In May 2018, we sent one of our team to the brand new beach resort of Phokaia Turkey, owned by the established holiday-makers Mark Warner Holidays. Please take time to read our latest blog post in which Jake talks through the many included activities and aspects of Mark Warner Phokaia, situated on the Aegean Coast…
Getting to the resort
The flight from Gatwick airport to Izmir National Airport was a total of 3 hours and 25 minutes once we were airborne, which goes much faster if you download some of your favourite films before you leave! The landing in Izmir was nice and easy with little to 0 turbulence, once we landed in the 26 degree heat of Turkey, we headed through security where you must make sure you have a VALID Turkish Visa before travelling or else you’ll be on the next flight home. The next part of our journey was a swift 1 hour 15 minute transfer from the airport to the Mark Warner Phokaia beach resort, so make sure you make any toilet trips prior to boarding the coach.
Food and Drink
Staying from Tuesday through ’til Saturday, I managed to get a good enough sample of the different foods you can savour at Phokaia. On the A La Carte menu should you choose to dine this way, there is enough meaty grub to go around the whole resort including a traditional Burger, or a local Turkish kebab. If, of course you have dietary preferences you can always choose a non-meat or non-dairy food product catered to your needs. As for the main restaurant, this is where you’ll end up most nights for a buffet dinner at Mark Warner Phokaia, I couldn’t tell you the food you will find here as the staff tend to change the food each night, although I can say your in for a culinary delight! On a Thursday evening, the resort hosts a BBQ buffet for the whole resort down at the beach bar, this includes Turkey’s favourite meats and desserts as well as the fan favourite, HALLOUMI!
Activities
I could talk endlessly about the activities here at Mark Warner Phokaia, on land you can get in shape down by the pool for aqua aerobics, or join one of MW’s fitness instructors for a session of Legs, Bums and Tums. On the bay, you have many water-sports included in the price you pay for your stay, this includes windsurfing, sailing, paddle-boarding, and kayaking. Not only is the equipment free to use, if you sign for it of course, but the great thing about a MW holiday is a free introduction course to the sport of your choice, this means those who are looking to dust off some cobwebs in a chosen sport, or those who are new to the rush of activities on water can use one of the resorts trained and qualified instructors if needs be. You can expect to be treated like a regular by each member of staff, each person is fun, outgoing and always up for a laugh!
The in-land sports can be talked about in just as much depth as the water-sports, with Tennis being top of my personal favourites it was refreshing to see the resort holds 4 full-size tennis courts as well as a shed-load of equipment LITERALLY, including HEAD tennis rackets and balls. Down by the beach you can also grab a friend, or a group of friends for a game of volleyball, with an organised volleyball session most likely on in the early hours of the evening. Other sports and activities on land include those of Football, table tennis, beach tennis and more space to use your own equipment.
Facilities
Has the day of water-sports taken it’s toll on your body? Much like other MW beach resorts, Phokaia has it’s very own Spa center, with treatments ranging from a sports massage to a pedicure. If you’re just looking to take advantage of what’s included in the price you can always go for a dip in the inside pool, which tends to be relatively quite most days, meaning it could be the hour of silence you’ve been wishing for the whole holiday!. Once you’ve finished the transformation into Michael Phelps or Rebecca Adlington, maybe it’s time to sweat out the Tuborg beer from last night in either the tranquil Turkish bath or the spacious sauna. There is also a gym at Mark Warner Phokaia, where you can head to if you’re looking to run off your hangover!
Location
Indeed you are familiar with the Aegean coast, therefore you’ll know the peaceful beaches along there. Mark Warner Phokaia lies on the south coast of Turkey in the Izmir town of Foca – a place known for it’s excellent sea food. In the bike area of Phokaia you can go on several different bike paths with an instructor, or by yourself if you feel confident enough, one of which will see you head into the said town of Foca. A short but sweet 10 minute ride is all it takes to get there on bike, compared to 25-30 minutes walking and a 5 minute taxi ride. The restaurants are second to none! serving delicious seafood – my favourite of which is the fried scampi. The surrounding mountain range can also make for an excellent hike, or a bike ride if your familiar with the rocks on your saddle.
My Conclusion
Despite recent negativity, Turkey is a truly beautiful country and despite being in only one place for most of my trip, you get a full taste of what the rest of Turkey has to offer. In terms of the resort itself, the staff are super friendly and will do anything as long as you feel comfortable, the facilities at the hotel are second to none and the activities are just like they are at any other MW resort – 10/10. In my opinion I wouldn’t be surprised if this resort was soon bumped up to a 5 star.
Please don’t hesitate to contact our team if you have any queries about Mark Warner Phokaia beach resort. Email us at holidays@aspentravel.co.uk or call us on 0161 748 6865