Holiday Mate Blog

We are pleased to report that we are enjoying buckets loads of glorious sunshine here at Holiday Mate headquarters in Turkey.

Temperatures are soaring and local resorts and beaches are filling up with holiday makers who are donning their bikinis and shorts and basking in the Turkish sun whilst enjoying their Turkey holidays.

We wrote about the wonders of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ aka vitamin D in our blog a few weeks ago.  But as the weather heats up we thought it would be wise to share some sun care tips with you too.

Protecting your skin from the sun helps to prevent skin cancer and keeps wrinkles at bay!

We understand that many of you enjoy coming on holiday to Turkey to sunbathe and get a tan.  Are we saying that you should stay covered up and closed up in the confines of your hotel room whilst on your holiday?

No, of course not, we know that you book your holiday to get away from the UK and wear your best summer clobber and soak up the sun.

So all we ask is that you take note of our simple tips that will help keep your skin in tip top condition and protected from sun damage whilst your enjoying your holiday.

So, always remember that:

• The sun’s rays are at there strongest between 12 noon and 3pm so try and avoid sitting in the sun for long periods at these times.  This could be an ideal time to grab some shade or a spot of lunch or even a quick afternoon nap.

• Children need to take breaks from the sunshine and don’t forget to keep them topped up with lots of sun cream and water to keep them hydrated.

• You get an extra dose of UV when you’re around surfaces such as water, sand and even snow as these surfaces reflect light.

• It is best to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every day. Broad-spectrum sunscreens block UVA and UVB.  Take note of instructions on how to apply sunscreen correctly and don’t forget to reapply after a dip in the pool or the sea.

• You should always try and protect your face and neck (especially when the sun is at its highest temperatures) by wearing a wide-brimmed hat with at least a 4-inch brim.  Don’t forget to invest in a hat with a brim and a neck flap for kiddies too.

• Wearing loose-fitting clothes can help to protect you from sun burn (ladies can pop a kaftan over their bikinis and guys can wear a loose fitting t-shirt or a linen shirt).

Whilst we’re on the subject of clothing on the beach. We should mention that while you’re here on holiday it is always polite to respect the local people by remembering to pop a top over your bikini or torso when you’re away from the beach.

• Sunglasses (make you look cool) and they protect your eyes from 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays.

That’s it for today, remember to visit us online at www.holidaymate.com and browse through 1,000’s of affordable family holidays, flights and all inclusive deals at your leisure.

Or call 0800 031 9900 and let one of our highly trained holiday specialists help you book a cheap holiday to Turkey today.

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We look forward to seeing you soon

Book a cheap holiday to Turkey today!

Pack your sunhat

Why not spend a few minutes of your Bank Holiday Monday browsing through our fast facts about Turkey before you book your next holiday to Turkey.

Our fast facts give you an insight into this beautiful sun drenched holiday spot and some other quirky facts too.

Name: Turkey is officially known as the Republic of Turkey.

Weather: warm and humid in the summer. Eastern Turkey has short summers and bitterly cold winters. Central Anatolia is dry and hot in the summer and rainy and snowy in the winter.

June thru September is the best time to travel to visit beautiful resorts such as Oludeniz, Kalkan and Bodrum. South East Turkey is very dry and extremely hot in the summer.

April-May and September-October are the best months for touring with the least amount of rainfall and the most comfortable temperatures.

Population: 76.8 million

Currency: Turkish Lira (TL)

Time: Turkish Standard Time is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Best items to shop for in Turkey: handwoven rugs, leather goods, silk, copperware, brassware, ceramics, Iznik tiles, brass samovars and meerschaum pipes.

Home of the tulip: the flower originated in Turkey and grew popular during the Ottoman Empire, when it was exported to Europe.

Head of state: President Abdullah Gul

And there’s more….

• St. Nicholas, who became popular as Father Christmas, was born in Demre on Turkey’s Mediterranean Coast.

• Turks introduced coffee to Europe.

• According to Turkish tradition a stranger at one’s doorstep is considered “A Guest from God” and should be accommodated accordingly.

• Anatolia is the location of the first known beauty contest, judged by Paris, with Aphrodite, Hera and Athena as leading participants.

• The last home of Virgin Mary is in Selcuk near ephesus(efes)

• Istanbul has a 540-year-old covered shopping mall of 64 streets, 4000 shops, 22 entrances and 25,000 workers -the famous Grand Bazaar.

• The last meal on Noah’s Ark, a pudding with nearly 20 ingredients, is still served throughout Turkey.

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Book cheap holidays to Turkey today, you can visit us online or call us on 0800 031 9900.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

No holiday to Turkey is complete without sampling the delights of the traditional local cuisine. Even if you’re staying in all inclusive or self catering accommodation its worth venturing out to sample traditional Turkish foods that may well set your taste buds alight.

One of the joys of dining out in a traditional style Turkish eatery is the relaxed pace. There is no need to rush to order your whole meal at once.  It’s perfectly acceptable to order one or two small dishes, see how you go, and then order more later if you’re still hungry or tempted.

Here’s the Holiday Mate low down on the different types of traditional places to eat on your next holiday in Turkey.

Lokanta

This is the basic Turkish restaurant, with a simple and homely charm.  The food on offer is mostly hazir yemek (ready food) laid out in dishes that are kept warm over a bain-marie.  A menu is not always available, you should just go up and choose whatever takes your fancy. No need to pile up your plate (all you can eat style).  You can always order more dishes.  A normal spread usually includes soup, an eggplant dish, a chick pea stew, beans and a few meat dishes.

You can’t count on getting a dessert in a lokanta, but it’s fairly common to find kadayif (dough-based dessert) and rice pudding.

Restoran

The line between a restoran and a lokanta can be blurry – a low end restoran is pretty much a lokanta under a different name.  But, as you move up the price scale, closed kitchens, menus and alcohol will appear. And where there is alcohol, there is meze (starter dishes).  A cold meze display may be displayed on a trolley for you to choose from.

There is a lot of crossover with main dishes at a lokanta and a restoran, but you’re more likely to find pirzola (chops), biftek (steak) and ‘international’ meat dishes like schnitzel at a restoran.

Kebab & Köfteci

Kebab style restaurants are known as no frills basic low-key, cheap eateries that serve grilled and roasted meat, soup, simple salads, cold drinks and ayran (a yoghurt based drink). These quick-fire joints, specialise in high turnover and no-frills food.

A köfteci is similar in style, but the food staple is broiled meatballs rather than grilled kebabs. If you spot the word ocakbasi in the menu or the eatery’s signage, it means the food will be cooked in front of you.

Pide

The Turkish version of the pizza parlour is a slice of heaven if you’re after some quick fire belly fuel. Choose your lahmacun from cheese and various meat toppings and sit back with an ayran or a cola, or get a lahmacun paket (wrapped to take-away). Look for places using woodfire ovens – the pide often tastes better.

Tatlici

Turkish kebab

Turkish foods - lamuchun

It’s normal for a main meal at a restaurant to lead onto the tatlici, a specialist dessert place. As well as the classic tatlici, where you can overdose on baklava, helva and lokum, look out for the muhallebici for milk-based puddings, and the pastahane (or pastanesi or baklavacı) for baklava, European-style cakes, ice cream and any local specialities.

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If you fancy a break from the beach or the pool on your next holiday to Turkey why not indulge in a spot of adventure on one of our tours and excursions.

One of our customer favourites is our overnight package trip to Ephesus & Pamukkale.

This two – day adventure takes you to the ruins at Ephesus – including the amphitheatre which once seated over 25,000 people, during your guided tour you will be able to imagine the amphitheatre alive with warriors fighting it out to the cheers of the crowd.

In the 90’s it was used for concerts as the acoustics were perfect for live shows. Both Tom Jones and Pavarotti have played here. Unfortunately concerts no longer take place here as historical associations said the concerts were damaging the foundations.

The tour also includes a visit to the Library of Celsus (one of the most photographed places in the world) and the Marble road.

In the evening you can enjoy the overnight stay in a four star hotel (dinner and breakfast included).  In morning the tour moves on to explore Pamukkale (the Cotton Castle).  The calcium travertines here have been called natural wonders and have been described as “frozen waterfalls” – they are quite a sight to see.

Ephesus is on the Aegean coast and is visited by tourists from across the world. Cruise ships often dock in at the nearby port of Kusadasi and transport their guests to Ephesus for the day.

When you visit Ephesus make sure you armed with bottles of water. It is a long walk round Ephesus and under the sun and you will get pretty hot.

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Pamukkale

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Today marks the start of the summer holiday season here in Turkey.

Our Holiday Mate headquarters here in Hisaronu is buzzing with excitement as we’ve opened three new retail stores, hosted our first wedding of the season (Exquisite Weddings) and showcased our exclusive Facebook May Day Mini Treat promotion.

As the bank holiday weekend approaches you may want to escape the rainy days in the UK and book a last minute holiday to Turkey.

Here are just a few reasons why you should book with us.

Pocket friendly prices: we promise not to be beaten on price and value  – infact we promise to beat all flight, holiday and hotel quotes.

Peace of mind: we are a member of the Travel Trust Association (TTA) and ATOL and we also carry supplier failure insurance – so all transactions with us are 100% financially protected.

Experience: we have over 10 years experience as a Turkey holiday specialist.

Choice: choose from a range of holidays to Turkey from all inclusive deals to bargain family get-aways or a relaxing gulet cruise holiday.

Great customer service: our highly trained sales team are based in the heart of Turkey at our HQ in Hisaronu.  Being based in Turkey means that we’re able to build up good relationships with hotels – so we can keep our prices competitive.

Many people are surprised at just how cheap our holidays are.  Take a look and see for yourself.

Our website is really easy to use OR you call our sales team on 0800 031 9900 and let them help book your perfect get-away today.

Take a look at our Facebook page and become a fan and use our May Day mini treat discount code and get £12 off a flights, accommodation or transfers.

We look forward to seeing you soon!
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Do you fancy brushing up on your Turkish before your holiday to Turkey? You may just charm the locals who’ll appreciate that you’ve taken the time to learn a few phrases.

Turkish is the seventh most spoken language in the world and there are around 200 million Turkish speakers today.

The modern Turkish language has evolved from dialects as far back as the 11th century and is related to Korean, Japanese and Finnish.

Here are some key phrases that you can show off on your summer 2012 holiday to Turkey.

English                   Turkish                How you say it

Hello                         Merhaba                  Merr-ha-ba

Yes                             Evet                         E-vet

No                              Hayir                      Higher

Thank You               Tesekkuler             Teshekuler

Your welcome         Bir Sey Degil           Beer Shay Deal

Please                         Lutfen                     Loot-fen

Excuse me                 Pardon                     Pardon

Goodbye                   Gule Gule                    Goo-lay Goo-lay

See You Later         Gorusuruz              Gur-shoes

Good Morning         Gunaydin              Goon-eye-din

Hope you’ve enjoyed your mini Turkish lesson..remember to LIKE US on Facebook for access to exclusive deals and promotions.

We look forward to seeing you soon.