"Turkey Special: The Big Country
You can always find a beach holiday in Turkey, but this giant of a nation is also great for rural hideaways, mountain adventures, cultural tours and lazy, luxurious escapes. Dana Facaros explores
Low prices first lured us to Turkey, and 20 years later it is still a bargain compared with the rest of the Med. So, if you've never been there, let your wallet be your guide. But then hold on to your hat.
Here, magic lurks in places that defy easy definition. Wander through Cappa-docia, where boulders teeter on pinnacles and tidy houses are hollowed out of rocks resembling mushrooms and melons. Watch the moonlight fill Lake Bafa, where, in Greek myth, the Moon herself fell in love. Drift along the Turquoise Coast in a wooden gulet, past pristine coves and ancient Lycian cities. Watch the sun rise over the statues of Hellenistic kings on Nemrut�s mountain, or light up the pale pools of the calcified waterfall at Pamukkale, the fairy-tale �Cotton Castle�. Dine in an old Ottoman pleasure garden on the Bosphorus to the soft sounds of a Turkish lute. The dream list unrolls for a thousand miles, in a country three times larger than Britain. "
More:Times Online - Best of 2005
