BODRUM
Introduction
Bodrum is the major resort and most attractive town on Turkey's Aegean Coast. The centre has been heavily developed for European tourists since it was ‘discovered' in the 1970s, but despite this, and heavy summer crowds, it retains (at least for first-time visitors) an exotic Turkish atmosphere with plenty of visual interest and excitement. The splendid Crusader Castle of St Peter is the dominant landmark in this low-rise whitewashed Mediterranean scene while traditional wooden Turkish sailing boats (gulets) grace the busy harbour.
Who goes there?
Bodrum is particularly popular with the British market, though an assortment of other western European nationalities, the occasional independent traveller moving through Turkey, young international revellers and Turks themselves on holiday, make for an interesting mix.
Where in the world?
Bodrum is on the southern end of Turkey's west (Aegean) coast. It lies 50km (30 miles) south west of Bodrum International Airport.
Beach
Despite its seaside position, Bodrum is not a beach resort. A dolmuş (minibus) service goes to the nearby sand-and-shingle beaches at Gumbet, 3km (2 miles), and Bitez, 7km (4.5 miles) away, which are renowned for their windsurfing conditions.
Beyond the beach
Bodrum is the site of the Mausoleum (Turgutreis Caddesi), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only a few fragments now remain but curiosity alone leads many people here. More worthwhile is the Castle of St Peter (start of Dr Alim Bey Caddesi) with great sea views, an interesting Byzantine shipwreck hall and spooky dungeons. Bodrum Amphitheatre (Kibris Sehitler Caddesi/Ring Road), which once held up to 13,000, is another structure accredited to the reign of King Mausolus. Situated on the hillside overlooking the resort, it offers the classic picture postcard views over the castle and harbour.A ‘Blue Cruise' - sailing along the Turkish coastline on a beautifully crafted Turkish gulet, is an essential part of a Turkish holiday, even if it is only for a few hours. If you have a few days to spare, sign on for an extended voyage - perhaps calling at a Greek island or two en route.
Family fun
If you have young children in tow you'll probably be better off based at the beach resort of Gumbet, though this lacks the atmosphere and bustle of Bodrum.Exploring the Castle of St Peter (see above) is a must but beware that the horror exhibition in the dungeons is unsuitable for small children.
Retail therapy
Bodrum's main thoroughfare, the pedestrianised Dr Alim Bey Caddesi/Cumhuriyet Caddesi, is chock-a-block with tradesmen selling everything from beautiful Turkish carpets and local handmade crafts to ‘genuine fake' cheap Rolexes and pirated designer clothing. Between the two extremes are many small stylish cosmopolitan boutiques mixing local designs and fabrics to Western tastes.On Tuesday there is a clothes market and on Friday there is a colourful fruit and vegetables market (both at Mumtaz Gorgun Caddesi, behind the bus station).
A night on the town
Bodrum by night is Turkey's busiest town outside Istanbul; in high season the narrow streets are jam-packed with older people and locals simply strolling between cafes and shops, and young revellers of all nationalities bar hopping. ‘Bar Street' (Dr Alim Bey Caddesi/Cumhuriyet Caddesi), which runs along the seafront from the castle, is the place to come whatever your favoured style of music or type of entertainment. Fittingly the street ends at the long-established Halikarnass Disco (Cumhuriyet Caddesi), claimed to be the biggest open air night club in Europe, packing in 5,000 people a night during the season. It is famous for its laser shows and cabaret artists. At the other end of the spectrum many locals and older Turkish holidaymakers indulge themselves in meyhanes, local restaurants and bars with traditional music and dancing.
Eating out
Although all kinds of international food can be found here, including the usual standbys of Chinese, Indian and McDonalds restaurants, Turkish food is very popular. Turks and northern European visitors alike enjoy pide (Turkish pizzas) and dine in lokantas, basic restaurants serving excellent cheap local food. For a little more romance, ‘Restaurant Alley' is a particularly charming street, festooned with vines and lanterns, and featuring half a dozen traditional Turkish restaurants. Turkish musicians frequently play here.
Getting around
The centre of Bodrum is compact and can easily be covered on foot. Driving and parking in the town is very difficult. Minibuses run to the nearest beaches and neighbouring villages.
Exploring further afield
Tucked away in the bays of the Bodrum peninsula are a number of attractive villages a few minutes away by dolmuş. A favourite is sleepy Gümüşlük, which partly occupies the site of the ancient harbour city of Myndos. It has a very picturesque row of waterside restaurants which are reputed to serve the best fish in the region.The 2,000-year old picture-postcard ruins of Ephesus, the Roman capital of Asia, make up one of the world's best preserved cities from antiquity. The adjacent Selçuk Archaeological Museum is an excellent complement to the site. Ephesus is around two and a half hours driving time from Bodrum.The fairy-tale dazzling white petrified (calcified) waterfalls of Pamukkale is one of Turkey's most beautiful and spectacular natural sites. It's a three-hour drive from Bodrum. Make sure your excursion includes a swim in Cleopatra's Pool (35°C/95°F) among tumbled Classical columns and other monumental debris. Immediately adjacent to Pamukkale is the ruined city of Hierapolis, famous for its necropolis. This is one of the best preserved ancient cemeteries in the country.You can leave Turkey altogether by taking a ferry (50 minutes) for the day trip to Kos, or hydrofoil (2 hours) to Rhodes.
Splashing out
For excellent Turkish dining with a great view over the marina try the Roof Marine restaurant at the Marina Yacht Club. (Neyzen Tevfik Caddesi, Bodrum Marina).
Flying in
Bodrum International Airport (BXN)
Etiketler: air, airport, beach, Bodrum, sea, Turkey
BELEK
IntroductionAlthough it stands almost on the doorstep of ancient Perge and Aspendos, Belek is actually a pristine purpose-built resort, founded in the 1980s specifically to feed the golf and luxury market. There are some cheaper apartments and smaller hotels inland and in the nearby village of Kadriye, but the bulk of the resort is made up of a string of extremely classy four- and five-star de luxe hotels, many of which are all-inclusive and leave no room for the development of any local infrastructure. People come here to chill and play in luxury; experiencing the local culture is low down the list of priorities.
Who goes there?Belek tends to attract a rather strangely mixed and very moneyed crowd - golf fanatics, wealthy families, footballers and their hangers-on, birders and botanists...
Where in the world?
Belek is 35km (22 miles) east of Antalya, on the south coast of Turkey. The resort stretches along a flat coastal plain, with the backdrop of the Taurus Mountains a few kilometres inland.
BeachBelek has one of the finest beaches on the Turkish coast, 16kms (10 miles) of pristine, fine white sand fringed by shady pines and gently sloping down to limpid turquoise waters. A perfect playground for children, it is also a popular nesting place for loggerhead and green turtles, so the area is carefully policed to ensure that the nesting sites are not damaged. The beach is public but is treated as private by the resorts that line up behind the dunes. Most of them offer a range of watersports from pedalos to dinghy sailing and parasailing for their guests.
Beyond the beachBelek was built on golf. So far it has 10 championship level golf courses with another 10 due for construction in the next few years. This brings in golf fanatics from across the world. The resort also has world-class football facilities that attract A-list European teams for training camps and a fine tennis school. Somewhat bizarrely, all this greenery has also made it a fabulous birding and wild flower centre. Most of the resorts offer a wide range of sports and spa facilities. There is virtually nothing on offer outside the hotels.
Family funThe sandy beach is ideal for children and there are gentle watersports on offer along with land-based activities such as riding, cycling and tennis. Most of the larger resorts offer excellent family facilities and kids' clubs. The Troy Aquapark & Dolphinarium provides the usual range of rides and slides and offers the opportunity to swim with its resident dolphins.
Retail therapyShopping in Belek is expensive and high end. There are some shops and malls in the town, and most of the large hotels have their own shopping arcades. There are bazaars in the twin village of Kadriye. Nearby, at Perge and Aspendos, are rows of huge jewellery and carpet warehouses waiting to catch the coach parties. For proper shopping, however, head into Kaleici, the old town of Antalya.
A night on the townMost of the hotels lay out some form of entertainment for their guests from lounge pianists to nightclubs, cabarets and discos. Relatively few people leave the confines of their hotel and there is very little on offer elsewhere.
Eating outThe choice of restaurants outside the hotels is extremely poor as all the hotels are so well-stocked. Most of them have at least four different restaurants and cafés to choose from and many are all-inclusive. There are some cheaper bars and cafés in Kadriye but few people eat out.
Getting aroundMost upmarket resorts here will run shuttles to the beach, golf courses, the airport and into Antalya. Otherwise, there are plenty of dolmus (shared taxis) and taxis and you can hire bicycles for getting around Belek.
Exploring further afieldSpend a day in Antalya exploring the beautiful old city, with its designer shops and mouthwatering restaurants, but be sure to include a visit to the world-class Antalya Museum where you will find many of the more precious relics from the magnificent Greco-Roman city of Perge and Aspendos, with its fabulously well-preserved Roman theatre, both of which are very close to Belek. Heading east along the coast, Side is a magical place with the modern resort curling itself through the ancient ruins and the temple of Apollo perfectly framing the sunset over a golden beach. Further along still is Alanya with its vast Ottoman castle and the damply health-giving Damlatas Caves. Inland, Koprulu Canyon National Park is an area of wild natural beauty where it is possible to go white-water rafting and you can hike along sections of the 500km (310 mile) route, from Perge, near Antalya, up to Yalvac on the Anatolian plateau, which partly follows the footsteps of St Paul's first missionary journey in Asia Minor.
Splashing out
In a resort that boasts over 30 four- and five-star hotels and prides itself on being a luxury destination, splashing out simply becomes a matter of moving across to the neighbouring resort for the evening. Many of them have a range of restaurants offering world-class cuisine. But perhaps top of the tree is the sleekly designed new Adam & Eve Hotel (on the seafront, 1km/0.6 miles east of the centre) (website:
http://www.adamevehotels.com/), which bills itself as the world's sexiest hotel (mirrors everywhere) and also has a state of the art thalassotherapy spa.
Flying inAntalya Airport (AYT)
Etiketler: Antayla, Belek, Turkey
ANTALYA
IntroductionFounded as a port by King Attalus of Pergamon in 158 BC, Antalya has been owned by the Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Selçuk Turks, Ottomans and even briefly by the Italians. The fourth largest city in Turkey, much of it is a typical urban sprawl, but the old centre, Kaleiçi, is an utterly delightful maze of steep narrow streets lined with carpet shops and boutique hotels in restored Ottoman houses, curving down to the ancient harbour, while the Konyaalti seafront is a wonderful place to take the evening air.
Who goes there?Antalya, with its mix of historic sights, fine restaurants and designer shops, is for the more sophisticated traveller. Although everyone will enjoy a day here, families with smaller children would probably do better to stay in a resort with a beach.
Where in the world?Antalya lies about a third of the way along Turkey's south (Mediterranean) coast. Antalya itself is the fourth largest city in Turkey and has its own international airport, about 20km (12 miles) east of the city centre.The city is in a stunning setting, tucked into a crescent-shaped bay surrounded by the rugged Taurus Mountains.
BeachKonyaalti Beach, to the west of the old city, is a sweeping shingle beach, more a seafront playground than a bathing beach, with plenty of restaurants and cafés, shops and snack bars - as well as several very glamorous hotels. This is where locals come for their evening stroll, Lara, the main tourist hotel strip on the far side of the town, is actually on the cliff top with artificial bathing platforms built onto the rocks below. To get real sandy beach, you need to head out of town about 11km (7 miles) west to Büyük Calticak and Kuçuk Calticak, while places such as Phaselis, with its magical mix of pine forests, ancient city and golden sand, or Belek's white sand beaches are within easy daytrip distance.
Beyond the beach
Antalya Museum on Konyaalti is a world-class archaeological collection housing the finest exhibits from classical sites right along the Mediterranean coast, including the ancient city of Perge and Aspendos, with its superb Roman theatre, both easily reached near Antalya airport. In town, most of the other sights are within the old city, Kaleiçi, described by a 17th century traveller, Evliya Çelebi as being surrounded by a 4.5km (3 mile) wall with 80 towers and 4 gates. Start at the top near the 13th century clock tower and statue of Ataturk and work your way down the hill past the Fluted Minaret and Karatay Medrese to the old harbour, now a ritzy marina with its quay lined by restaurants and cafés. On the cliff at the far side of the harbour, an ancient lighthouse, the Hidirlik Kulesi marks the edge of another historic district with a web of tiny alleys of old wood-framed Ottoman houses, around the triumphant Roman Hadrian's Gate, and the ruined Kesik Minare Camii, a 5th century Byzantine church later converted to a mosque. The privately-owned Suna-Inan Kiraç Institute is an excellent museum of Mediterranean civilisations in a former Greek Orthodox church.
Family funThere may not be sandy beaches in town, but there are two great water parks with spectacular slides - Aqualand (near Konyaalti) and Aquapark (Lara), which also has dolphin shows, while the museum has a brilliant children's section if you want to try and cram a little culture into them in passing. There are plenty of boat trips from the harbour.
Retail therapy
This is a fabulous place to shop, with everything from designer leather to antique carpets, spices and Turkish delight to fake Rolex and jazzy glass lanterns to tempt the pocket. The whole of the old city is one huge shopping mall, so eager to sell that doe-eyed boys are hired for the season to entice the grannies into the carpet stores! Away from Kaleiçi, are the huge modern Migros Shopping Mall and the Deepo Outlet Center, while out near the airport are several huge jewellery and carpet emporia. Look for a tax-free sticker if you want to buy duty-free and remember that you need a ministry certificate to export antiques.
A night on the townStart the evening along the Konyaalti waterfront, where all the Turks turn out to enjoy the sunset. If you want to indulge in a cocktail or two, try the terrace bars in one of the five-star hotels along the waterfront. For a beer, head down to the smaller bars down around the harbour front in Kaleici. You will be in the right area for the clubs which start late, serving food until about midnight before blasting the night away until dawn. Best options include Ally's (40-46 Selçuk Mah) and Club Arma (Kaleiçi Yacht Marina).
Eating outAlmost every sort of food you want on is on offer in this very sophisticated city, from a backstreet doner kebab for a few pence to a gourmet meal created by a world-class chef - with a choice of cuisines from Italian to Japanese. Although it is lovely to sit on the waterfront, for quality food, the best places are probably a bit further up the hill in Kaleici in some of the many restored Ottoman mansions, most of which also have terraces and fine views. The seafood is excellent but twice the price of meat.
Getting around
Most people spend most of their time in Antalya in Kaleici, where everything is within walking distance, but steep. Start at the top, walk down and indulge in a taxi back up if tired. Elsewhere, there are dolmus (shared taxis/buses) and a local train service which runs along Konyaalti to the Antalya Museum.
Exploring further afieldPerge and Aspendos are must-see bits of the ancient world, while Side, just beyond, is an attractive resort that combines ancient and modern and a great beach. To the west of the city are the ancient cities of Phaselis, which also has lovely sandy beaches and shady pine forest and makes a wonderful place for a picnic and Olympos, with a shingle beach but also the extraordinary Chimaera, a natural phenomenon that belches living flame from the rock. Both are probably easiest to get to by boat, on one of the many trips on offer from the old harbour. Inland the Taurus Mountains offer excellent hiking and the dramatic setting of the ancient city Termessos.
Splashing out
Book yourself into the Sheraton Voyager or the Hillside Su (website:
www.hillside.com.tr/HillsideSuHotel) on Konyaalti with their wall-to-wall luxuries, sea views, and balconies or choose a lovingly restored Ottoman mansion tucked into the ancient ramparts such as the tiny Minyon Boutique Hotel. Dine by candlelight in a secret garden at the Gizli Bahçe (Selçuk Mahallesi, Kaleiçi) or have a meal fit for a king at the Kral Sofrasi (Old Harbour, Kaleiçi). Plan your trip for June so you can take in an opera or ballet performance in the Aspendos Roman theatre during the festival in June-July.
Flying inAntalya International Airport (AYT)
