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YOU may think you know Turkey – but what if I told you it was harbouring a hidden gem you likely haven’t heard of?

Just half an hour away from the western city of Izmir sits a region with bustling bazaars and picturesque bays and beaches.

Tui

Enjoy the lap of luxury and take a swim up to the bar to refresh[/caption]

Tui

The hotel is on the beach with stunning clear waters[/caption]

Seferihisar might just be the country’s best-kept secret.

I was staying on the coast at the newly-renovated Angora Beach Hotel where I could soak up everything this region had to offer.

The resort was recently awarded TUI’s Blue classification, an accolade given due to its authenticity, local cuisine and top quality service.
And it delivered on all fronts.

“Can I get you anything else?” is likely to be the phrase you hear most when staying at this intimate complex with food, drinks and activities on offer around the clock.

There are two restaurants and three bars to keep you fed and watered (with plenty of stronger options if you desire), plus a 24/7 snack bar because who doesn’t need a slice of pizza and an ice cream between each meal?

The restaurant puts on a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner that is packed with local favourites such as manti (meat-filled dumplings) served with garlic yoghurt and tomato sauce, or lamachan bread — a speciality flatbread baked with minced lamb, as well as everyone’s continental favourites.

For those craving a finer dining experience, the Culinarium has a four-course a la carte menu where all-inclusive guests can dine free of charge once per stay. I loved the octopus starter.

Plus, from June to August there are barbecues, themed evenings and gala dinners.

But summer is not the only time to visit this paradise with the weather staying warm well into September and sometimes beyond.

Activities at the hotel run throughout the year too, from dancing to karaoke, quiz nights and entertainment which while I visited included some of the winners of Argentina’s Got Talent.

Or join one of the cocktail classes held for visitors. There are even language classes for those who want to brush up on their Turkish — be warned, though, it’s not easy.

Aside from all the activities, history buffs will take a shine to this hotel because of its proximity to Ephesus, an ancient city that locals pride themselves on being bigger and more impressive than Pompeii.

You can book excursions through TUI, for two or in groups which will include collection from the hotel and a handy guide to share their knowledge with you.

I didn’t know much about this extraordinary place before visiting but you don’t need a keen interest in history to understand the significance of this site.

And if wandering around the 2,000-year-old buildings seems a bit sleepy, I guarantee learning about Roman toilets will at least perk you up — I won’t spoil the fun of it, though.

It’s a (long) stone’s throw away from the House of Virgin Mary, a shrine believed by many to be where the biblical Mary lived, and possibly even died, in the years after Jesus’ death.

Tangerine trees, ruins and olive groves

For those who believe or not, it is a spectacular sight, immersed in thousands of years of history with a reconstructed house built on the same foundations Mary is said to have lived.

But Seferihisar is not just cultural offerings.

The peaceful district is ideal for gentle strolls through the sweeping landscape further inland, littered with tangerine trees, olive groves and millennia-old ruins.

You can, of course, take advantage of the region’s sizzling sunshine, too, without even leaving the hotel.

There are three pools and a private beach looking out on to the Greek island of Samos.

If you want to venture further afield, a number of companies offer boat trips that run on a daily basis to Samos from the nearby harbour of Kusadasi, which you can see from miles away thanks to its Hollywood-style sign.

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Dine in style at one of the two restaurants on site[/caption]

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Experience the ancient culture at the historic site of Ephesus[/caption]

Most routes take visitors to three bays, perfect for getting your flippers on and exploring with a snorkel to make the most of the crystal-clear waters and the fish that inhabit them.

Some excursions offer freshly cooked barbecued fish on board, served with dips, bread and unlimited drinks to enjoy on the comfortable cushions of the berth.

I’d recommend a good few hours out on the water if you’ve got your sea legs, to get the most out of it.

Naturally, thanks to its vast coastline and gentle waters, a boat trip is the perfect way to unwind and relax.

But for me, it still couldn’t top the hotel’s on-site spa with a long treatment menu, including variations of the traditional Turkish Bath.

This experience begins with a sweaty relaxation period in the sauna before you’re scrubbed down on a warmed marble slab, and gently washed by a massage therapist.

After a short break to sip on some Turkish tea, you’ll then be taken off for a head-to-toe massage.

Who could say no to that?

OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice.

Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who has several concerning symptoms.

Q) MY husband has been complaining for a while about extremely cold feet.

He says they’re bone-cold from the inside, not just on the outside.

He also wakes up in the middle of the night, in extremely hot sweats.

Plus, he has asthma and eczema which are now a little worse than normal, has slight liver issues, is possibly on the cusp of diabetes and gets ocular migraines.

Could these symptoms be one problem, which we can go to the GP with?

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As GPs, we often ask our patients to only present one problem to us per consultation, as we only have ten minutes and need to give that whole appointment to one issue in order to deal with it properly[/caption]

A) The cold feet could be caused by a circulation issue or nerve damage to the feet, or it could be a symptom of a systemic or autoimmune condition.

But it sounds like there is a lot going on and your GP is best placed to commence a line of investigation to try and figure out what is causing these symptoms.

As GPs, we often ask our patients to only present one problem to us per consultation, as we only have ten minutes and need to give that whole appointment to one issue in order to deal with it properly.

But the exception is when you think several symptoms and issues might be linked.

Make a list of the symptoms you think may be connected, and present this to the GP.

They can arrange some blood tests and other investigations if required, then see you again for a follow-up.

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TIP: The best sleeping position is on your back because it keeps the spine straight.

But some people with back pain find that sleeping on their side is best, with a pillow between the knees.

This may also help snorers and those who suffer with acid reflux.

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Guneet Jolly is an Indian singer and composer, music director, performer, performer and Bollywood movie producer. Wiki/biography Guneet Singh Jolly ...

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Remember to gamble responsibly

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“PLEASE, Mum. No more twirling,” says my daughter.

But too late. The ghost of Maria Von Trapp has taken control of my limbs and I’m pirouetting across cobblestone streets singing, “High on a hill stood a lonely goatherd . . . ”

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Salzburg’s historic city skyline[/caption]

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The Von Trapps’ lakeside home Schloss Leopoldskron[/caption]

We’re in Salzburg, Austria home of the world’s most famous singing nun.

Along with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, the kitsch musical movie with nuns and Nazis is one of my favourite things.

Celebrating 60 years this year, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Sound of Music is an all-time classic.

It was the soundtrack of my childhood, and my children’s, so I’ve brought along my 19-year-old, Lola.

I wanted to bring her when she was 16 going on 17 but she refused.

The movie is based on the true story of Maria Kutschera, a novice nun who was sent to be a governess to a naval captain’s seven children after his wife died.

It is set in 1930s Salzburg, with its snow-dusted mountains, custard-hued palaces and fairytale churches, and the city seems to have changed very little, in appearance at least.

Panorama Tours have been running the original Sound of Music tour of Salzburg for decades.

A small group of die-hard Sound Of Music fans pile into the minivan of our lovely, dirndl-dressed Aussie guide Kylie.

She takes us to some of movie’s locations, from the Von Trapps’ lakeside home Schloss Leopoldskron, and the gazebo where Liesl and Rolf sing Sixteen Going On Seventeen, to the Mirabell Gardens where Maria and the children Do-Re-Mi’d around the Pegasus Fountain.

We then leave the city to tour the region’s lakes area and the pretty town of St. Gilgen — where the grassy banks of Wolfgangsee are where the children learned to sing.

Lola allows me a small twirl here in homage.

As we climb back into the minivan, Kylie whacks up the stereo and we Do-Re-Mi our way through the mountains to Mondsee and the Basilika St.

Michael, the beautiful church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp tie the knot.

The four-hour tour ends back in Salzburg, where I get to sing “So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye” to Kylie and the group.
Even if you’re not a Sound Of Music fan, Salzburg is a treat.

Mozart’s violin

Altstadt, the old town, is a Unesco World Heritage Site with baroque architecture, austere fortresses and the green, zinc-topped spires and domes of endless Catholic churches.

We’re staying in Hotel Stein, a boutique hotel on the banks of the Salzach River with views of the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the darkly Gothic castle that overlooks the city.

It is just moments from the old town’s chocolate, jewellery and lederhosen shops and we stop by one of the many cosy coffee houses for strudel and melange — an Austrian cappuccino.

Long before Fraulein Maria ever arrived with her guitar, Salzburg was home to one of history’s greatest composers, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

His place of birth, in 1756 on Getreidegasse in Altstadt has been preserved as a museum.

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Julie Andrews in the iconic film The Sound of Music[/caption]

Supplied

You can see his prized collection of instruments, including his childhood violin and fortepiano.

Of course, we can’t visit Austria and not sample another of my favourite things — wiener schnitzel.

Zwettler’s Wirtshaus is a cosy establishment which has been sating Salzburgers’ schnitzel cravings since 1863.

Wolfing down a giant schnitzel and a Salzburger Nockerl — a sweet cloud-like dessert found only in Salzburg — Lola grins and says: “At least this might stop you twirling!”

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