Lithuanian First Impressions of Turkish Resorts: Named the Pros and Cons of a Pandemic Holiday

Homework is required before the trip.

Tourism almost stopped by the pandemic is gradually trying to get the station back up and running. Turkey, which is especially loved by Lithuanians, is also waiting for vacationers: after a hiatus of more than a year, on April 1, a plane took off from Vilnius to the Antalya airport again, full of rest in more countries warm and passenger looking for a break from everyday life. And perhaps everyone, whether resting or returning, who knows the journey, is surrounded by the question: is a vacation possible, safe, comfortable, and worthwhile in times of a pandemic?

The first thing to keep in mind when deciding to go on vacation to Turkey, like any other country, yes, there will be more paperwork, preparation and it is really not possible to leave everything to the last minute. All participants must have a negative response to the Covid-19 test performed by the PCR method no earlier than 72 hours before the flight and a certificate confirming it, and complete the Traveler Arrival Form.

The latter is enough to have Internet and a few free minutes, and the Covid-19 test requires you to register in advance at the right time, in addition to getting involved in the travel budget: we pay 75 euros per person in one of the clinics that still they had free time. At other clinics, the price may vary slightly, but again, keep in mind that if you don’t register early, you may just not accept it.

Of course, you also have to take into account how you will live after returning from a trip: when you come from Turkey, you have to spend 10 days in self-isolation and you can shorten this period a bit unless you take another test on the 7th day and get a negative answer. . So if you only have work that you can’t do remotely, figure out that when you return you will still have to extend your vacation and spend time at home.

Extra worries? Of course. And the testing procedure is not pleasant. However, when you learn at the airport or on the plane that everyone around you has negative responses from Covid-19, you may not feel one hundred percent calm (which, unfortunately, no one can offer these days), but certainly no less safe. and perhaps even safer than shopping in a store or just meeting other people in town. By the way, the negative answer of the test does not exempt you from the responsibility of wearing a mask; They are mandatory both at airports and during the flight.

Turks crave tourists

Those who have had to be in Turkey know that tourists will not be left unattended. Let that kindness and stickiness often seem to us to play to sell something, or perhaps just unusual for our moderate culture, but now it would be hard not to believe his sincerity in welcoming tourists. Even if it’s largely for financial reasons, it’s nice to feel like a long-awaited guest.

By the way, in terms of cultural differences, of course, this is subjective, but for me, under normal circumstances, the Turkish attempts to enter your personal space and intrigue were sometimes too much, and in this case the safety distance requirements they solved it. so for you, my friend ”it still can, but saying“ thank you no ”is much easier.

The focus on tourists is now more subtle: when you start a conversation, you often miss the opportunity to say how happy you are to see guests from abroad again. Of course, in terms of sellers, the classic remains: the prices are reduced several times what is indicated on the label.

The biggest players in the market, hotels and tour operators, are also trying to pamper their customers: this is reflected in the currently published travel offers, where you can buy a weekly vacation in an all-inclusive hotel for only 200-300 euros. . It is true that we must bear in mind that to this amount must be added the cost of the necessary Covid-19 test and that it will also have to be done in Turkey before returning, which will still cost around € 30 per person (doctors simply come to the hotel to travel). Those who have a certificate that they have had Covid-19 or have been vaccinated in the last 90 days do not need to take the test.

Inga Aukštuolytė, representative of the agency “Tez Tour”, opened that the most important thing for everyone at this time is not to make a profit, but at least not to suffer losses and to reactivate tourism by showing people that safe travel is really possible.

In the afternoons and weekends in the city, only tourists.

Even before the pandemic, some people on vacation trips to Turkey used to pass their time with hardly leaving the hotel. Today, this choice has taken on a new meaning. Right outside the hotels, almost nothing works except a few shops – restaurants or cafes sell takeout only, there are no events, and according to the procedure that went into effect on April 1, you won’t even see the locals in weekdays from 9 pm to 5 am and on weekends they must respect the curfew. As the guide Kristina said, the locals are ironic that their virus is special and only spreads on weekends, but these are the rules to follow right now.

So when we set out for a little excursion around Antalya for the weekend, we couldn’t be surprised by the emptiness of this normally crowded city – only other tourists or individual people with work permits could be seen passing by.

The idea of ​​stopping to cool off with a drink was not so simple either: if we saw people sitting in one of the outdoor cafes, trying to get in, it turned out that they were guests of the hotel cafe and there were no strangers. he was allowed to sit down. If the take-out option is adequate, the prices do not bite even in the very center of Antalya: you can have coffee for one euro or one and a half euro, eat for 5-15 euros.

Admittedly, a modest kiosk owner still decided to take a creative look at the problem: he simply brought a couple of tables across the street out of his territory, where they offered us to sit and have a quiet drink there. We also saw a couple eating food bought from a cafe next door in “no man’s territory”, but such avoidance games seem to be a rare case in Antalya.

Those who want to update their wardrobe in Turkey can do that too: there are smaller shops in some places, big supermarkets in the city and on the road, sometimes more like big amusement parks. Only when visiting here it is also necessary to remember the mask, and the temperature is measured for all who enter.

Another way to spend time is in museums, which are also allowed to visit, so over time you can take the opportunity to visit them, often almost alone.

Life concentrated in the hotels

While life in cities is ending, hotels try to offer tourists everything so they don’t get bored. Of course, the specific offers depend on each hotel, but they are all required to have a Covid-19 security certificate proving that the staff has been vaccinated, the hotel complies with other security standards, so they at least operate restaurants and cafes in all.

The order of service in them has changed: there is no longer the “buffet” that is often offered: the food is stored behind a glass and, on request, the service staff places it individually. In fact, much neater and more enjoyable. By the way, Aliaksandra Charnyshova Ismailov, sales manager of the Ela Quality Resort hotel, where we stayed, revealed that although such a service requires the hiring of more staff, the hotel saves on food, since in the past large quantities were discarded but not eaten .

In restaurants where you choose from the menu, you can read it simply by scanning the QR code on your phone: everything is done to avoid unnecessary contacts as much as possible. But nothing prevents you from sitting at the same table with your loved ones or friends, sharing food, and even chatting late into the night; After a year of pandemic, something so simple seems like an incredible celebration.

Those with a larger wallet can also stay in a separate area of ​​the hotel, as if they were in separate cabins, where it is possible not to meet other people and eat at a nearby restaurant rather than with other hotel guests. However, if there are people for whom Covid-19 is prescribed, there are separate rooms from the rest of the population. The hotel representative did not hide the existence of such cases, but very few, so the situation was quickly resolved without problems.

The choice of entertainment in hotels, it is true, has dwindled: there is no longer a nightclub, some previously screened movie screenings, and other massive entertainment indoors. However, activities with enough people from your social bubble are allowed: you can book billiards, bowling, enjoy a sauna, massages, etc. after registering.

Of course, probably the most attention, especially on the part of children, is paid to swimming pools and for adults, just a walk by the sea and, for some, even a bath. Although the air temperature in our travel days only warmed to about 20 degrees, only the bravest dared to dance in the waves, and others simply enjoyed sunbathing, but according to the daily warming forecast, it is likely almost everyone jump into the sea soon.

Another extremely popular question without air: is it necessary to always be there with masks too? In public places outside the hotel, yes. In hotels, the staff is worn, the guests are not all and it is up to them to decide. As one of our hotel representatives said, “We know that people don’t want to think about a pandemic during the holidays.”