A Holiday in the Romantic Side Of Turkey

This year I have done the necessary family holiday, the lads' weekend away, so all that was left was the romantic getaway with my girlfriend.

At the top of my list was somewhere I could have moonlight walks along the beach, sunshine in the day, a necessary bit of culture, some shopping and enough restaurants for candlelit meals.

I opted for Side on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The long sandy beaches were perfect for the just chilling out in the day, although even in September the temperatures were in the mid 30s, so the sun lounger with the umbrella was necessary.

However, the aim of the holiday was not to get a tan, but to impress my girlfriend.

Side (pronounced "see day") is well geared for holiday-makers and my attempts to learn a little Turkish were unnecessary as everyone seemed to speak English well and were happy to show off what they knew. Beside the harbour, the restaurants are the perfect place for a romantic meal, with turtles swimming by and the sun setting in the distance. The food was all great, especially the seafood, fresh from the sea, the waiters claimed.

The main historical draw of Side is the Temple of Apollo, where Mark Anthony supposedly fell in love with Cleopatra, and today with the water lapping by and the sun setting it still has the power to warm any relationship.

Not far from the temple are the remains of the Roman town, also a perfect place for a romantic walk. Although beware of the amateur tour guides who will try to tell you tell a few basic things about the area in German and expect a few lira in exchange.

Side's amphitheatre also worth checking out, especially when there is a performance. While we were there, the Nut Cracker taking place. It was quite strange seeing a modern performance in an ancient venue. It was quite enjoyable, although the ironic thing is that while I only went to the ballet for the sake of my girlfriend, she fell asleep.

And on to shopping, the perfect thing for endear yourself with a girlfriend. The centre of Side is basically a market, with all stall holders shouting out to passer-bys in German and English and occasionally in Turkish.

However, the best place to do some holiday shopping is the proper market on Saturday, opposite the main mosque. What is on offer is fruit, vegetables, designer clothes (although they may not be completely genuine), traditional Turkish goods and jewellery. The key to a good deal – and part of the experience – is a bartering. The stallholder offers a price, you suggest one third, they say no, you walk away and they call you back with a better price.

Finally to sweeten my girlfriend up, the best place was the Doruk Pastanesi cake shop around the corner from the mosque. This place just serves the best Turkish sweets and puddings in town and at great prices. In fact, they are so good that if you order baklava in a restaurant in Side, it's more than likely the waiter will call up Doruk Pastanesi and a guy on a motor scooter will arrive with a bag with your dessert.

And the results of my romantic getaway, that's my business.