Side Trip

Bodrum-Turkey

HOLGUIN

Known as the “Turkish Riviera,” Bodrum was once a quiet town catering to fishermen and sponge divers. A wave of intellectuals began to migrate here in the 1950s. Since then, Bodrum has attracted artists as a place for secondary residence. Now many have become regulars who stay yearlong. Bodrum now hosts many poets, singers, artists, as well as commercially minded investors and package tourists. Fly to the beachside resort town of Bodrum and spend a night at the lovely Ada Hotel. It’s a picturesque boutique hotel built amongst ancient olive trees. Take a quick tour of Bodrum, with its white washed houses and cascading bougainvillea, explore its winding streets filled with cafes and little boutiques, and then pop in to the Marmera Hotel for an afternoon cocktail by the pool. The sailing in this area is wonderful. Gullets are traditional Turkish sailing boats with wide hulls. Visit Cleopatra’s Beach and other places of historical interest or just relax and enjoy the gentle sea breeze.

Cappadocia-Turkey

CAPPADOCIA

Explore this ancient city built into the rocks. A mix between The Flintstones and a lunar landscape, it is most famous for its natural rock formations and underground cities. Visit the Valley of Fairy Chimneys, where you’ll see the effect of thousands of year of erosion on soft volcanic stone topped with hardened lava. Then visit some of the over 100 painted churches in the religious hidden city of Ilhara Canyon. Stay at the Museum Hotel, built in these caves dwellings. Guests experience authenticity and luxury, as well as being surrounded with artifacts and collectables from the period when Cappadocia thrived. Finally don’t leave without taking a hot air balloon ride over this amazing landscape.