LAVANTA KÖYÜ : YOUR ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE TO TURKEY'S BEST KEPT SECRET

HISTORY OF TURKEY'S  LAVENDER FIELDS
The lavender fields in Kuyucak actually began by accident. The story goes that a local rose farmer from Isparta travelled to Provence, France, and brought back a few dozen lavender seeds to give to his friends. Over time, the lavender fields grew bigger and bigger, and now this tiny village produces more than 90% of all lavender in Turkey!

WHEN SHOULD YOU VISIT LAVENDER FIELDS?
The best time to visit lavender fields in Turkey is between June and August when the flowers are in full bloom. During this time, the fields are a sea of purple, and the fragrance of lavender fills the air. If you want to experience the full beauty and aroma of the lavender fields, plan your visit during this time.

A trip to the Kuyucak lavender village is a great way to support local business. Since all of the fields are family-owned and still in the beginning stages of tourism, all of the money that you spend here will go directly back into the land. Even the grandma that I bought the lavender wreath from mimicked this as she took my 20 TLR bill, dropped it to the ground, and motioned with her hands to the other fields. 
You can also buy some other souvenirs etc.

Although the first field was fairly small, there was a lot of love and attention to detail. There were a handful of photo props, like the cute purple bike and photo frames, purple tractor etc. While we were out in the field, one of the grandmas dragged over a chair and table, told my friends to sit down, and motioned for me to take their photo. What a cheeky cute grandma! 

After our little photo session, we thanked the grandmas, took some photos together, and it was time to go. Since I still believed that that field was literally the only field, I thought to myself, hey, what if we drive a bit further? What’s over there? And you know what? There were a ton of other fields up ahead!
We drove a few more minutes and stopped at a huge field that had other parked cars. This family even had their own little cafe that sold lavender-flavored goodies like lavender tea, lavender ice cream, and more. 
Likewise, the prices were really reasonable: the lavender ice cream was only 5 TLR ($1 USD), tea was 2 TLR (less than 50 cents)

After taking a small break and trying some of the local ice cream, it was time to explore. Since this field was bigger than the first, there was plenty of space for everyone to take photos without photobombing each other. There were a lot more photo props, including heart-shaped swings, romantic wooden doors, stand-alone windows with fluttering curtains, metal photo frames, and more. If you’re visiting the lavender fields in Turkey, don’t forget to take a moment to just walk around, enjoy nature, and breathe in the relaxing smell of lavender while muttering Çok Güzel under your breath.  The lavender fields make a perfect day trip from Isparta, or even Antalya if you don’t mind a longer drive. While we were walking around, there were a lot of couples (great idea for a surprise date, btw!) and families (even with small kids).  Overall, the lavender fields in Turkey are definitely a must-see if you’re there in the summer months! 

WHERE TO STAY NEAR TURKEY'S LAVENDER FIELDS?
Since the Kuyucak lavender fields are more of a day trip, there are limited options in terms of accommodations in the village. However, there are two great accommodations near the entrance and right in the village: 

●LAVANTA VILLA
The Lavanta Villa is a family-owned hotel by a friendly man called Ismail and his wife. It’s located at the entrance of the village and is a quick 5-minute drive to the lavender fields. 

Some other great features:
💜 Free bike rentals available on-site
💜 Homemade breakfast using local ingredients
💜 Recently built with modern rooms and balconies

●THE ALIYA GARDEN
The Aliya Garden hotel is another great option. It’s located in the heart of the lavender fields and features rooms decorated in a rustic Turkish village style, a delicious local breakfast, and owners who go out of their way to help their guests. 

TRAVEL TIPS
If you’re packing your straw hat and looking up tickets to Turkey already, here are a few final tips that I want you to know before your trip to the lavender fields: 
●The best times to visit the lavender fields are either during sunrise or sunset. If you go first thing in the morning you’ll beat the crowds, and if you go in the afternoon, you’ll get amazing photos during golden hour.  
●If you really want to stand out in your photos, I recommend  wearing something either White or Yellow. Yellow because it’s directly the opposite purple on the color wheel, and white because it’s bright and pops against the darker-colored lavender fields. 
●Don’t forget to buy souvenirs! Not only will you be supporting local businesses, you’ll also have a cute memory back home. Some of my favorite souvenirs are lavender wreaths, lavender soap ( I have already added pictures above) Also, don’t forget to try the lavender soda and lavender ice cream. 😋 
●Watch out for bees! I feel like none of the influencers who have photos of themselves frolicking in a lavender field talk about this, but bees are a serious thing to look out for when you visit a lavender field. They’re flying all over the place doing their jobs and are very territorial, so be careful and don’t disturb them — otherwise you’ll have a few (free, red, and painful) souvenirs. 😅

LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS IF IT WAS USEFUL. ENJOY:)