A perfect holiday for my 11year old daughter and I offering an ideal balance of activities and relaxation and made particularly special because of all the lovely people we met; fellow travellers, hotel staff, local guides alike.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
It's hard to pick out our favourite moments because each day had so many memorable experiences.
For my daughter, I suppose it was the scuba diving afternoon because that was the activity which she had been looking forward to most. Fearlessly she jumped in and in the safe hands of her diving instructor, she soon disappeared beneath the water whilst I ran round the boat trying to catch a glimpse of her. When she emerged, the delight on her face said it all. She grabbed her under water camera and then became the group's unofficial photographer, snorkelling past the divers and circling the boat. Thankfully, most of us had agreed to pay for the official photographer to capture their under water antics and with the delights of technology all the kids were entertained by a quick slide show on the computer before they each left the boat clutching a cd of about 8 amusing photographs.
Another highlight was probably the trip into the mountains to stay in a Turkish family's home. We'd rehearsed our basic Turkish greetings and I was glad I could at least attempt to say thank you because of their amazing hospitality and delicious food. The language barrier was irrelevant to all the children as playing and dancing and skipping till midnight became their means of communication. Thirty of us sleeping on the roof under the stars was a sight to behold; perhaps not much sleeping but seeing the sunrise over the mountains was beautiful and the aroma of the pancakes being made on the open fire meant I enjoyed my breakfast!
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leaders, Alison and Faruk looked after us brilliantly. Their local knowledge gave us an extra insight into the area and we all enjoyed each others company over evening meals as well as the activities. I particularly appreciated being told what I'd need each day; Alison had done the thinking so all I had to do was pack my bag!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Enjoy every moment!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The hotel staff were very accomodating with our group taking over the pool area with our water volleyball competitions and even humouring us when with our Mamma Mia rehearsals and performance which did lead to jumping in the pool after hours! All good fun!
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Watching my daughter skipping along the road hand-in-hand with the little girl she met when we stayed in the mountain village. They could barely speak to each other, but through sign language and smiles they bonded instantly.
What did you think of your group leader?
Very knowledgable, went out of his way to make our stay enjoyable, and a big hit with the children.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Take loads of insect repellant and use it regularly.
Nicholas Crombie
Terrific holiday,shame about the flight
Written
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
You ask what was the most inspirational part of the trip? Well, we weren't after 'inspirational', we just wanted an 'adventure' or activity holiday that suited everybody in the family, including (or most particularly) that most demanding and unpredictable species of human being, a teenage boy. And yes, we all got what we wanted; in fact far more, and better, than we ever imagined.
We each had high points. Personally, it was discovering I could scuba dive without my ears hurting - a revelation after those painful times retrieving black rubber bricks from the deep end in school swimming sessions. And once my wife and I stopped arguing who was most responsible for making the sea kayak wobble alarmingly (and we swapped positions) sea kayaking suddenly became a breeze. The sunken city was none too shabby either. You'd have to ask our teenage son what he really enjoyed most because he would never deign to tell us directly - but he was overheard telling someone it was his best holiday, ever. Despite never having met before, the families meshed together well, without getting in each others' faces. But for me the very best part was watching the seven kids, aged from 8 to 14, quickly hitting it off and becoming a self-sustaining, supportive and cheerful group during the activities, looking out for each other, spending boisterous hours in the hotel pool, disappearing en-masse into Kas (perfectly safe) for a look-see and general explore - absolutely content to be away from their parent(s), as we were from them for a while. I think we were really lucky to be with the people we were. Maybe it was just serendipity, or maybe it's always like that , or maybe not. Who knows? But this is the kind of holiday we definitely want to do again
Dincer Yasar (pronounced Deancheer Yashar) - was an excellent group leader. He very quickly developed a rapport with the kids, and us, based on mutual respect, He gently encouraged each one of us to go that extra inch (or mile) during activities, making us feel secure and sometimes surprising ourselves in the process. On the rare occasions someone didn't want to do something it was never a problem, and easily sorted. Dincer knows how to do his stuff. Everyone in Kas knows and likes him, which helps if you want to name drop, for example at restaurants or if haggling. He's physically strong - which helped enormously in getting some of the more portly among us up and down the Saklikent canyon. He has a great sense of humour, and good grasp of English. The night we slept on the roof of a mill in a mountain village, and a howling gale blew up ,was not only memorable for his deep concern that some of the younger ones might get blown away (which at times seemed quite possible), but for the fact that almost all of us happily chose to stay up there. Probably not the sort of thing you'd do in Penge. And according to some of the females in the group, Dincer apparently looks like Michael Owen, but is 'more fit'.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you're a nervous parent, worried that any of your tender young flowers might get damaged during this adventure holiday, don't fret. They (and you) will probably have a ball. On the other hand, if you're a health and safety professional, stay away. Turkey has a refreshingly relaxed and eminently practical attitude to health and safety. This is based on the sensible assumption that the majority of us do not need to be told that a cliff edge is a dangerous place, deep water might drown us or a piece of glass is sharp and might hurt. Some Exodus activities had elements of danger, integral to the 'adventure' , but well-managed without destroying the 'fun' . Under Dincer's watchful eye, we each took responsibility for our children, ourselves and each other. It seemed like the approach that other 'group leaders' took as well
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It's a great 8 days' of activity, but a couple of extra days of inactivity would be appreciated; time to revisit a beach or two, take an extra trip, just shop, or chill out by the pool.
The flight out and back was the least enjoyable aspect, by a long chalk. Four hours with minimal legroom is excruciating for anyone of remotely normal height. If the person in front reclines their seat and you've got your table out you run the risk of being bisected. The toilets were barely functioning, and on the flight out one wasn't - and they'd taken the door off. I assume the plane spends most of its time in the air so there's little time for interior maintenance. I just hope that sufficient time's also spent on making sure the plane doesn't fall out of the sky.
from 10 reviews.
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