Antalya Airport to Kumköy transfer

The name means something like “sand village”, and it fits. Kumköy is built along the beach that leads up to Side’s western shore, and its eastern end runs straight into the edge of the ancient city. Stay at that end and you can wander to the theatre and the harbour on foot in the evening; stay at the western end and the same walk becomes a serious stroll, which is where a short taxi ride starts to make sense.

The place has two faces. Between the main street and the sea sit the beach hotels, many of them all-inclusive, with gardens that open straight onto the sand. On the inland side of the street are smaller hotels, apartments, supermarkets, pharmacies, bars and the shops that stay open late in summer. Guests here tend to mix the two: a day on the sunbed, an evening in the old town, a morning at Manavgat market.

• Leaving the terminal — the airport road joins the D400 heading east, and within a few minutes you pass the junctions around Aksu.
• About 20 minutes in — the turn-off for Belek and its golf courses goes by on the right.
• Around Serik — the town lies just off the road; this is one of the spots where traffic can thicken at rush hour.
• Near the half-way mark — signs for Aspendos point inland towards the Roman theatre at Belkıs.
• The last quarter of an hour — the resort strips of Çolaklı and Evrenseki slip past on the seaward side.
• The Side turn — the car leaves the D400, heads down towards the coast and bears west into Kumköy before reaching the old town.

Because Kumköy is on the nearer side of the peninsula, it is a few minutes quicker to reach than the hotels east of the old town. Summer Saturdays, when the coast changes over its guests, still add about twenty minutes.

Kumköy’s main street is long and fairly busy in the evenings, and some of the beach hotels have their entrance on a side lane rather than the street itself. Drivers who work this patch know most of the gates already, but the more precise your details, the quicker the last five minutes go.

• The hotel’s full name, as it appears on your booking, since several Kumköy hotels have similar names
• If you are in an apartment, the building name and a location pin on WhatsApp
• The number of suitcases and anything bulky, such as a pushchair or golf bags
• Children’s ages, so the right seats are fitted before the car sets off

Under normal traffic the airport is fifty-odd minutes away, so for an international departure plan to leave the hotel around three hours before take-off. That leaves time for the security scan at the terminal entrance, check-in, passport control and a coffee. If you are flying on a summer Saturday or at a busy midday hour, add a quarter of an hour to that.

The return is booked the same way as the arrival: the flight details, the hotel and the number of people. We confirm the pickup time and the fare, and the driver is at reception or the hotel gate at that time. With an evening flight, ask reception whether you can keep a room or use a changing room after checkout; it makes the last afternoon far more comfortable.

From the far end of the strip, the old town is a ride of a few minutes. The car drops you at the car park by the ancient walls, and from there you walk in past the theatre to the harbour or out to the Temple of Apollo for the sunset. Manavgat, with its river boats and its big Monday market, is a short drive inland, and the waterfall a little further on.

“Kumköy is close enough to Side to walk, and just far enough that, at the end of a long day, you will be glad you did not have to.

Any of these local trips, and longer ones to Aspendos or Antalya’s old town, can be arranged on WhatsApp. The price is agreed before you set off, and the driver can either wait or come back later.