Is the 'Turkish Maldives' boat trip from Kas worth it?

If your main goal is just relaxing by the sea, you can skip the 'Turkish Maldives' excursion — on a previous trip people rushed between this tour and an IKEA run in Antalya, but simply enjoying the beach was more pleasant.

Detailed review: organization rated 3/5 — a minibus picks you up from the hotel (guests staying further away get picked up last), the drive takes about 40 minutes on winding roads, then a 10-minute walk to the port along a dusty road; arriving late meant getting worse seats on the boat.

The itinerary: first stop is an island with white rocks (which gives the water its blue color) for about 40 minutes, but it gets crowded with other boats; lunch is chicken nuggets or river trout; the second island with black rocks is less impressive.

Tip from a disappointed traveler: it's better to book a multi-island tour with open-sea swimming instead of the 'Turkish Maldives' trip — the resemblance to the real Maldives is only in the name.

Boats from the 'Ginza' company on the same route mostly carry Russian-speaking tourists — the atmosphere on board is livelier and easier to navigate than boats with mostly local or mixed passengers.

Before arriving in Kas, a travel agent warned that spots on the 'Turkish Maldives' excursion get booked up a week in advance — it's worth reserving early.