Turkey ups its game as a world-class golfing destination in 2014

Turkey’s campaign to become a global golf destination has gained momentum during 2014, with the golfing resort of Belek hosting a series of international tournaments and Turkey being ranked the fifth most important destination for golf tourism by the IAGTO, said Turkey property specialist Spot Blue International Property in August.

Turkey’s rising prominence on the golf scene is being spearheaded by Belek, a resort that combines championship golf courses with beach holidays, luxury accommodation and affordable new property. Belek now has 15 golf courses within a 15-kilometre stretch of coastline, boasts more than 50 five-star hotels and is just 30 minutes’ drive from the international airport at Antalya.

The National Golf Club in Belek successfully hosted its first European Challenge Tour tournament, namely the Turkish Airlines Challenge, in May this year, with the course receiving praise from leading players. In the same month, the course hosted the PGA Turkish Airlines Ladies Open, which will take place at Belek’s equally impressive Carya Golf Club next year. Meanwhile, building on its hosting of the 2013 Turkish Airlines Open, attended by a selection of leading players that included Tiger Woods, the Montgomerie Maxx Royal Club will host the Open again in November 2014.

Ahmet Ağaoğlu, President of the Turkish Golf Federation, commented that after the inaugural Turkish Airlines Open in 2012, which saw Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood amongst the competing players, bookings for tee-times in the Belek area rose by some 12 to 15 per cent.

Ağaoğlu stated recently that being under the Challenge Tour spotlight in 2014 will only strengthen Belek’s reputation as one of the world’s top golfing destinations. “Last year [2013], 160,000 tourists came to Turkey just to play golf,” said Ağaoğlua. “It’s an industry in this area and people appreciate the courses and facilities here. There is no better value out there than Belek in terms of the compact nature of this area.”

Increasing golf tourism is benefiting homeowners in Belek, and in nearby resorts such as Side and Antalya, by adding value to their property and increasing rental demand.

Golf courses in Belek, Turkey

“Sought after homes are situated on small complexes off the main road running along the coast between the centre of Belek and the neighbouring village of Kadriye,” said Julian Walker, director at Spot Blue International Property. “You can be a 20 to 30-minute walk - or short drive - from a Blue Flag beach, a championship golf course, and bars and amenities. Offering all of these things, as well as a short transfer time, makes the area good for rentals, especially when a major golf tournament is on.”


Typical of what’s available in Belek are a new three-bedroom semi-detached villa with a shared pool and located opposite a golf course, available for €179,000, and a two-bedroom apartment, just a kilometre from the beach and golf, available for just €69,000. 

Luxurious Raffles Istanbul Hotel to Open on 1 September 2014

Raffles will open its first hotel in Turkey on 1 September 2014, Raffles Istanbul. The luxurious Istanbul hotel will be at the heart of the Zorlu Center, a large shopping mall where fashion, fine food and the arts converge on the European shore in Beşiktaş. Raffles Istanbul Hotel overlooks the Bosphorus, the Prince Islands and the historic peninsula – a stunning vantage point above Istanbul.

The hotels location near Istanbul's business district, Levent, will make it an ideal hotel for business travelers to Istanbul. Raffles Istanbul offers 132 guestrooms and 49 suites. Floor to ceiling windows lead to furnished private terraces and balconies, for lofty views over the Bosphorus and the city. The hotel features a spa, two restaurants, two bars and lounges and a patisserie.

“The spirit of Raffles fits perfectly into this extraordinary capital city at such an exciting time. Our philosophy is to create oases where people come together, then continue on, refreshed. And it is this tradition of bringing people together that is an essential feature of the story of Raffles in Istanbul,” said Peter French President of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. “For centuries Istanbul has been the meeting place between East and West, Asia and Europe, where great civilizations and cultures have left their mark and where people have exchanged ideas, told stories and set out again. Turkey is a rising star in the global economy and, in this youngest member of the Raffles family, we have created the perfect expression of the ‘new’ Istanbul: vibrant, full of energy and innovation, but utterly in touch with the city in which it stands and its rich heritage.”

Rooms at Raffles Istanbul start from €600 per night.

TourIstanbul city tours while in transit

Turkish Airlines flies to many destinations around the world using its Istanbul Ataturk Airport base as a hub. And if you are flying with Turkish Airlines, the airline offers free city tours while in transit provided by TourIstanbul. So instead of spending a long wait in the airport, Turkish Airlines passangers can discovery Istanbul, one of the world’s premier destinations.

The tours, with English speaking guides, are offered three times daily and are designed to give transit passengers a quick, but interesting overview of Turkish Airlines’ home base. Depending on each passenger’s schedule, tours are offered with the following timings 09:00-15:00, 09:00-18:00 and 12:00-18:00.

TourIstanbul is a free layover service for all international transit Turkish Airlines passangers. Everything on the tour, the shuttle, museum entrances and the meals, are free. In the tour, TourIstanbul introduces Ottoman Cuisine to the participants. Even a single person’s participation is enough to start up the tour so there is no minimum number to wait.

Not all transit passangers of Istanbul Ataturk Airport can enjoy the tour. Both flights should be with Turkish Airlines’ flight numbers (codeshared or operated) Connection times between flights  should not be longer than 24 hours and shorter than 6  hours.

Begun in 2009, the program continues to attract more participants each year, with approximately 16,000 taking advantage of the offer in 2013. The growing popularity of the tours is a confirmation that Turkish Airlines brings added value for its customers at no additional cost.

Istanbul Blue Mosque

How to participate Istanbul City Tours by Turkish Airlines?

You do not need to book it in advance. All eligible passangers of Turkish Airlines can simply join the tours by showing up at the hotel desk in the arrivals hall of Ataturk International Airport at least 30 minutes prior to the departure of the tour.

Below is the list of places visited during the tour:

Blue Mosque
Hippodrome
German Fountain
Serpentine Column
Obelisk of Thedosius
Topkapı Palace
Basilica Cistern
For more information on the tours you can visit http://www.istanbulinhours.com. You can visit our Istanbul tours pages for more Istanbul sightseeing tours.

Istanbul air sightseeing tours by Seabird Airlines

Where can you get the best bird eye view of Istanbul? There are some great rooftop bars and restaurants for this as well as historic towers but the best bird eye view comes from a plane touring above Istanbul. You can join a plane tour over Istanbul to get the most out of the city by air sightseeing tours of Istanbul.

Seabird Airlines, Turkey’s first and only Air Taxi / Airline company to land and take off from water, operates DHC-6 Twin Otter Series planes which can take of with 19 passangers from Halic. The Istanbul air sightseeing tour takes approximately 20 minutes and starting from Ataturk Bridge on Halic you will have a chance to see Galata Tower, Rumeli, Anadolu Hisari, Maiden’s Tower.

Seabird Airlines is known for its regional scheduled services from Istanbul to Bozcaada, Bursa and Alacati. In the winter season the company is focusing on these Istanbul tours.

According to Kursad Arusan, the General Manager of Sea Bird Airlines “the large windows of Twin Otter planes provides a nice view of Istanbul and there is a great demand for these tours.

There is a short promotional video below about this fantastic Istanbul tour:


Seabird Airlines Istanbul city tour from Hip-Notics on Vimeo.

The ticket prices for air sightseeing tours of Istanbul is 95 EUR per person per tour and the tickets are sold in http://www.flyseabird.com/ as well as in some 5-star hotels in Istanbul. For an air tour like this, ticket prices are very reasonable.

Below are the places you can see during the 20 minutes plane tour over Istanbul:

• Haydarpaşa Terminal (Haydarpasa Tren Gari)
• Selimiye Barracks (Selimiye Askeri Kışlası)
• Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi)
• Taksim Square (Taksim Meydanı)
• Dolmabahce Palace (Dolmabahçe Sarayı)
• Bosphorus Bridge (Boğaziçi Köprüsü)
• Beylerbeyi Palace (Beylerbeyi Sarayı)
• Kuleli Military High School (Kuleli Askeri Lisesi)
• Bebek
• Roumeli Hissar Castle (Rumeli Hisarı)
• Anadolu Hissar Castle (Anadolu Hisarı)
• Bosphorus University Campus (Bogazici University Kampusu)
• Sarıyer
• Pierre Loti
• Feshane
• Rahmi Koc Museum (Rahmi Koç Müzesi)
• ST. Stephan of Bulgar (Bulgar Kilisesi)
• Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Fener Patrikhanesi)
• Fatih Mosque (Fatih Camii)
• Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi)
• Galata Bridge (Galata Köprüsü)
• Suleymaniye Mosque (Süleymaniye Camii)
• Beyazit Tower (Beyazıt Kulesi)
• Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)
• Hipodrom
• Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii)
• Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
• Topkapi Palace (Topkapı Sarayı)

For other alternative Istanbul tours check our Bosphorus Cruise – Full Bosphorus Cruise and Short Bosphorus Tour post. You can visit our Istanbul tours pages for more Istanbul sightseeing tours.

Turkey Public Holidays 2014 Calendar

Public holidays in Turkey fall into 2 groups: The ones which commemorate the important events from the foundation days of Turkish Republic and the religious holidays. There are only 2 religious holidays but they tend to be long, usually Turkish take a week long holiday during these holidays and business life almost stops.

If you are planning to visit Turkey, you should now this dates because many Turks travel within Turkey during long holidays and the hotel and flight ticket prices are quite expensive during these times.

Religious holidays for Muslim festivals and their date change every year since they are based on lunar calendar.

New Year Holiday  (Turkish Yılbaşı)
January 1st, 2014 Wednesday
Turkey celebrates Gregorian Calendar’s first year as new year and most of the time December 31st is also a half day holiday. Expect a very crowded and fully booked December 31st night.

National Sovereignty and Children’s Day  (Turkish Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı)
April 23rd, 2014, Wednesday
Grand National Assembly of Turkey has first opened its door at Ankara in 23 April 1920 and the day is a holiday for the commemoration of the event. This official holiday is dedicated to the children.

Labour and Solidarity Day (Turkish Emek ve Dayanışma Günü)
May 1st 2014, Thursday
This is May Day holiday, which was removed from the list of public holidays in 1981 by the military rulers of 1980 Turkish coup d’état. 28 years after, in 2009, May Day has been an official public holiday again. Since it falls on Thursday, expect Turks to attach it to next weekend with 1 day off on Friday and enjoy a 4 days long weekend.

Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day (Turkish Atatürk’ü Anma Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı)
May 19th, 2014, Monday
May 19th 1919 is a public holiday commemorating the beginning of national liberation movement initiated in 1919 by Atatürk’s landing in Samsun. The holiday is dedicated to the youth. In 2014, this public holiday will create a 3-days long weekend.

Ramadan Feast (Turkish Ramazan Bayramı)
July 27 2014 (half day) Sunday, July 28-29-30 2014 Monday – Wednesday

This religious holiday in Turkey (and in the rest of Muslim world) is Eid_ul-Fitr and one of the longest holidays in Turkey and if all these days are in weekdays, Turks tend to have a long 9 days holiday by merging this holiday with the weekends. Since July is summer time, many Turkish will flock to south coast for holiday and it would be difficult if not impossible to find hotel rooms and plane tickets during this time.

Victory Day (Turkish Zafer Bayramı)
August 30, 2014, Saturday

This holiday is for the commemoration of the victory at the final battle in Dumlupinar which has ended the Turkish Independence War in 1922 with a victory and it is dedicated to the armed forces.

Sacrifice Feast (Turkish Kurban Bayramı)
October 3rd 2014 (half day) Friday, October 4-5-6-7 2013 Saturday – Tuesday

This religious holiday in Turkey is Eid_ul-Adha and one of the longest holidays in Turkey and if all these days are in weekdays, Turkish tend to have a long 9 days holiday by merging this holiday with the weekends. It is very difficult to find tickets and hotel rooms around this time. This year, it seems like it wont be a 9 days holiday but a 5 days long weekend.

Republic Day (Turkish Cumhuriyet Bayramı)
October 28-29th, 2014 Tuesday, Wednesday
This 1.5 day holiday starts at 28th afternoon and October 29th is a full day holiday commemoration of the proclamation of the republic in 1923. This is a good opportunity to have a long 5-days weekend for many Turks.