Turkey - Would I risk it? YES!

After booking a last minute holiday to Turkey last summer (and when I say last minute we booked it on the Wednesday and left the following Tuesday) we were extremely sceptical and nervous about heading to somewhere which has so many negative things filtering around. 

I had never been to Turkey before. It actually didn't appeal to me what so ever. But it was in my budget and was one of the only available holidays to go on the dates that I was off work. With a 4* hotel all inclusive for next to nothing we couldn't say no.

We didn't have much time to think about it to be honest. With a few days left to pack and get holiday clothes and have the usual beauty essentials done and sort my boyfriends case out (as per usual lol) - we were getting off the plane in Dalaman Airport before we knew it! A week later we had arrived home with severe depression after having to leave such an amazing holiday and came home with a new place and new people in our hearts.

After hearing of the shootings in Tunisia/Egypt and the planes going missing over Turkey I am not going to lie - yes.. I did second guess jetting off to Turkey again this year. But the good out-weighed the bad and here I am again with severe depression again after coming home after TEN DAYS this time!

Before I go into detail about why I love Turkey so much.. I'd like to point out a few things which continue to sadden me.

In November 2015 - Bomb blast and shootings took place in the France capital of Paris, leaving 120 innocent people dead.

In June 2016 - Over 15 million fans worldwide travelled to France for the Euros.

Why was nobody put off travelling to France? Over 500,000 Brits turned up without even having tickets to the games! Being told to download a warning app which will alert you if there is a bomb going off nearby would kind of put me going off somewhere..but it was hyped up for the football and the crowds came flooding in across the country.

Unfortunately, There are shootings happening worldwide. In cinemas, schools, even in McDonald's. It's became the norm in recent years for these tragedies to happen. But I do feel strongly about how the media portrays a situation and I know we are all fools for believing it.

The shootings in a night club in Orlando haven't put anyone off flying out to Disney Land. And little do we know.. The United States has had the highest amount of Rampage shootings in 2016.. With a scary number of 38 so far. It's just not hyped up by the British Media as much as America and the UK rely on each other for a lot of support.

I doubt the recent devastating news about the shootings in Germany will hinder many people travelling there either. And why should it. The world is to be explored and I wouldn't have anyone scare me into not going somewhere. Especially not Turkey!

What I am trying to say is that the media has a part to play in helping this beautiful country suffer. The British media whether we like to admit it or not, is anti-Muslim. They blame the Muslims for everything that happens in the world. They constantly slate and bring bad publicity and the sad thing is.. It works. You can see it on the business owners faces, they are very worried about the future of their lively hood as they know how much this terrorism effects their businesses. It is so sad. Tourism has slumped 60% and they are feeling it, But I will continue to support them by returning and I know those who have been there before will do the same. Hopefully lifting the ban on Russian air space the arrival of the Russians will help bring things back up again a bit. 

Whilst I cant turn round and say that Turkey is safe as it most definitely wouldn't be as safe at the minute with the Political hype and the bombing in Istanbul Airport (I was in Turkey at that time)- you definitely get there and you wouldn't have a clue that there was any kind of upset going on. But in 2016, where even is safe?

Why do I love Turkey so much? Those who have been probably don't even need to read any further, you know exactly what I'm talking about. For those who haven't, I'm going to brisk over the main things that stand out to me.

I've only been to one part of Turkey. The resort of Hisaronu. I've been there twice. And apparently once you go there you never return to another part of the country. The country by the way is massive. Istanbul is a mere 12 hours drive from the holiday resorts and Greece is actually closer as is the Island of Rhodes. So you are pretty far away from a lot of the chaos.

One of the main things I love about Turkey is the people. They really do take care of their Tourists. You actually get treated like Royalty. They meet you once and remember your name, they remember your regular drink at the bars, they cannot do enough for you and I was pleasantly surprised the first time I visited Turkey. They even remember you from the previous year. After being told things 'Don't go about on your own, your a white blonde' and 'Be careful of your stuff you don't get mugged' it couldn't be far from true. They are very respectful people and this year we actually bought the staff in our hotel gifts to say thank you and they found us on Facebook to say how much it meant to them. They were very humbled and it was nice to show them we appreciate how they treat us. My boyfriend dropped his wallet one night in Attika (we all love it there) and the bar man returned it to him with all the cash in it and it was holding all our spending money. They are so honest. People at home wouldn't even do that.

Secondly, I love the variety of things to do and see and of course eat. The balloon bread is unreal! As a 26 year old there was plenty of stuff for me to do, same for families and for those who are older.  You could live there for Ten years and not get round half of the things there are to see and do. It is so reasonable you couldn't possibly run out of money! You could have a relaxing holiday or you could have a party holiday! Every kind of restaurant is there, the shops are good and I know they are a majority of Fakes but the little Turkish shops are amazing to go into along with the shopping mall which we went to in Fethiye. We got our bags put through a scanner there which shows they are looking after our safety. The markets are a good experience and the fresh fruit and veg is amazing! My favorite restaurant however has to be Buzz Beach Bar in Olu Deniz.. Just perfect! 

Another thing I love is the support from other Tourists who also tend to return and support the businesses and help other tourists get the best out of their holiday. A lot of people go on holidays to not have to deal with anyone else but in Turkey people invite you to their favorite restaurants and stop to tell you the experiences they have had locally. They have groups on Facebook where they discuss their favourite restaurants and things to do and answer any questions to those who are looking advice. I must say it's helped us once or twice.

I can't not mention the beautiful scenery and of course the weather. Wow it's hot there. But it's bareable once you settle in and you get one hell of a tan. When your sunbathing all you can see around you are beautiful mountains, with paragliders dropping in the background and clear blue skies. It's incredible. The beaches are fab too and very very clean.

I could go on for days about why I love Turkey. It is definitely somewhere I will be returning to. I have met friends for life there, the mix of people you meet when there is amazing also. The exchange rate makes everything incredible value for money. You can get a Cornetto for only 25p!

For anyone who maybe wants to check out where we stayed this year and last, it's called 'The Sunshine Hotel Resort' in Ovacik - Fethiye. It's about ten mins from the main strip and it is a fab little hotel. The staff are amazing and it's so clean and great value for money. The manager Yusif could not do enough for you. 

The town we headed into every night was Hisaronu and the odd night we popped down along the sea front to Olu-Deniz to check out the bars and restaurants there. The flight is about 4 hours long. Please don't always believe what you hear. If you were hesitating in heading out this year join the ' Hisaronu everything you need to know' Facebook group and someone will be more than happy to help you. If you've never been before, you'll go once and forever return. We felt at home there and the town was so positive and buzzing with atmosphere.

I just felt like putting my experience of Turkey out there, it's not all negative and crazy... Praying it will pick itself up again. For those who say I'm mad for going to Turkey.. Your mad for not going!

Thanks for reading, LanaDelRich xo