{"id":2696,"date":"2023-11-27T14:50:47","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T21:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/?p=2696"},"modified":"2024-01-22T17:52:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T00:52:49","slug":"a-tale-of-two-turkiyes-istanbul-intrigue-and-mediterranean-myrth-in-antalya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/golf\/courses-and-travel\/2696\/a-tale-of-two-turkiyes-istanbul-intrigue-and-mediterranean-myrth-in-antalya","title":{"rendered":"A Tale of Two Turkiyes \u2013 Istanbul Intrigue and Mediterranean Myrth in Antalya"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Turkiye<\/a><\/p>\n

I was enjoying an experience one could only imagine in a culturally rich, historical metropolis such as Istanbul, Turkiye \u2013 one of the world\u2019s oldest cities and served as the capital of the Roman, Byzantium and Ottoman Empires.<\/p>\n

After a day in Sultanahmet and Taksim Squares and seeing the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar and strolling lively Istikal Street to climb the scenic and photogenic Galata Tower Museum, I was ready to relax. My sublime setting at twilight was Le Fumoir, the outdoor but covered bar in the courtyard gardens of the world-class Kempinski Ciragan Palace Hotel. The landmark property is a 17th-century\u00a0ornate Ottoman treasure on the European edge of the commercially busy Bosphorus Strait, the watery trade route just across which is Asia.<\/p>\n

With a traditional Shisha pipe delivering custom-blended, flavored tobacco between my lips and the Call to Prayer sending dramatic Muslim melodies and moaning into my ears, I still managed to listen quietly and closely to breathe in every word of my host, Mr. Ralph Radtke.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Erdogan comes to the hotel regularly,\u201d said Radtke, the Ciragan Palace\u2019s German general manager, after a draw on his mild Cuban cigar. He was speaking of Turkiye\u2019s leader, but Radtke\u2019s met them all. His role in the former Constantinople at the \u201ccrossroads of the world,\u201d managing what has been dubbed the \u201cWorld\u2019s Best Hotel,\u201d makes him a global diplomat.<\/p>\n

Radtke sat on the patio couch across the glass coffee table wearing an open-collar under a grey suit accented by a fanciful pocket silk, frameless wire glasses and a designer watch. Radtke, a 71-year-old potentate, had presence and needed only a fez to complete the sparkle Sydney Greenstreet gave off portraying the influential Blue Parrot Caf\u00e9 owner \u201cSignor Ferrari\u201d in the famed film \u201cCasablanca.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radtke, though humble and of good humor, is a hospitality star. He honed his hospitality chops working in places like Paris, Thailand, Moscow, Abidjan, Kiev and Vienna. He has been bestowed the titles of Officer in the Order of Merit of the Ivory Coast and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and founded a children\u2019s home for victims of genocide in Rwanda.<\/p>\n

My experience with him, in that setting, felt like the intriguing Turkiye I had anticipated! But my next stop was a surprise that came after a short, domestic flight south to Antalya on luxurious Turkish Airlines from Istanbul\u2019s impossibly stylish, modern, spacious airport.<\/p>\n

The Antalya region and its big, beach and golf resorts felt more like Maui-on-the-Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

Elif Balci Fisunoglu, with the Turkish Tourism Development Agency, explained why the setting is advantageous. \u201cTurkiye is a Mediterranean country with beaches on the Aegean Sea and a border on the Black Sea. We have 300 days of sunshine.\u201d Golfers needn\u2019t miss out on the swimming and surf because there are a number of fully-lit night golf courses, including the Montgomerie at Maxx Royal Belek or Regnum Carya Golf Club. There are 20 courses in the Antalya region; many include beer and lunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cTiger Woods once competed here in the Turkish Airlines Open. I think it was the last time he had fun before he injuries and troubles,\u201d said manager Cahit Sahin, who mysteriously emerged from the dark trees to chat on the fourth hole of a night round on the Montgomerie Course. (By the way, Turkiye is the only place I\u2019d ever, with a wayward shot, hit a waterslide with a golf ball! My sightseeing ball flew off the Cullinan Links Olympos Course with a thud.)<\/p>\n

Thankfully, nothing in Turkiye is plain or predictable. Even in this resort setting, I still found bizarre Turkish delights dribbling between the tourist-attracting amusement parks, panoramic cove-side streets, and shops to stroll in the old town and harbor of Kaleici. I found just enough international intrigue to save a sense of place. For instance, one property was called the Kremlin Palace Hotel; and I spotted a resort ferry boat named \u201cTitanic Princess.\u201d Cilgo Dondurmaci is an ice cream stand like a stage from which a legendary, sexy star in sunglasses scoops gelato with slight-of-hand while dancing to Turkish disco music.<\/p>\n

After the diplomat in Istanbul, in Antalya, I was met by a Major \u2013 retired Turkish Army officer-turned tour guide Cengiz Aykota – who had trained in America and served in Tehran. Since I insisted on respectfully referring to the badass bald guy as \u201cMajor\u201d during our time in Turkiye, I decided he could playfully call me \u201cHoly Father.\u201d Turkiye\u2019s government is supposed to be a secular, but Aykota resisted revealing a requisite religion other than to admit, \u201cWhen I hear the Call to Prayer sung in the morning, suddenly God is in the shower with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heck, even I felt that way when I would hear the melodious Muslim mantra multiple times a day emanating from turrets throughout Turkiye.<\/p>\n

Major Ayoka was full of facts, including explaining that the Turkish flag symbolizes that \u201cthe sky is the limit.\u201d That philosophy is evident in terms of Turkiye\u2019s tourism commitment. Consider the no-limit, poolside gelato bar with a view of a sandy, sprawling lazy river pool and beachfront overwater cabanas at the massive Maxx Royal Golf Resort in Belek \u2013 where you can watch three live bands on property \u2013 including elaborately choreographed stage shows with orchestras while tasting authentic Turkish meze and dishes such as pide, kofte and kebab every night at Marsea, one of the resort\u2019s many dining delights. (Salt Bae, Turkish celeb chef, eat your heart out.)<\/p>\n

Dine with heart at 7 Mehmet Restaurant, where local chef Mehmet Akdag presents Mediterranean meat and rice dishes and Turkish wines in a chic terrace setting with sea views. Or have a tranquil culinary experience on the \u201cocean floor\u201d at the underwater Nemo Aquarium Restaurant in the Land of Legends entertainment complex, where chef Anuj Sarkar serves seafood with Pan-Asian flavors surrounded by live sharks.<\/p>\n

Contact Michael Patrick Shiels at\u00a0<\/em>MShiels@aol.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0His new book: Travel Tattler \u2013 Not So Torrid Tales, may be purchased via\u00a0Amazon.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was enjoying an experience one could only imagine in a culturally rich, historical metropolis such as Istanbul, Turkiye \u2013… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":2698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[568,4998],"class_list":["post-2696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courses-and-travel","tag-turkey","tag-michael-patrick-shiels"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2023\/11\/Turkiye-Photo-by-Harrison-Shiels.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2696"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2700,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696\/revisions\/2700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}