This summer in Latvia has been cold, wet, and windy - only a handful of true beach days. After chatting with my wife and daughter, we booked a week in Turkey for August. Our first trip to Antalya was three years ago and left us with great memories. This time we chose Side, a little farther east of Belek, our previous base.
Side delivered the heat we were craving š Most days hovered around 37 Ā°C, with a couple peaking at 42 Ā°C. Daytime city walks were nearly impossible for me; we spent the first day by the pool with a short stroll around near the hotel.
šø Photo Gallery
Day 1: Land of Fakes
Almost everyone has heard about counterfeit branded goods in Turkey. I knew about clothes and perfume, but even our hotel turned out to be a āFour Seasonsā look-alike - not affiliated with the brand. Last year we stayed at the actual Four Seasons in Limassol (Cyprus) and had an excellent experience - highly recommend if youāre considering it. When my wife commented that our current hotel looked like a fake Four Seasons, the receptionist laughed: āNice that you noticed.ā It seems theyāre almost proud when guests recognize the imitation.
After sunset we went for a walk. Shops were open and counterfeits were everywhere. Iāll dig into the scale of it in the Old Town in a future post, but the short version is: if itās branded, itās almost certainly fake. A quick look - or touch - made the quality issues obvious. Prices were low; the materials felt cheaper still.
After an ā4-hour flight, some time in the pool, and an evening of browsing the fakes, day one was done. On the plus side, the hotelās game room was quite nice - see the photo gallery.