1/4/2008 till 31/10/2008

1 week Cesme in Turkey at Ilica Hotel Spa & Wellness resort *****

from 420.00 euro per person on half board including round trip tickets Chios-Cesme-Chios by ferry.

About Cesme

The Cecme Peninsula, lapped by the waters of the Aegean Sea, lies west of Izmir. The name "Cecme" meaning fountain, refers to the many springs found in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is one of Turkey's must beautiful coastal stretches surrounded by clear blue sea, with a landscape of aniseed, sesame and artichoke fields dotted with fig and gum trees. In the unspoiled bays you can swim in absolute peace. Visitors will find excellent holiday accommodation, restaurants, and sports and entertainment facilities. A 14th-century Genoese fortress, restored and enlarged by the Ottomans in the 16th century, dominates the small port of Cecme, 60 km from Izmir. Today the town is a popular holiday resort with excellent accommodation and restaurants. The 16th-century caravanserai near the fortress, built by Suleyman the Magnificent, has been converted into a hotel, while the 19th-century Church of Agios Haralambos has been restored as the Emir Caka Art Gallery. Thermal baths offer a health-oriented escape from modern life. Excellent shopping for the finest quality carpets, leather goods, as well as souvenir items is also possible. At night, a lively, fun atmosphere pervades the town, especially in the restaurants, cafes, bars and discos along the promenade, Cecme hosts an annual International Song Contest in the summer. Yachts can be hired to explore the peninsula's splendid coastline. Also, ferries make the run from Cecme to Venice on a weekly basis. The very popular holiday center of Ilica boasts an excellent white sandy beach and the outstanding facilities of the Altin Yunus Marina and Holiday Complex. The bay here is ideal for water sports.

The city of Izmir

Known in Turkish as "Beautiful Izmir" the city lies at the head of a long and narrow gulf furrowed by ships and yachts. The climate is mild and in the summer the constant and refreshing sea breezes temper the sun's heat. Behind the palm-lined promenades and avenues which follow the shoreline, the city, in horizontal terraces, gently ascends the slopes of the surrounding mountains. Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey and its port is second only to Istanbul. A cosmopolitan and lively city all year round, Izmir bursts with an added vibrancy during the International Arts Festival (June/July) and the international Pair (August/Sept).

The original city was established in the third millennium B.C. (at present day Bayrakli), at which time it shared with Troy the most advanced culture in Western Anatolia. By 1500 B.C. it had fallen under the influence of the Central Anatolian Hettite Empire. In the first millennium ranked as one of the most important cities of the Ionian Federation. Lydian conquest of the city, around 600 B.C., brought this period to an end. Izmir remained little more than a village throughout the Lydian and subsequent sixth - century B.C. Persian rule. In the fourth century B.C. a new city was built on the slopes of Mt. Pagos (Kadifekale) during the reign of Alexander the Great. Izmir's Roman period, beginning in the first century B.C. was its second great era. Byzantine rule followed in the fourth century and lasted until the Seljuk conquest in the 11th century. In 1415, under Sultan Mehmet Celebi, Izmir became part of the Ottoman Empire.