An employee who swapped his UK apartment for a five-star all-inclusive hotel in Turkey for a month – because he discovered it would cost him less than living in the UK – said he “experienced a dream” and that he could happily move. there full time.
Josh Kerr, 24, spent 28 days in Port River Hotel and Spa in Antalya on a trip that cost £944, compared to the £950 a month he pays for rent and bills in his Manchester pad.
Returning home on Saturday, he said he would trade his apartment for permanent hotel living if he could work abroad full-time, despite no bacon and Irn-Bru in Turkey .
During his stay, the creative strategist worked remotely from the hotel, logging into his laptop under the “blazing sun” and spending his lunch breaks swimming in the pool, playing table tennis or playing games. stop at the beach for a little game of football.
‘The first few days it didn’t even seem real,’ he told MailOnline Travel.
Josh Kerr spent a month living and working in a five-star all-inclusive resort in Antalya, Turkey, which he said was cheaper than the rent and bills on his apartment in Manchester. Here he is pictured exploring the coastline
Josh visited the Port River Hotel and Spa, pictured, in February and stayed for 28 days.
“It’s a high-end lifestyle, for a very low cost. The fact that I didn’t have to cook anything for the last month was amazing. My apartment also doesn’t have five swimming pools that I could swim in at lunchtime. Come to think of it, I need to return to Türkiye as soon as possible.
Josh said it was “sad” preparing for his flight home on Saturday and he didn’t want to leave the 20C weather after hearing the rain forecast in Manchester.
The first thing he did when he got home was “cook a full English breakfast”, as he said “pork isn’t served in Turkey, so I definitely wanted some of bacon at the end”.
Josh worked remotely from the hotel, logging into his laptop in the ‘blazing sun’
However, he lacked everything except food at the resort where breakfast, lunch and dinner were included in his stay.
“The all-inclusive was amazing, you could get whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted,” Josh said.
“There were so many options that I was constantly changing what I should eat each day.
However, the best thing was definitely the roast chicken and sauce – felt right at home.
He also adopted a local tradition that he hopes to continue at home.
“Wherever I go, I always try to embrace the local culture, and in Turkey it is a culture to have Turkish tea after every meal,” he said.
“By the end of our trip we were drinking this stuff more than the locals, it’s also part of our routine. I have already started looking at Turkish teapots.
Josh was invited on the trip by On the beach after sharing the price of a month’s hotel stay on TikTok and pointing out that it was cheaper than her rent.
Bosses at the online travel agency got in touch and challenged Josh to do it after his clip went viral, racking up more than a million views in 24 hours.
He checked in on February 17 and spent the weekend exploring the area before continuing his usual work from the hotel during the week.
LEFT: Josh relaxes by the hotel pool shortly after arriving at the hotel in February. RIGHT: He was able to explore the water slides and swim in the pool during his lunch breaks.
Describing a typical day of life at the hotel, he said: “Every day started with breakfast, a glass of orange juice then eggs on toast, that was my usual.
“But because Turkey was three hours ahead of the UK, I had so many options for how I was going to spend my day.”
“I had to work UK hours and the flexible hours allowed me to start anytime between 7am and 9.30am, which meant we could start work no later than 12.30pm. Some days we got up early and set out to explore the local towns and some of their markets. Other days, we rushed straight to work.
“I would always log into work in the sun and stay there until my laptop died. It’s safe to say that anyone on a Teams call with me has hated me for the past month because they saw me sitting in the blazing sun.
The only downsides for Josh were paying to use the hotel’s laundry service and braving the cold water of the outdoor pool above during his winter stay.
In the evenings, Josh enjoyed exploring the nearby town of Side, relaxing with a cocktail at the hotel bar and occasionally visiting the hotel nightclub.
Its highlights were having access to “any food you want at any time” – favoring Turkish mezze, bread and dips in particular – and never having to clean your room, thanks to the service daily housekeeping at the hotel.
And he was pleasantly surprised by the cultural and historical richness of the area, with “ancient ruins over 2,000 years old just a 10-minute walk away.”
The only downsides were paying the hotel laundry service to wash your clothes and braving the cold pool water.
LEFT: Josh photographed at a Turkish soccer match while staying at the hotel. RIGHT: He adopted local customs and enjoyed a glass of Turkish tea after every meal.
“Since it’s winter, the outdoor pools were like an ice bath, so I had to channel my inner Wim Hof,” Josh said.
“But even that wasn’t a problem as they had a heated indoor pool if I wanted a quick swim. Another minor issue was that the juices weren’t freshly squeezed and were more like cordials – but as I I said, very minor.
The advantage of visiting out of season was that the hotel was “not too crowded” but “a good busyness level”.
Summing up his experience, Josh said it was “amazing” and he was already planning his next month-long hotel stay in Vegas.
Josh said it was “sad” preparing for his flight home on Saturday and he didn’t want to leave the 20C weather after hearing the rain forecast in Manchester. In the photo: the hotel lounge
Additionally, he said it was “fairly accessible to anyone with the ability to work from anywhere.”
He added: “You can put your flat or house on a rental site and, given the prices of city center flats in the UK, for a weekend stay you can use that money to pay for your trip.
“If you could keep changing countries every month, that would be amazing. Travel the countryside and discover different five-star hotels.
“There would obviously be some comforts of home that you would miss, but you would make up for that by immersing yourself in new cultures.”