Single Silver Traveller Christine Reid travels to Ovacik in Turkey with Solos Holidays and writes a regular blog for Silver Travel Advisor about her experience.
Today is my last full day in Turkey and a little rain fell this morning as though preparing me for my return to the UK tomorrow. The rain had cleared by mid-morning and although it is slightly cooler than the last week, it is still hot.
Last night (Saturday) we enjoyed a BBQ at the hotel, and this is one of the meals included in the week’s package of breakfast and three evening meals. It was followed by a professional dancer encouraging us to wiggle our hips and dance the traditional Turkish belly dance. After all that water aerobic belly dancing, we felt total experts. Mamma and Pappa waltzed to applause as they told us they had been married for fifty years. After a few days at Hotel Olympus, it has begun to feel very like a large extended family, which is nice.
The beds are could be a little softer and the breakfast could do with a wider selection of cereal and fruit, but overall the hotel is excellent for solo travellers. Everything from long mountain walks to organised trips are easily accessible, and I would definitely come here again.
I would recommend coming for two weeks, which is very well priced. Booking for one week is on the expensive side, but the hotel is exclusive to Solos, so you get your own room without the dreaded single supplement. It is also an extremely safe place with people keeping an eye out for each other and a great place to make friends. Many of us have swooped email addresses, so we can keep in contact once we are home.
There is a noisy cockerel who lives next door and likes to shout his authority at dawn, and the mosque calls people to prayer at 5am, but this is Turkey, it is a country with its own culture and surely that is all part of being abroad on holiday.
I have really loved it and yes I did want to put the cockerel in the pan for dinner a few times, but it’s much better than listening to clubs or traffic. The popular bar `Angel` is a few minutes’ walk away and most people spend the last few hours of the evening there. It is lively with waiters dancing on tables and the Scottish `Elvis` singer blasting out songs. We are going there this evening to eat as a group, as ten of us head for home tomorrow.
Trips to mud baths, island hopping, Turtle beach, river cruising, a Jeep safari and many more can be booked with holiday rep Ferit who is excellent. These will all be exclusive to Solos guests and therefore are more expensive than booking independently. It depends on what you want; I did both, one with Solos and one I paid for locally. Both trips were amazing.
I will sadly pack my case later, but I will be back next year to soak up the Turkish sun, Solos style.
