Take full delight in Turkey

MY WIFE Sibaele and I are seasoned travellers but now that we had little ones in tow, Jack, two and Beth, eight months, we were keen to see if we could still enjoy the adventurous and cultural holidays we always used to.

The Beach Villas, just outside Didim and Altinkum on Turkey’s Aegean coast, proved the perfect base for all of us; within easy reach were some of the Mediterranean’s foremost historical and cultural sites, while the resort itself was equipped with plenty to keep the youngsters happy.

The gentle waters in the secluded bay came no higher than Jack’s knees as he chased the tiny fi sh that zig-zagged mischievously out to sea. Brightly coloured fishing boats bobbed gently nearby and a rickety wooden pier added to the unspoilt charm.

Local children, slightly older than ours but much, much bolder, swam from the headland, still well within their depth. In the distance, the Greek island of Farmakosi watched protectively over us all. Its outline dominates the view from the immaculate year-old villas.

Artemis Travel manages the privately owned development that surrounds two child-friendly pools either side of Mustapha’s, a small, welcoming bar. There is 24-hour security at the gate and the gardens are patrolled by Henry the tortoise, Jack’s new friend.

In the evenings, various local restaurants have a delivery service with a twist. They’ll either bring the food to you or you to the food, and one night the restaurant owner of Sahil Asik’s on Altinkum’s third and most secluded beach picked us up from our villa for dinner.

The restaurant had a homely feel about it and was built in the style of a quaint wooden beach hut, open on three sides to views of a quiet fishing harbour.

There we dined on delicious, freshly caught sea bass on the edge of the white sand beach while watching the sun set over the sea.

Once we had eaten, the host once again became taxi driver, happy to drop us off at the nearby Luna Park, a small

fairground, for a couple of hours before taking us home.

The children had gotten their rides; the following morning it was our turn. It turned out our first choice of taking the ferry to Kos was only a high-season option but tours circumnavigating five islands depart daily from the bustling dockside at Didim all year round.

The popular six-hour trip offered the chance to catch some sun on deck between refreshing dips in the Aegean; in Jack’s case, delightedly blowing the whistle of his lifejacket.

The next day it was time to introduce a cultural element to the proceedings. Silt laid down by the River Maeander (the origin of the word “meander”) means the ruins of today are scattered among plains of watermelons and wild olives. Ephesus, home of St Paul’s Biblical penpals the Ephesians, was the location of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

We visited Miletus with its ancient theatre built in the 4th century BC which, according to Jack, has got “brilliant tunnels”, and Priene, the 2,500-year-old city designed with a grid system of streets and a few intact columns that provide a gentle amble for grown-ups and plenty of scrambling opportunity for toddlers.

It is quite a climb up to both and clearly the Greeks were too busy philosophising to think about the practicalities of buggy access. Easier to appreciate is the ridiculously picturesque Bafa Lake situated between Didim and Bodrum

airport.

The journey along the highway that hugs its south coast offers tantalising glimpses of an unspoilt and largely uninhabited north shore covered with wild olive trees. In between, surrounded by deep blue water, are a handful of islands, fringed by white sand coves.

Ancient ruins cover two of them, and we were able to get a closer look on a small boat chartered from the village of Kapikiri.

We chugged towards an old Byzantine monastery, unrestored but imposing on its outcrop, with the captain worryingly content to let Jack take the wheel.

More complete is the monastery of Heraclea, a few tantalising yards across the water from the one sign of tourism, the small functional bar in Kapikiri, which enjoys exclusive rights to this most spectacular of views.

You feel privileged to have found something so beautiful so far off the beaten track.

 What makes it extra special is that a couple of children, generally well-behaved but still quite unable to match the tranquility of the scenery, were welcomed, enjoyed and even cherished as much here as they had been throughout our stay in Turkey.

That nurturing attitude is in keeping with the mythology of the region. Heraclea is where the goddess Selene kept the shepherd Endymion in perpetual sleep so that she could bear up to 50 of his children.

Just imagine trying to take all of them away on holiday at the same time.

● GETTING THERE:

Pegasus (0845 084 8980/www.flypgs.com) offers return fl ights from Stansted to Bodrum from £132.

Artemis Travel (01909 478 946/www.artemistravel.co.uk) offers seven nights’ self-catering at the Beach Villas from £420pp (eight sharing).

Excursions can be arranged through Artemis. Sunday Express readers can receive a 15 per cent discount if they book before the end of January and quote DE001.

Hilton London Stansted (01279 680 800/www.hilton.co.uk/stansted) offers rooms from £46 per night (two sharing), room only.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Office: 020 7839 7778/www.gototurkey.co.uk