges. Two cups of cafe latte and a strawberry cheese cake cost about 210tl.
We went back to our hotel for a rest and was back at the marina for dinner. We had a very slow dinner and by the time we were done the lights at the marina were out.
A after dinner stroll at the marina was delightful. The weather was cool and breezy. Many people were out dining and walking at the marina. It was not too pack but lively with voices and music in the background.
More coffee break and meals at Antalya
The next day we took a walk along the coast westward until we reached Roberts Coffee Riviera. We picked this cafe from google which had many good reviews. We reached the cafe at about 4.30pm and had a great coffee/tea break. It was so scenic to sit by the window and looked out into the sea, the mountains and the coast. So lovely!
We sat at the cafe until dinner time when we ordered and ate dinner still enjoying the view as the sun sank somewhere behind the clouds and mountains.
Tea break and dinner cost a total of 680tl, rather inexpensive. After dinner we walk further westward passing one restaurants to the next. The coast line was quite rugged and at some points the drop into the sea was very steep.
Night view of Antalya Kaleiçi Ancient City & Marina
Stay at Antalya
Our stay at Antalya was Sky Kamer Hotel. We paid more for a room with a balcony facing the sea. We were aware of the beauty of Antalya coastline so a room with a seaview was most important.
We were assigned to a room on the 4th level with a balcony facing the sea. Unfortunately there was no sea view at all! Though the balcony faced the sea the sea view was blocked by trees and buildings. There was not sea in front!! This was a total misrepresentation. The seaview picture that was shown in the booking lisiting definitely showed the sea!
We were very disappointed with our room unfortunately the rooms on the higher floors which probably had sea view were fully booked.
The cost of the room was Eur190 for two nights with breakfast included.
