Hi darlings X
As I type this post I am so relaxed, and im actually going to start this off by summarising this entire vacation and experience in Turkey with these few words “BEST VACATION EVER!”
So we decided on this trip quite last minute, actually Mike surprised me with it. With the entire pandemic which has taken its toll on everybody, we were both quite exhausted and could definitely use a break. Mike booked everything and we packed and left for Antalya, Turkey in just 2 days (I did tell you guys im a master packer, read my previous post on India for my packing tips https://sol-media.co.uk/2020/03/05/welcome-to-sol-travels/).
I had no idea where we were going, what it would look like etc, only that I would need a few gorgeous bikinis:). Its a 4 hour flight from London until landing in sun kissed Turkey. The airport was relatively easy to navigate through and as its still quiet on the travel front, it was not busy and getting our luggage was a breeze (waiting on luggage can be a right pain). Our taxi was waiting outside, friendly driver met us with a warm welcome and couple bottles of cold water (which was needed in that heat). The drive to the hotel is short, just about 30 minutes or less. And finally we arrive at our amazing hotel https://www.barutlara.com
I loved the hotel from the moment we walked in. A huge, over-the-top flower arrangement greets you at the entrance. Check in was relatively straightforward, a bit more paperwork currently because of covid. The Lara Barut Collection Hotel is an all inclusive hotel (with fantastic deals on at the moment), so this means that the price paid is an all in price incl. all meals at all 9 restaurants, all drinks, mini bar etc. its all included in the price paid once off. The hotel has 9 restaurants, a few beach bars, great night entertainment, a beach that feels like you’re lying on your own private island, a jogging trail, water aerobics, entertainment areas for kids &&&. The rooms are luxurious and comfy with everything provided that you could possibly need for your trip including slippers and lush bath robes not to mention the chocolate on your pillow every night.
Breakfast is an elaborate spread catering for whatever your craving on any particular morning could be. They have everything from eggs, beans to pancakes and waffles to healthier options like granola and yoghurt and my favourites – cake and cookies. Breakfast takes place at the Main Restaurant in the Hotel. Service of food is buffet style with the friendly staff always there with whatever drinks you would like. We always sat outside on the terrace overlooking the pool. The weather EVERY day that we were there was brilliant so dining outside day or night is heaven.
I started this post off by saying that we were in desperate need of some R&R and that’s exactly what we got. This resort is just perfect for the type of relaxed, laid back “hakuna matata” type break that we were looking for. There are, of course, taxis available at any time to take you out exploring other parts of the area but we did not do one bit of that. Our entire vacation was spent laying by the pool, laying on the beach, lounging around the pool bars, eating and drinking – LOTS of drinking. And La Barut is such a stunning place for this type of laid back vacation. Of course, as I mentioned, there are lots of activities for those wanting a bit more going on but Iv gotta say, having some time off doing nothing but laying around in a bikini with the love of my life, eating and drinking our days away, was amazing. (ps. for more info on any of my bikinis, i’ll be adding my favourites of the trip and where you can get them from on the travel shop).
There are 9 beautiful restaurants in the resort from the main restaurant (buffet) to seafood, sushi, fine dining, authentic turkish and the list goes on. The one piece of advice I would give though is to book a reservation for dinner, in advance (2 days or more), or you will not get any space at any of these and will only be able to have dinner at the main (buffet) restaurant, which is still beautiful but part of the experience is tasting the various cuisines so I would stress calling down to customer relations on arrival and book for the remainder of your stay. They do have an app to book through but it doesn’t always work as well so i would rather do it through customer relations.
We spent a glorious week, on what felt like a paradise island or heaven as I like to call it 🙂 I was genuinely so sad to leave. Our flight was really early, about 8:20am so we left the hotel about 6am. The airport, iv gotta say was a bit of a chaotic, stressful experience as there are now new forms to fill before traveling back from Turkey so please make sure that you guys go to the website and fill out this form before you need to leave Turkey so that its done and ready. Once you complete the form on the website, you will receive a reference number and this is what they need to see at the airport in Turkey, prior to departure. We had a reminder on the plane on landing in Turkey but forgot to complete it so was a bit of a rush completing it before check in when we were leaving. The form is a bit lengthy, especially if you’re doing it in a bit of a hurry so please try to get that done and out the way before you plan to leave Turkey. https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/public-health-passenger-locator-form
The airport itself was not crazy busy but there are quite a few check points etc so make sure to get there early enough to have enough time to go through all the security clearances etc and get a good coffee before boarding:)
All in all I can’t say enough wonderful things about La Barut hotel, the people of Turkey and my vacation. If you’re thinking of getting away and spending a little time in the sun, iv gotta say that I cant think of better memories than that time when I was Tanned & Tipsy in Turkey.
Love
Arita X
