Klaus Jurgens

A FORTNIGHT ago I had had the opportunity to enjoy an extended swim at one of our Blue Flag certified public beaches. And since Aydin became a Greater Metropolitan Municipality from April 1, it means more coveted sandy spots all the way from north Kusadasi to south-west of Akbuk; in other words, it is all one town now albeit much bigger than ever before.

Later that same day we took the family and guests from Istanbul for a full afternoon’s session to a friend’s nearby hotel pool. Verdict: quite impressed, twice. Or as a Chinese proverb would exclaim: Double Happiness! So at stake: are you a beach person or a pool swimmer?

Normally I am a happy member of the latter club of swimmers: I prefer a good sized hotel pool over a trip down to the beach.

I do not have a full day of spare time so we must plan ahead. Which beach, what about waves, will the sea be clean? This concern and, in particular, when someone takes their children along, too, was dramatically reinforced only a short while ago after a rather discomforting plunge into a non-supervised, non-Blue Flag beach near Mavisehir.

As it turned out it was clean when we came out but after an hour strange bubbles surfaced – the sea was totally polluted by washing up and/or detergent liquids of various descriptions. As we later discovered they had been flowing down from local resident’s forecourts apparently washing their cars in the side street. From there the dirty liquids entered straight into the water.

So when our Istanbul gang told us ‘we prefer the beach instead of spending the day poolside’ I was not impressed. Beach, really? But being an amateur diplomat of sorts I did not let my disappointment show off and agreed to join them.

All off a sudden I felt different from what I just mentioned. The sea was crystal clear, blue; almost Caribbean like. I followed everyone else into the waters and must admit if I ever needed reconfirmation the Aegean is absolutely picture postcard perfect it was on this weekend day.

Kids loved it, adults enjoyed it, no empty water bottles, baby nappies, and for sure no detergents of any kind. Blue Flag as it is supposed to be!

Yet then the kids themselves made a U-turn and asked whether we could resort to the hotel pool to spend a leisurely afternoon right there. Still quite overwhelmed by the quality of both beach and seas it did not really take that much convincing: looking forward to a lazy afternoon in good company, refreshment close by discreetly placed on a poolside table.

I was amazed again. The pool had been cleaned overnight, no trace of untoward elements at all. The level of chlorine is higher right after cleaning, hence the pool stays closed for about three hours until about 10am. Then all chemicals are no longer a threat to swimmers, while any water born bacteria have been successfully taken care of.

Ten out of ten for the beach, ten out of ten for the hotel pool! I asked both parents and their kids about what they would rather prefer. Three kids said ‘pool’ whereas one parent mum said ‘sea’ another mum was undecided. One daddy said ‘I do not like beaches that much as you constantly have to wipe off the sand’ – fair enough.

As daddy number two and as I had hinted at above normally I would have joined the ranks of pool aficionados, too, but since that weekend I am no longer certain. Beach, pool; pool, beach?

You know what I discovered that day: we are blessed to have a choice. Make sure you carefully choose which public beach you frequent. Then check out a fair number of hotel pools open to the public, too. Then relax, simple.

And according to me I no longer need to indulge in only one option. Both make perfect sense to me as long as a little bit of fact-finding. Have a lovely holiday no matter what you prefer, water wise!