If the idea of a 10-hour flight to the Maldives fills you with dread, there's an alternative on Turkey's Turquoise Coast. Side, on the Turkish Riviera, is roughly four hours from London, claims around 320 days of sunshine a year, and in October and November it still hits daytime highs of about 27C with the sea warm enough to swim in. Fewer crowds, too.
The town itself is worth more than a beach-and-sunbed holiday. Founded in the seventh century BC, Side was a major hub on ancient trading routes, and its ruins include a Roman theatre, a Roman forum and a restored Greek fountain that once channelled mountain water into the city. Much of the ancient settlement is still unexcavated, but what's visible is genuinely impressive: Roman engineers built pipes directly into the walls rather than under the streets, so repairs never meant digging up the roads. Local guides say the 2,000-year-old drainage system still works — it reportedly handled recent heavy rainfall without a problem.
On the accommodation side, the coastline's reputation for budget package holidays is getting a nudge upmarket. A new resort called Bijal, a five-minute drive from Side, opened in spring 2024 from the same owners behind the Joali and Joali Being resorts in the Maldives, and it borrows that same tropical-chic feel. There are just 19 villas, each with a private pool, plus a heated pool, a high-tech gym and a beach club with cabanas a short walk or two-minute cycle away. Rates start from €850 (around £709) per night for a one-bedroom villa on a B&B basis, two sharing — so this is a splurge, but a considerably cheaper splurge than a Maldives trip.
The curveball draw is art. London painter and ceramicist Venetia Berry runs on-site pottery and painting classes over three sessions, with easels set up facing the sea. The style taught is loose and surreal, so total beginners can muddle through, and the resort says plenty of first-timers go home and enrol in courses. Between classes there's table tennis, darts, chess and board games — which, combined with the whole premise of a quiet walled resort, makes it easy to leave the phone alone for a few days.
Who is this for? Couples after a low-key autumn escape who want genuine ancient history on the doorstep but don't fancy long-haul logistics, and anyone who's priced out of or jet-lagged by the Indian Ocean. Autumn is arguably the sweet spot: warm sea, mild weather, and none of the peak-summer crush. Just note that at these nightly rates, Bijal sits firmly in the luxury bracket — the Turkish Riviera still has plenty of cheaper options if that's beyond budget.
