Voyeur Turkey

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

Engin KAYAN tarafından gönderildi @ 05:01 1 Yorum

BELEK

Introduction

Although 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.

Beach

Belek 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 beach

Belek 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 fun

The 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 therapy

Shopping 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 town

Most 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 out

The 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 around

Most 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 afield

Spend 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 in

Antalya Airport (AYT)

Etiketler: Antayla, Belek, Turkey

Engin KAYAN tarafından gönderildi @ 04:56 0 Yorum