Travel to Turkey - Turkey for adults only

With no little ones in tow, you can start to explore the wild corners ? or luxurious hideaways ? of the Lycian coast, rugged Anatolia and epic Mount Ararat

Turkey is so vast and varied that, if unemcumbered by parental needs for simple food, safe pools and ever-present toilets, you can just about close your eyes, imagine a holiday and find somewhere that fits the bill. Seek out wild orchids, bald-headed ibises, or the cats of Van, with their green and yellow eyes. Follow the footsteps of Alexander the Great or St Paul, or study the ancient Phrygians or Hittites, the fine points of Byzantine frescoes, Ottoman woodwork or Iznik tiles. Paddle your way along the coast in a sea kayak or fling yourself off a mountain ? Turkey has some of the most thrilling paragliding anywhere.Have a deliciously indolent time at a spa or hammam, or hide away in a little romantic hotel off the beaten track. Best of all, no kids means you can avoid the scrum and high prices of school holidays.

? BEACHES

Turkey has great beaches ? the ancient Greeks spent 10 years camped on one outside Troy, though you may want a bit more variety. The big, brash resorts have all the bars, discos and clubs you can ask for. There are fashionable enclaves, with all the trimmings, hidden on nearby coves; and fishing villages, preserved by law from the cement-mixer, where you can swim, drink raki with the locals and feast on seafood. Go in September or early October, when it?s warm enough to swim and the beautiful sands are free of the summer crowds.

-Travel to Turkey - Go Independent

Southwest of Antalya, emerald mountains loom over the ancient Lycian cities of Olympos and Phaselis, famous since ancient times for the Chimaera ? not the fiery monster of myth, but natural methane flames rising from a mountaintop and visible from far out at sea. You can hike up for a closer look. Below lie beautiful natural beaches, favoured by sea turtles; and, in a lush garden in Cirali, the romantic Bellerofon Hotel, consisting of only six rooms in a little bungalow, each with its own porch and hammock, and a superb gourmet restaurant. A week for two costs ?750, half-board, including transfers from Antalya airport; it can be booked through Journey Anatolia (020 8761 5605, www.journeyanatolia.com) .

You can play spot the Turkish film star in Turkbuku, on the Bodrum peninsula, home of the country?s only Relais & Ch?teaux member, the Ada.

Perhaps the trendiest place to stay, however, is the cool, arty, minimalist Hotel Maki (00 90-252 377 6105, www.makihotel.com) . Built in 2000 at the far end of the beachfront, it has a pool, a fashionable restaurant and its very own yacht, for excursions along the beautiful coast. In high season, doubles start at ?133, B&B. Fly to Bodrum.

Then there?s the hotel everyone is talking about, as far from any Turkish stereotype as you can get ? the glitzy, ritzy Hillside Su (00 800 3746 8357, www.designhotels.com) , just outside Antalya, a town keen to become the Miami of Asia Minor. Designed by Eren Talu and full of campy 1960s attitude, the hotel?s interior and exterior are a white canvas, softened by neon lights and mirrors, with twinkling disco balls in the enormous atrium lobby. It has an Olympic-size pool, a lovely hammam offering a range of treatments, an indoor pool, a full-size gym, six restaurants and a water park next door; doubles start at ?110 in June. Fly to Antalya.

For something more traditional, look into the quieter north Aegean coast around Ayvalik, a pretty fishing village set where dreamy landscapes are swathed in olives, vines and beaches overlooking a dozen little islets and the big Greek island of Lesbos. There are lots of antiquities nearby, including ancient Pergamon, to the south, and Troy, to the north, the latter especially intriguing now that archeologists have discovered that it extended far beyond Schliemann?s citadel, and that it really did fall in a siege in the time of Homer?s heroes.

On a private beach four miles from town, the Ayvalik Beach Hotel (00 90-266 324 5300. www.ayvalikbeach.com)  is one of the fancier in the neighbourhood, offering tennis, canoes, sea bicycles and other sports; doubles cost ?40, B&B. Or, for perfect peace and quiet, rent a little bungalow for a few pounds a night at Ada Camping (266 327 1211), on enchanting Alibey islet, linked to Ayvalik by a road bridge. Izmir, 100 miles to the south, is the nearest airport.

-Travel to Turkey - Go Package

On the wooded Bozborun peninsula, near Marmaris, but light years away in atmosphere, the peaceful Dionysos is a village-style hotel where luxe, calme et volupt? reign supreme. It is spread across the top of a canyon overlooking Kumbuluk Bay and beach, with hot tubs and hammocks scattered here and there on wild garden terraces that descend towards the sea. Guests can pick their own organic fruit and cool off in a stunning infinity pool; it offers tennis, a Clarins spa and a deluxe motor cruiser for jaunts. With Exclusive Escapes (020 8605 3500 www.hiddenturkey.com) , a week in June costs ?525pp, B&B, based on two sharing and including flights, transfers and a complimentary cruise on a luxury gulet. Exclusive Escapes also offers week-long Method Putkisto breaks, to make you fitter, firmer and healthier; a week, staying at the Dionysos, starts at ?990 for a single room, half-board, including two two-hour sessions a day.

Mark Warner (0870 770 4222, www.markwarner.co.uk)  may be best known for family holidays, but its Palm Beach resort, on the beach at Gumusluk, 50 minutes from Bodrum, is a haven of relaxation for those aged 18 or over only.

Guests can be as lazy or active as they like: sailing, windsurfing, tennis, boules and the like are part of the deal, while extras include scuba lessons, beauty treatments and excursions to Ephesus, Bodrum and a nearby hammam. Rooms are in bougainvillea-swathed villas, and the food ? both buffets and ? la carte ? is top-class. A week in May starts at ?582, including flights.

Ancient Telmessos (modern Fethiye), fittingly, meant Land of Light, and the sunshine ? as well as Oludeniz, the Blue Lagoon, with a perfect two-mile beach ? have made it one of Turkey?s top resorts. In a secluded 15-acre mountainside setting, overlooking the lagoon, one of the most beautiful places to stay is the aptly named Paradise Garden Hotel. The beach is a 12-minute walk downhill (taxis are on hand for the uphill trek back), although the hotel? s delicious gardens and three pools, one dug into a cave, may make the beach seem superfluous. A week starts at ?579pp, half-board, based on two sharing and including flights, with Savile Tours (020 7722 2986, www.saviletours.com).

*Please be advised that the prices stated above are only published for guideline purposes and subject to change depending the agents pricing and the market trend. myvillaturkey cannot be held responsible for the change in prices and the contents of the third party websites.