Turkish Riviera - Mediterranean beach house
Our house is a beautiful Turkish beach house close to the popular town of Side (pronounced Sea-day) on the coast of Turkey, with stunning views of the Mediterranean and the Taurus Mountains. Side is a great place for archaeology buffs and shoppers alike. The old part of the town, dominated by a working Greco-Roman amphitheatre, has been occupied on and off for well over 2,000 years. The thriving present-day town combines many ancient walls and buildings with modern structures. The temple of Apollo and the harbour offer perfect vantage points to watch the sun go down. There are many restaurants, bars and cafes.
Two long, wide, golden beaches extend for miles either side of the old town of Side. They dip gently down to a shallow sea, making them ideal for children. The beaches are lined with restaurants and offer boat trips, windsurfing, parasailing, banana boats, jet skis, pedalos, volleyball, snorkelling, scuba diving and horse riding. There are also two new golf courses in nearby Belek.
Side
Side is a 45 minute stroll along the beach (designated a Blue Beach in 2009) from the house, now made even easier by the new promenade. The town can also be easily accessed in ten minutes by local bus (dolmus) or taxi. There is a dolmus station at the top of the road with very frequent buses into local villages and also into Manavgat, the nearest main town. The old town of Side is open every day for the sale of carpets, rugs, jewellery, leather, shoes, brassware and inexpensive copy designer clothing. There is also a large local Saturday market nearby with all sorts of goods, including local produce.
Provisions
There are a few small local general stores ('markets'). There is a large supermarket a short distance away on the D400 and you will also find smaller supemarkets, a butchers and a fishmongers, together with 2 or 3 local fruit and vegetable co-operatives, in Side Boulevard.
