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TOTALLY ECLIPSED

GARETH DAVIS looks after all the editorial content at Travel Channel and runs the website. So if you've any comments or complaints, he's the one to get in touch with! He also produces and presents on the channel, primarily the series THE TRAVEL BUG and THE TRAVEL CHANNEL GUIDE TO … And when he has a spare minute, he writes for the travel section of the Sunday Mirror in the UK.

For hundreds of years the solar eclipse foretold the death of kings, the loss of battles and collapse of empires. Then science came and ground our dreams into factual dust. The mystery has gone but amazingly some of the magic remains, and there are those who'd traipse an awfully long way to pin down the perfect conditions. That's certainly what happened last week when the total solar eclipse hit the eastern Med and the Turkish resort of Side became one of the best places for viewing this once in an epoch event.

The clever men who run UK tour operator Cosmos, realised they might be onto a winner if they packaged together flights, a local hotel and a great observation platform for Britain's avid amateur astronomers. And lo, they came from near and far in the wee hours of the morning. Last Tuesday Gatwick was packed with Patrick Moore wannabes, and more beards and Jesus sandals than you could shake a production of Godspell at. The atmosphere was electric with anticipation, presumably shared by the poor wives and children who'd been dragged in tow with the telescopes and cameras.

Cosmos had a hit on its hands. The plane was chocka. In fact, you'd swear half our astronomical friends had never flown before. They scurried around the cabin, snapping photos in wide-eyed awe. To be honest, it was all very annoying at seven in the morning when yours truly had been up since two thirty. Still, there's no denying there was a definite festive air onboard. Helped in my case by the sparkling wine.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this southern stretch of Turkey, Antalya is the main tourist pile and very underwhelming it is too. "The tourism capital of Turkey" as our guide kept emphasising is a tiny old town squeezed between two sprawling masses of development. Konyalti Beach is to the west and Lara Beach is to the east. The main thing the old town has going for it is a gate built in honour of a visit by the Emperor Hadrian called Hadrian's Gate, duh, and a pretty little marina surrounded by Roman Walls. It's a great place for sipping a sundowner.

Base in Antalya was the five star Hotel Marmara. Let's be clear, that's Turkish five star, not the AA Grade. Still, it's a pretty smart place and can be found on Cosmos' Somewhere To Stay website. The main feature is a circular annex called the Revolving Loft, which stands poolside and rotates 360º over a two to twenty-two hour cycle. A bit like the world, you don't feel it turning but staring out the window for too long could leave you wobbly!

The main building is a sort of collision between beach hut and nightclub. Whitewashed distressed wood charges into electric pinks, greens and oranges. Hence my bedroom was dotted with wooden beach chairs and various artefacts echoing driftwood while the bathroom screamed disco. Personally, I found it all style over substance, and in some cases, comfort. Who wants to curl up on a wooden chair at the end of a hard day's tramping?

The main communal area is a cavernous glass atrium overlooking the pool, dominated by five themed mammoth pillars - one's a library, other a gallery with changing exhibits, other a climbing frame, and one looks like the exterior of a beach hut. Yes, there's a unity of vision but I did feel architect Christian Allart had spent a little too long bumming on a beach in South East Asia.

Side is further down the coast to the east and the last time I visited this one-horse Turkish fishing village was back in 1986 when I was a backpacking student. What I remember the most is the stunning remains of the Temple of Apollo, its pillars marching down into the sea like some remnant of Atlantis. Well, it's all still there apparently. I didn't make it as we were on a mission to make the eclipse. But Side itself is unrecognisable. Another sprawl of four and five star resorts has engulfed the small town Antony once gave Cleopatra as a wedding present. However, it has a much greater sense of space than Antalya, which is dominated by high-rise.

For the eclipse itself we all gathered poolside at the Hotel Papillon Muna. The high terrace was given over to the astronomers who set up shop, tensely waiting, lots of heavy breathing over the apparati. We dabblers were lower down, sipping on white wines and beers, and getting a kick out of the camaraderie. This was my first eclipse, never having been tempted by the murky ones we've been treated to in the UK in recent years. And what an eclipse it was; bright blue skies, glorious sunshine, and twenty-three degrees. Then over the course of an hour, the temperatures plummeted into the early tens, it grew dark and people tugged their pullies over their shoulders. The light was eery - neither light nor dark, twilight or shade. And it lasted four awesome minutes. Now I know how the dinosaurs felt!

And then it was over. The sun shone, everyone smiled, and Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart blasted from the tannoy. Yes, this was a truly commercial affair. But even the Swansea siren couldn't detract from what had been a wonderful experience.

The eclipse itself - over by 2pm - was a great excuse for a bit of hurried sightseeing. I managed to take in the second century theatre at Aspendos, which is brilliantly preserved, and the nearby remains of the Roman aqueduct that once marched impressively across the plains, bringing water to the city from the faraway Taurus Mountains.

Then home. What a fantastic way of spending forty-eight hours! The astronomers were still celebrating on the return flight, as was I, reviewing my first eclipse. Congratulations to Cosmos on a great wheeze. One of the stewards - the cabin crew had also enjoyed a treat, a rare stopover and chance to party - asked me what I thought of it all. In true world-weary travel fashion I answered, "It went dark. It went cold. I went home." Caesar couldn't have put it better.

For the resorts of Belek, Side, Antalya's Lara Beach and Kemer visit

For those who want to book accommodation independently visit

For flights visit

What do you think of Turkey? I'd love to hear any advice you may have DROP ME A LINE

April 2006