Frequent Flyer McGuires: Weekend Getaways

The weekends here in Turkey are our time to get away as a family and have fun.

The weekdays can be hectic with work, school/summer camp/swim lessons for E, half marathon training, cooking, cleaning, bath time, pumping, nursing....well, you get the idea. Even little D gets exhausted from his Monday through Friday routine of tummy time and drooling with the nanny.

But Saturday and Sunday is when we throw out routine and try to get away.

A few weekends ago we went with a few other families to an organic farm/restaurant about thirty minutes outside Adana. The restaurant, Ekotepe, had been on our radar for a while, but we didn't get around to going until recently.

Ekotepe is a family owned place perched on a hill overlooking beautiful, expansive farm land. Everything they serve, from eggs to figs to the cheese, olives and tomatoes, are grown right there on their property without the use of any pesticides. The owners lay out a delicious buffet early in the morning and people come to help themselves throughout the day. For 20 TL per person (less than $10) it can't be beat.

Of course, this being Turkey, there is also a playground set up for the kids to play. There are ducks to feed, rabbits to play with, horses to ride, and even a peacock and monkey gawk at. The weather was perfect on the day we went--not too hot, and with added cloud cover to block out the sun. The mood was fantastic and relaxing--we all spent hours eating, sipping tea and talking while our kids explored, played and otherwise got dirty. I was actually happy to see E getting dirty and wet as he splashed around in puddles and dug in the sand. He doesn't get to be that carefree and exploratory as often as we would like, so it was nice to see him just let loose and go at it. Our entire group enjoyed the day, and we all left with full tummies.

The view from the restaurant

Outdoor seating only

Home grown olives. They even make their own olive oil, which I purchased.

Just a small portion of the buffet.

Wood burning oven where the owners sat to roll/bake sikma.

Mr. Peacock

E and the ducks

Little Monkey--this little guy actually made me sad, though.

Quail

The following weekend, S and I took the boys on another beach getaway to celebrate my birthday. We stayed in an all-inclusive hotel about 2 hours west of Adana tucked away in a cove along the Mediterranean. The hotel itself was old and not very appealing on the eyes, but it was clean, the beds were comfortable and there was A/C, so we were happy. The beach, on the other hand, was absolutely amazing. The water was calm and crystal clear. There were comfy chairs and umbrellas set up along the shore, and the restaurant served anything and everything all day long. E swam and made sandcastles for hours as S and I took turns tag teaming/entertaining D. Perhaps the best part was watching the sea turtles swimming out in the distance, poking their heads up every now and then. It was simply breathtaking.

We only stayed for one night, but we are already trying to figure out when we will go again. We are definitely beach people, in case you couldn't tell.