Turkey

　　Yoga with a difference

　　Maria Putkisto is a new discipline combining Yoga， Pilates and the Alexander Technique. Margherita came to the Turquoise Coast to try some stretching and also to discover what else is on offer.

　　Margherita stayed at The Dionysos hotel， which is named after the Greek God of wine and fertility. Its cliff top location has rooms and apartments carved into the mountainside. It caters for under 100 guests and has a beauty spa， gym， tennis courts and a bar overlooking the infinity pool， which disappears into the horizon over Kumlubük Bay.

　　The creator of this new yoga method is Maria Putkisto， and Margherita joined her to try it out for the first time. Maria's new technique focuses on deep stretching. The method is easy； once you've mastered the stretches you can go away and practise them on your own. There is a minimum of two hours' tuition a day and this yoga is suitable for anyone， regardless of age or fitness levels.

　　Visiting Marmaris

　　If you want to relax after a yoga class there are a couple of beaches close to the resort. The hotel runs a courtesy shuttle bus down to them three times a day. The 10 to 15 minute journey to the beach gives you time to take in the surrounding views.

　　After a hard day's stretching and exploring it was time to head back to the hotel for dinner. Margherita spoke to Maria for some insider yoga tips. She explained that the principle behind the method is that it works on one muscle group at a time， and that you really spend time focusing， using your body weight and breathing， on those muscle groups. She also believes that the food they serve is also part of the yoga package， as it helps to make the muscles more elastic.

　　Margherita took a 40 minute water taxi to Marmaris， a popular Turkish resort and can get very busy during the summer months. The old town has somehow managed to escape the crowds though， and there you can find great little hidden streets， tiny buildings and a style that is much more traditional， and much more in keeping with a time long before the high-rise hotels had arrived. Much of Marmaris is jammed with tourists and the familiar pubs and bars common in the rest of the Med. But although it might be busy， it's also a good place to go shopping and to pick up a bargain.

　　One of the great things about the holiday is that， although it is billed as a yoga holiday， the classes are early in the morning and late in the afternoon， which leaves plenty of time to enjoy a day's sailing on a Turkish gulet， which leaves from the village of Turunc， just 15 minutes from the hotel.

　　Verdict： Margherita found the trip a real surprise. Although much of the coastline has been developed and commercialised， this resort has been a real retreat from the madness - it's intimate， chilled out and the food is fantastic.