Author: Irina
We are talking about our vacation in Turkey - the reviews of tourists scared us, but in reality everything went well (and even the mask was almost not useful). In 2021, the conditions have slightly changed - now a PCR test is also needed to enter the country.
Yes, Turkey is still closed - from April 15 to June 1, 2021. |
How does one rest in Turkey now?
We flew for reconnaissance in Side (one of the resorts of Antalya) back in September 2020 - just after the quarantine was canceled and after the borders were opened.
In short, we rested exactly as before, as if troubled times did not come. But since there are still limitations and nuances - which everyone who is going on vacation to Turkey should know about now - that's why I am writing this article. I hope she helps you answer whether it is worth going to Turkish resorts in 2021.
What is the holiday in Turkey now?
At first I was confused by this question. Probably because relatives and friends expected to hear dramatic details of how our temperature is measured every hour and forced to sunbathe in masks. But in fact, the conditions for rest in Turkey now are not much different from those that were a year ago.
If you look globally, then:
- Hotels are open.
- "All inclusive" in Turkey - on the spot.
- Animation is underway.
- Tours are open.
And if you look closely ...
There are definitely fewer tourists. In September, at the height of the season, the promenade in Side was deserted; while usually already in May, at the beginning of the season, it is not overcrowded.
Plus, hotel staff wear masks, all surfaces - down to sun loungers on the beaches - are disinfected, the buffet has taken a "step back" (or forward?), And entering Turkey and returning to Russia throws up new worries. I will describe all the changes later in the relevant sections.
In the meantime, I will summarize this: a trip to Turkey now will not be something disappointing or problematic. If you do not take into account PCR tests, of course. On the spot, you will see the same resorts, only less crowded, cheaper (the lira rate is getting lower and lower) and adjusted for public restrictions due to the pandemic - exactly the same as in your city.
For the visuals, in the middle of the text, I will leave the most interesting - our video review about the rest in Turkey now (in the section about changes in hotels).
What hotel did we stay at?
View from our side room to the pool and sea on the horizon
I cannot say that we selected the hotel carefully, for a long time, and thoughtfully. The recommendations of a friend coincided with our recollections that being in Side last year, we liked one hotel outwardly.
It was a 5-star Barut Acanthus & Cennet, I leave the link - they took the tour there. The hotel is cool, you don't have to go out from there for the whole vacation. Its other bold plus, in addition to the abstract "coolness", is the safety and prevention of covid at the highest level. In Barut, everything is as it should be in hotels in Turkey now - from a health certificate and disposable pens at the reception to beach towels in individual packages (see our hotel review on YouTube if you liked it).
Considering the unscheduled closure of flights to Turkey, is it worth buying a tour for the summer?
I would book. Let me explain why: now there are very good prices for summer tours. And imagine what a price explosion will happen when charters again fly to resorts, and even postponements of tours of those who could not rest in the spring follow? And the worst thing that can happen if flights are not restored is a refund for a ticket or transfer to a later date.
Where can I see a list of open hotels by resort? I have already written a detailed article about how exactly to look for working hotels, here is a short "squeeze" - see and book tours on aggregators, they only show vouchers to open hotels:
- Travelata
- Level.Travel
- Onlinetours
We bought the September tour in Side on Online Tours. These three services work directly with all leading tour operators - which is convenient, there is no need to run from one to another and independently compare who resumed cooperation with which hotel.
Entry rules to Turkey now
A la Carte with seafood at the hotel where we rested
It's weird to start planning Turkey with the entry rules, isn't it? Although the visa-free regime has been preserved, here's what you need to know about the flight and border crossing (checked personally):
- To enter Turkey, you need a PCR test not older than 72 hours in English - it's good that at least children under 6 years old are exempt from it.
- Before landing, the temperature is not measured, but I think there is a thermal imager hidden somewhere.
- On charters, as such, there is no requirement to sit in a mask for the entire flight, here it is at your discretion.
- There is no food on the plane now, only water and tea and coffee.
- DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE A PEN WITH YOU, you will have to fill out more questionnaires than in the tax office. Specifically on the plane, the staff will hand out (and take back) a form with your contact details, seat number and hotel name.
- Upon arrival in Turkey, a mask at the airport and on further transfer is required.
Contrary to what the first reviews of tourists about Turkey in 2020 said, the guide was present on the bus to the hotel and, as in the old days, chatted incessantly :)
What are the rules for returning to Russia?
Another unpleasant part of the holiday in Turkey at the moment is taking the PCR test for covid-19 upon returning to Russia and receiving the result within 3 days. On the plane back and at the border of the Russian Federation, everything goes on as usual, but you will have to get confused with the analysis.
I am updating the information: from September 24, the test results must be awaited in isolation at your home address. Therefore, the least problematic way to get rid of the test is to take the rapid test (the first in the list below). I know for sure that this is available at all Moscow airports.
1. Pass the express test at the airport.
So far, it works in Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo. We rented in Vnukovo late at night (in the photo at the beginning of the section - the schedule of breaks, but they work around the clock).
Price: 2750 rubles per person.
Results: in 1 hour by hand or in 3 hours by e-mail (convenient).
What to have with you: a pen and a telephone with the Internet, a must! It is necessary to fill out both a paper questionnaire and an electronic one (inconvenient).
2. Hand over for a fee at a medical center in your city.
It's simple - you sign up, you come, you go through the unpleasant procedure of picking up with a "stick in the nose." In Moscow, the PCR test is offered by the Invitro and Helix clinics.
Price: 1600-2000 rubles.
Results: within 3 days. This, of course, is a vague wording, but for the sake of economy, you can choose. We would have done so if we hadn't stayed in Moscow, but there was no time to look for a specific medical center.
3. Muscovites - to hand over for free in your clinic.
Yes, residents of the capital have access to a free PCR test. To do this, you must register on the mos.ru website. Great, but ...
Results: there is a very great chance to fly by the set deadlines, since in the clinics they promise the final piece of paper within as much as 7 days.
Do you need self-isolation upon arrival from Turkey? No matter how, mandatory testing was introduced for this. But the test results on arrival have to wait at home (therefore, it is easier to take it at the airport and receive it in a few hours). Even before the trip, I read the reviews of the Russians, and everything is handing over regularly. After all, it is, so to speak, compulsory, and for refusal there is a fine of up to 40,000 rubles.
After receiving the result, do not forget to upload it to the State Services in a special form called "Providing information on the test results for a new coronavirus infection for those arriving in the Russian Federation from foreign countries."Within 3 days of your return!
Reviews about the beach and the sea - when is the best time to go to Turkey?
Sandy beaches of Side are some of the best in Turkey
A short sketch, when does the season in Turkey start and end. In 2021, this is acutely relevant, given that there is nowhere to fly especially.
Antalya coast (all these beloved Alanya, Kemer, Belek, Antalya, Side) are ready to "swim" in the flow of tourists all year round. Even in winter, the temperature does not drop below + 10 ° C, and in November it is still + 18 ° C ... + 22 ° C outside. But most of all, the sandy beaches of Antalya are filled in the period from May to October - the time when the beach holiday is in full swing. The incredible heat is in July and August (up to + 40 ° C!), And pleasant velvet temperatures come in late September and October.
Aegean coast (Marmaris, Bodrum, Kusadasi) - it is cooler. It's better to rest here in between from late June to late September... In the "hottest" months, the Aegean Sea beckons tourists with tolerable + 30 ° C outside the sea and + 27 ° C at sea. Local resorts are less popular among us Russians, and it would be interesting for me to visit them in July-August - is there really a decent difference in weather?
For more information about the temperature twists and turns, read our article about the season in Turkey - there are tables and weather by month.
Turkey hotel reviews - what are the requirements now?
At the hotel reception, there are signs with new requirements for relaxation, and they also give free masks
Have you heard the news that vacationers in Turkey are now obliged to wear masks everywhere and almost sunbathe in them ?? In fact, the requirements are much more humane - masks are worn everywhere, except for the hotel and the hotel beach. |
What is the holiday now: in Turkey, the average tourist's day is held in a hotel, and the main changes lie in them - in hotels.
1. I'll start with the most exciting thing that not every gentle soul will survive. THE SWEDISH TABLE HAS BEEN REMOVED! More precisely, they closed it with a glass or plastic box. Tourists are now prohibited from touching spoons and dishes on the table in a friendly heap, there is a staff for this.
- Approach the station, for example salads.
- Studying the assortment.
- Show with your finger what and how much you want.
- The employee takes the plate, puts it on, hands it over to you.
Cutlery awaits at the table in individual plastic packaging, as well as cups and glasses. Soda and coffee machines are removed from public access, drinks are poured on request.
It's difficult to imagine? Watch our video from the trip:
Video from our trip after the opening of borders - I tell and show what has changed
2. To open and start receiving guests, the hotel must obtain a HEALTH CERTIFICATE. He confirms that the hotel complies with all the virus prevention rules set by the Turkish Ministry of Health.
This means that employees are provided with personal protective equipment, their temperature is measured, and the safety of guests is maintained by regular disinfection of everything and dispersal of the crowd - this is helped by both a 1.5-meter marking and limiting the occupancy of the hotel to 65% of the room stock.
The hotel's health certificate must be renewed monthly.
3. Another innovation - at check-in, tourists measure the temperature and take away their luggage (not hand luggage) FOR DISINFECTION. I don't know what they spray, but it doesn't smell afterwards.
And like on a plane, at the hotel you will also have to fill out a questionnaire, if there are any symptoms of illness, where have you been in the last 14 days, etc.
4. IN THE PLAN OF HOTEL ENTERTAINMENT, rest in Turkey now also differs little from what it was. Indoor and outdoor pools, water slides, hotel water parks, exercise machines, spas and hammams all work.
- For classes and activities in the premises, a record was introduced, or a restriction on the number of people inside - you still need to have time to process the inventory after the previous guests.
- Water aerobics, bachata, yoga are carried out. In the fresh air and at a distance from each other.
- Foam parties and mass discos were excluded from the evening animation. Gatherings are still banned, so hotels are entertained with live music, singing and dancing.
- As for children's animation, it's hard for me to answer - in our hotel there is none and never was. I noticed that the entrance to the kids club is masked (apparently, that's why it is empty). And, well, from the neighboring hotels these eternal Turkish songs were heard from children's evening entertainments.
On the beach, employees disinfect the surfaces of sun loungers after vacationers
5. In general, the PRESENT HOTEL IN TURKEY is the same space, but with antiseptics at every step, reminders of the 1.5 meter distance and staff wearing masks (always, even if it is a sun lounger on the beach).
In our hotel, all security measures were carried out responsibly, even the sun loungers were disinfected. But at the same time, there was no desire to save money on the part of the hotel. I say this to the fact that there are rumors about some hotels (and not necessarily budget ones) that this year they are "boiled" on tourists - for example, by laying out not 5 types of salads, as before, but 3; or replacing orange juice with orange upi.
And here I will again mention the tour aggregators - because they show not only the hotels that are now open, but also recent reviews of tourists... Just to help all of us, so as not to fly with an unscrupulous hotel:
- Travelata
- Level.Travel
- Onlinetours
Tours to Turkey are now being sorted out like cakes, seriously. And on online services it is much more likely to have time to “stake out” a favorable price for the desired hotel than offline in an agency. Until you call or reach him ...
By the way, an important question: what about the prices for the vouchers? Telling ↓
Our review about the rest in Turkey now
Side's main attraction and we - learning how to take instant photos
Any reviews about holidays in Turkey now start with the cost of the tours.
What happened to them, jumped or vice versa, with a thinning flow of tourists, fell? It's good that I have been running this HowTrip site for more than 3 years, writing the same about Turkey, and in my notes I have the prices of the past years :)
The conclusion is as follows. Cheap hotels have become even cheaper (in October-November you can fly from Moscow for 30-35 thousand rubles for two!), But expensive hotels are even more expensive. The first, apparently, are trying to somehow lure tourists; the second - they do not experience a shortage of guests, which is why prices rise.
- Top 20 Kemer Hotels Opened This Season
An interesting point: walking along the Side embankment, I noticed that hotels opened on the same principle - very inexpensive (where they fly because of the price, without regard to quality) and very expensive (where they fly from) for quality, without regard to the price).
Another interesting point: the other day my friend and I booked a tour for him to Belek on Travelata, and we felt that the demand for Turkey is still at its best. The price changed little by little right before our eyes. And the hotel itself went "to a stop" (that is, the rooms ran out) the next day after the purchase of the voucher! So, if you see a good value, don't hesitate.
But in general, Turkey receives good reviews even after the general quarantine. What else, besides the sea, the sun and all-inclusive, does a Russian need after eight, or even more, months of domestic "confinement"?
- In our experience, viral realities on vacation do not really affect: the tourist also eats and drinks, sunbathes, bathes, goes shopping in the shopping center, has fun in animation, goes on excursions - it just goes on with less contact with other people and with more diligence in hand disinfection. The mask must be worn only OUTSIDE the hotel and the beach - for example, in shops or cafes, in transport.
Are there many people in Turkey now? Well, a day from Russia arrives from 20 planes to Antalya airport, all clogged ... Enough, so to speak. But not commensurate with past years.
Pros and cons of staying in Turkey now
There are noticeably fewer tourists this season, although the open hotels are filled to capacity :)
Doubting Cons:
- Mandatory and paid PCR test (1600-2900 rubles) when entering Turkey and upon arrival in the Russian Federation.
- Filled planes both there and back.
- Some hotels raise doubts about limiting their occupancy to 65%, there are so many guests there.
- Tours are available only from 20 cities of the Russian Federation (there used to be more).
- Not all hotels are open.
- The need to wear a mask in public places.
Indisputable advantages:
+ Sea for swimming until November and great weather until December.
+ SUN. EVEN IN WINTER.
+ Oh-oh-very inexpensive tours.
+ Not crowded! In Pamukkale and Cappadocia, you can take a picture without strangers in the frame!
+ The lira fell even lower and goods in Turkey became even cheaper.
In 2019, we bought Turkish delight at a rate of 11.5 rubles per lira, and in 2020 and 2021 - already 10 rubles per lira.
+ No mask required on the beach or in the hotel.
+ Holidays in Turkey are now the same as before - food, alcohol, entertainment, everything is in place.
On the resorts of Turkey, we have cool guide texts on our website:
- Kemer
- Side
- Fethiye
- Marmaris
- Bodrum
Our tips and reviews of tourists
Our video review about Turkey for 2019 - when everything was carefree, and no one imagined what would happen in eight months :)
Holidays in Turkey in 2021 are real and relatively safe - this is confirmed by the reviews of tourists, and we, who returned from Side, were tanned and with negative tests.
What I recommend:
- First, caution starts with ourselves. Do not neglect the well-known safety rules (distance and disinfection).
- Bring masks and a pen with you - you will have to fill out a lot of questionnaires.
- Insurance from the tour operator that comes with the purchase of the tour covers the covid treatment, but for a minimum amount. If it is important for you, take a policy with higher cash coverage on Cherehapa.
- What will happen if the temperature is detected? They will offer to do a free test if the result is positive - isolation in a hotel or treatment in a hospital at the expense of insurance.
- Afraid of not having time with the test after you return? Drop off at the airport if you are arriving in Moscow.
- And the last thing: watch and select tours on aggregators (Travelata, Level.Travel and Onlinetours) - prices are the same as those of tour operators, contactless, displayed hotels are 100% working, tourist reviews for the current season are attached.
Attractions and excursions
It is better to come to the ruins of the temple of Apollo early in the morning, in the evening there are people ku-oo-oo-teaching people!
What is happening now with entertainment and excursions outside the hotel? Surprisingly, everything is open. Hamams, massage parlors, outdoor café-restaurants and parachutes with catamarans compete for every client.
Tours are available in a full range - from Cappadocia and Pamukkale to The Land of Legends Water Park. On the transfer (on the bus) you will have to put up with a mask, but already on the spot it is not needed.
Shopping centers and small souvenir shops are open. The Turkish lira has fallen to the very bottom, and you, avid shoppers, will be delighted with the prices in ElSi Waikiki and other Turkish "pearls".
The only thing closed - and, it seems, for a long time - are the nightclubs. It's sad, of course, but the nearby hotels for once sleep in silence.
Conclusion.
Everything written and described above is my trip report after the opening of the borders. It's as if you asked a friend, “Well, how did you rest? tell!". I will be very grateful if you also leave your small review about today's Turkey in the comments.
