A Turkish delight

Which is why my eight-year-old daughter Kate and I found ourselves arriving in the early hours of the morning at the Letoonia Club and Hotel, welcomed, of course, by a chorus of suspiciously loud crickets.

Our bungalow for the week, hidden among pine trees, boasted an impressive display of carved Turkish ceilings (which, despite our exhausted state we were still able to appreciate), as well as a stocked fridge and a supremely efficient air conditioning unit. And then we collapsed.

On our first morning, we walked down the steps to have breakfast at the Agora, one of three buffet restaurants on offer.

The range of different dishes was surprising - pleasantly so - and even my eight-year-old was tempted to try a bit of everything.

We realised fairly swiftly (okay, a few courses later) that if nothing else, we wouldn't starve as the all-inclusive resort served food SEVEN times a day.

Full of breakfast and ice-cream (Kate quickly realised it was free), we decided to spend our first day exploring and walked down to the beach for a paddle.

There are three beaches in all to choose from, so we settled first at the sports beach, and watched the windsurfers and paddle boats attempt to steer among the swimmers.

Not surprisingly, the waters around Letoonia are a beautiful clear turquoise, inviting and warm (in fact, trivia buffs, Turkey itself derived its name from the word turquoise, and it's easy to see why).

Hearing of a creature called the Letoonia Turtle, which lives in the bays, we stayed a while and searched the waters (to no avail) before we took a full tour of the resort.

Letoonia is a wonderful place for children and Kate easily made friends, which meant I was soon peacefully lying on a sun lounger while she happily played in the shallower water.

Of course, it wasn't long before it was time to eat again but guilt quickly made me check out the resort's spa and gym.

Truth is, I only actually LOOKED at the cardio equipment as the Turkish baths were far more inviting and, had I been in the mood, there were also numerous treatments available including Bali hot stones massage, scrubs, facials and even - I loved this - a chocolate therapy...

The next day we took a minibus tour of the local area and stopped to climb up the ancient and amazing Lycian rock tombs, which were carved into the rock during the Hellenistic period (whatever that means).

However, I don't want you to think it was all tombs and no fun - for instance, in one, peering down - we spotted a small tortoise that had fallen in.

I, of course, heroically rescued the poor thing, which Kate immediately named Sarah' (a good name for a tortoise I believe), and we carefully carried him/her down the hillside to shaded vegetation.

It was a tearful farewell which cost me a turtle souvenir (they didn't sell tortoise souvenirs) from a tourist shack by the roadside, but we'd done the right thing and felt very self-righteous for the next few hours.

Next stop was lunch on a platform built over a running mountain spring, where we ate traditional fish and meat dishes. Even the bar had a stream integrated into the bar top and a chilly plunge pool populated with much larger fish where tourists were encouraged to jump in (and no, we didn't).

Europe's second largest gorge, Salkikent, was only discovered 15 years ago by a goat herder and I highly recommend a visit.

To reach the water you must follow the 65ft-high wooden footbridges which lead to the water's edge. The icy spring water gushes down off the mountain side into the gorge and the currents are strong, but to walk up the gorge you must first wade across the thigh-deep rapids and get wet clothes and freezing numb legs. Exhilarating.

Once dried, thawed out and back on the coach, our next stop was Butterfly Valley. From spring time onwards, 40 different species of butterfly can be spotted here, as well as quite a few hippies (without wings) who camp on the isolated beach during the summer months.

We arrived back at the resort just in time for another swim before changing for supper.

Evening meals must be booked in advance if you wish to dine in one of the the three a la carte restaurants.

Our favourite was the Dolphin Beach, which served fish at tables on the beach itself.

Flaming torches are lit in the shallow water which laps at the sand and catfish have been known to flop themselves on to the beach in hope of some tossed bread from the diners.

Every evening we enjoyed the multicultural entertainment provided in the amphitheatre outside, before we moved out into the main square and sat at tables enjoying a drink by the still waters of the beautifully illuminated pools.

The trees and buildings also have lights and it's a magical sight to relax and enjoy before bed.

But for those who are still awake at midnight, there is a disco, which is situated at the very tip of the peninsular and carries on into the early hours of the morning.

Now, for those essential holiday shopping trips, a free shuttle boat runs hourly from a pier on the Letoonia seafront to Fethiye, a bustling market town which holds a bazaar every Tuesday.

Kate bought a belly dancing costume, and you, like us, will no doubt be catching the return shuttle with many more bags than you planned.

Letoonia would seem to be the type of place that people return to.

The attention to detail and hard work of all the staff is refreshing and helps make for a relaxing, exciting and fun packed holiday.

As for that hoary chestnut of single parentdom, it's an ideal destination - you only have to feel alone if you want to (and you'd really have to work at it too...).

How to get there: Letoonia is just under 20 miles from Dalaman airport. Charter flights operate daily to Dalaman from 22 UK airports (www.charterflights.co.uk 0845 045 0153). Flights start from £146. British Airways (0870 850 9850) also flies daily to Dalaman.

Prices for 2008 (Letoonia is open from April 1 to October 31): A week with full board at Letoonia Resort (www.letooniaresorts.com, 0090 242 444 0280) based on two adults sharing, costs from £504 in April/May (children under 12 add £126), and from £742 in July/August (children under 12 add £185), prices decreasing again in Sept/October. Children under two are free. These prices do not include flights.

Travel agents: A week, full-board, for two adults with Cosmos (www.cosmosholidays.co.uk; 0871 622 4317) costs from £815 in April/May (from £199 for children up to the age of 12) and from £1,049 in July/August (from £219 for children up to the age of 12), decreasing again in Sept/October. Children under two are free.