🏖️ “Turkish Vice City” Escape: 7 Sunny Days in Antalya + 1 Quiet Day in Ankara

If Vice City were reskinned with Ottoman domes, spotless streets and turquoise water, you’d get Antalya. Locals even use the nickname, and after a week at Porto Bello Hotel Resort & Spa we see why—neon sunsets, palm-lined boulevards and energy that never sleeps. Life at Porto Bello (All-Inclusive Bliss) • Food: Unlimited mezzes, pide straight from the stone oven and desserts that made “just one more baklava” our anthem. • Animation team: Morning aqua-gym, afternoon beach volleyball, nightly shows—boredom simply not allowed. • Sea: Konyaaltı’s shingle shore shelves into the Mediterranean so clear it looks like a baby’s tear; bring reef shoes and you’ll float all day. Evenings in “Turkish Vice City” • Old Town (Kaleiçi) – Roman harbour, Ottoman balconies, cats on cobblestones. • Lower Düden Waterfall – Lit up after dark, roar amplified by the quiet sea. • Konyaaltı Promenade – Super-clean, flood-lit even at 2 a.m.; teens play basketball, kids whizz on scooters, joggers share the lane. 🍦 Classic Turkish ice-cream show (yes, the vendor stole the cone twice) and strong Turkish coffee kept us strolling past midnight. • Souvenir maze – Shopkeepers invite you for apple tea while you debate which Nazar keychain is cutest. City vibe: Spotless pavements, LED lighting everywhere and a permanent buzz—Antalya feels safe, lively and alive 24/7. Quick Tips for August Travelers 1. Sea-view room + A/C—humidity peaks after lunch. 2. Sunrise swims (before 08:00) give you empty water and dolphin chances. 3. Reserve excursions online; on-site desks sell out fast in school-holiday weeks. ⸻ Bonus Chapter: 24 Hours in Sleepy-Yet-Charming Ankara 🏛️ Our return route included an overnight lay-over in the capital. We landed 21:00, stored bags at ESB lockers and metro’d into a city that had already gone to bed—streets empty, shutters down. Morning reset: • Ankara Castle – Bird’s-eye view of orderly boulevards and low-rise houses whose white walls and blue shutters remind you of Greek island villages. • Local café breakfast – Menemen + simit; owner surprised by foreigners, treated us to free ayran 🥛. • Kızılay Square & Anıtkabir – Respectful hush around Atatürk’s mausoleum; changing-of-the-guard worth the climb. By 15:00 we were back at the airport, souvenirs stowed and minds expanded by Turkey’s two contrasting faces. Seven beach-happy days in bright, buzzing Antalya followed by a calm, Greek-toned capital—Turkey packed more variety into eight days than most trips give in a month. ✈️❤️🇹🇷 #turkishvicecity #antalya #portobelloresort #KonyaaltiBeach #allinclusive #cleanandlively #dudenwaterfall #kaleicioldtown #turkishicecream #augusttraveltips #ankaralayover #greekstylearchitecture #ataturkmausoleum #traveldiaries #konyaaltıbeach