Turquoise Coast a.k.a Turkish Riviera

By far the best holiday destination in Turkey is it's a thousand kilometers of shoreline along the Aegean and Mediterranean seas known as Turquoise Coast or Turkish Riviera. Dotted with some of the best beach resorts in the world and well preserved archaeological points, Turquoise Coast offers many attractions for tourists such as infamous Blue Voyage (Blue Cruise),  mostly served by all wooden handcrafted motor sailing yachts called Gulet.

Turquoise Coast lies between Cesme and Alanya and many important and internationally known holiday destinations of Turkey lies on Turquoise Coast such as Alanya, Antalya, Bodrum, Çeşme, Fethiye, Kalkan, Kaş, Kemer, Kuşadası, Marmaris and Side.

Many locals prefer these locations as holiday destination in Turkey and in the summer, the region is filled with European and Russian tourists. Tourists from different countries prefer different locations. Kusadasi and Marmaris are popular holiday destinations for British tourists while Alanya and Antalya are very popular among Russians. Locals usually prefer Bodrum, Marmaris and Cesme. Although you can simply stay in a hotel in any of these cities and their beach resort towns, a popular way to holiday in these locations, is to charter a yacht as a group and cruise the coastline cove by cove. Although it may look an expensive activity, since you would not need to pay for hotel (4-5 couples can easily rent a yacht), it is not that expensive.

Blue Voyage with a Turkish Gulet is one of the best attractions
a holiday in Turkey's Turquoise Coast offers.

Çeşme
Cesme, a holiday resort in the Turkey's western-most end, is also Turkey's most prominent centers of international tourism with many hotels, marinas, clubs, restaurants, boutique hotels, family accommodation possibilities (pansiyon) and other facilities. Can be accessed through Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport.

Kuşadası
Kusadasi, a resort town just 95 km away from large metropol Izmir, caters to tourists, arriving by land, and as the port for cruise ship passengers heading to Ephesus.

Bodrum
Bodrum was once called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times. The Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, were here. The city and surrounding area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey.

Marmaris
Beautiful coastline, friendly people, good fresh foods and delicious local wines, that could easily compete against many European vineyards. The summer is long and good weather is virtually guaranteed between May and as late as end October.[1]

Marmaris Marina

[1] - http://www.marmaris.org/

Marmaris Night Life

Marmaris on the Turqoise Coast is one of the most popular resort towns in Turkey. This small town of 28,000 sees tens of thousands of tourists flowing in from around the world but especially from Europe. The most popular daytime activity in Marmaris is blue voyage, taking a small daily cruise which will take you around the turquoise coves, mountainous shoreline, ruins of ancient cities and Paradise Island.

Marmaris is also famous for its colorful and lively nightlife. There are many cafes and bars in Marmaris and especially the bambu bars on the way to Marmaris Marina are great places to have a calm but entertaining night. Beachfront also offers plenty of drinking options for party animals to watch the sunset before heading to the real party. Turtle Bar here is one of the best in Marmaris.

Party goers will probably head to Marmaris Bars Street in the night. But before heading to there, have some pre-party drink in the above places where prices are much cheaper.

Marmaris Bar Street (Marmaris Barlar Sokağı) is the heart of Marmaris Night Life. This street is located in Marmaris old town and houses 100 plus bars and clubs catering to almost all tastes: rock bars to electronic music clubs. Marmaris Bar Street is probably the best entertainment street in Turkey after Istanbul’s İstiklal Street.

Club Arenaa Marmaris on Bar Street is the largest outdoor nightclub in Turkey. It offers much fun for party animals with foam parties. Until recently Bodrum Halikarnas Bar was the most famous night club in Turkeyis Turquoise Coast but Marmaris Arenaa is now the trendiest and most popular.

Backstreet, Greenhouse, Beach club, Daisy, Highend and Cheers are some other night life avenues in Marmaris.

Compared to Turkish dominated Bodrum Night Life, Marmaris has more foreigners and the nights are more crazy. Marmaris Bar Street is also exclusively full of bars whereas Bodrum Bar Street offers small restaurants and shops in between bars. If you need a crazy entertaining night than Marmaris is a good choice.

Marmaris Bar Street is lively until 4 AM. As we have said, it is quite expensive to drink here but most clubs offer free entrance.

Marmaris Marina in the night

Famous DJs usually come to Marmaris for shows. The night life offers almost all kinds of music catering to everyone.

Another center of Marmaris night life is Uzunyali Beach where there are many pubs, clubs, cafes as well as restaurants. This area is usually full of tourists staying in Marmaris hotels. Although a little expensive, Uzunyali offers a nice night.

Where to stay in Marmaris?

If you are in Marmaris for its nightlife or at least you want to enjoy it more than other activities, then staying in Marmaris hotels in the town center instead of the surrounding towns and beaches will be a good idea.

Butterfly Valley: One of the best places to have holiday in Turkey

Butterfly Valley Turkey (Kelebekler Vadisi), a large canyon which can be reached by a taxi boat from Fethiye Oludeniz, is one of the best places to have a holiday in Turkey. The canyon, around 250 meters wide and 1 km deep and (practically) can only be accessed from sea by boat, was once called Gudurumsu, but then renamed as Butterfly Valley thanks to large swarm of endemic butterflies living around the waterfalls on the canyon wall furthest from the sea. Unfortunately it has become very popular recently and is far from its peaceful atmosphere in the late 90s and early 2000s but still it is a great place to have a summer holiday.

Accommodation is basic in Butterfly Valley. The most luxurious option you will have is a wooden hut without electricity and shower (showers are shared). You can also rent a tent for the night or you can sleep outside on the beach! Last time I have been there, I have just rented a space to put my sleeping mat outside and then slept 3 nights there just next to the beach. And actually I have simply slept on the beach at one of the nights. Here you will stay in bungalows without electricity. This basic but unparalleled holiday experience draws many international tourists here from as far as Singapore, Australia and USA.

If you do not want to stay there, you can stay in Oludeniz and visit Butterfly Valley for a day or two.  But one of the best things to do in Butterfly Valley is to enjoy its otherworthly night.

The best way to get to Butterfly Valley is to use the official Butterfly Valley boat taxi which leaves Olu Deniz beach at 11:00 AM and 02:00 PM and valley at 01:00 PM and 05:00 PM. The other boats will try to sell you their boat trips and will be very annoying. Do not believe in what they say (they may even say there is no more taxi boat to Butterfly Valley) and wait for the official boat. It will approximately take 45 minutes boat ride from Olu Deniz to the valley and a round trip should cost 15 Turkish Liras.

Butterfly Valley Turkey – Source : Turkish Travel Blog

The management who is running the butterfly valley has the monopoly in this small place and this will translate into expensive meals. For example a beer will cost you around 7 Liras while a fish-bread will be also around that price. If you are really on budget buy some canned food and snacks from a market in Olu Deniz so you can have some cheap.

There are not many things to do here except resting quite well. The valley has a decent beach and the sea is quite OK. You can hang out in the restaurant all day and make new friends from around the world. Nights may be passed by singing in front of the beach fire or in the bar and you should at least once track the canyon to the waterfall to see the butterflies of the valley. People usually go to Butterfly Valley to do absolutely nothing which is actually quite good way to charge your batteries before going back to work.

And the valley has its own legend: Once upon a time, there was a small village at the mouth of a large canyon opening to the sea. One day, a ship comes to the shores of the valley  and a girl from the village falls in love with a sailor. But when time comes for the sailor to leave, he promises the girl that he will one day come back. He sails away and never comes back. But the girl waits with faith. Soon she has a baby from the sailor. Villagers abandon her and she shelters in the church of the village.

One day, a big storm blankets the valley. The villagers escape to the high grounds but the poor woman does not leave the church because she thinks if the sailor comes, he may not be able to find her there and may go back. Storm turns out to be a big one and the waves sweeps away the village and everything in the village. Today, there is only one stone structure in the valley and it is believed to be the church of the village where the woman died with her baby.

What is Blue Cruise (Blue Voyage)?

Blue cruise is one of the most famous and unique attraction of a holiday in Turkey. It is also the least understood until you experience it. If you google “blue cruise” or “what is blue cruise?” the standard idea is renting a private yacht with captain and crew then cruising along the soutwestern coast of Turkey known as Turqoise Coast or Turkish Riviera. But this simple blue cruise advertisement type of definition miss the real meaning of the blue cruise.

What is blue cruise then? Blue cruise is simply a meditation. You basically cut your physical as well as the mental ties with the land. As your yacht sails away from the marina, your daily routine ceases to exist and a new, almost spiritual daily routine consumes you. This new parallel reality is a spiritual one: you are now in different existance and nothing outside this small boat matters or exists for you. This is an experience you cannot get from your ordinary cruise holiday on a large cruise ship.

In this sense, blue voyage, other translation of Turkish “mavi yolculuk”, is a better term than blue cruise to describe the experience.

The complete disconnection from your requirements and responsibilities and the freedom of absolutely doing nothing combines with beautiful and unhabited coves and clear blue waters as well as the mystical nights in the middle of the sea will bring you the most relaxing and refreshing holiday of your entire life.

This does not mean “action seekers” will be bored on a blue cruise. A typical blue cruise boat offers many activities today: from classical kayak tour, swimming and snorkeling to speed boats, jetskis and even bananas! You may also have an opportunity to hike on the land among ancient ruins littering the southwest coast of Turkey.

But the most mystical part of the blue cruise is the night. If you have not experienced it before, nights in the middle of the sea on a small yacht is a very unique experience.

So, as you may have understand from the above definition, blue cruise is probably the best that Turkey has to offer as a holiday destination. It is highly recommended if you are seeking a holiday experience where you can truely get lost.

Gulet

Gulet is “The Zen Temple” of the meditation called Blue Cruise. You can have a blue cruise experience on any type of private yacht but gulet, “The” sailing boat of blue cruise, is the type of boat which will truely give you blue cruise experience. This is the “boat” where all blue cruise experience has started.

Here we should also stop a little and give some background about the history of blue cruise: Yes, how did all this blue cruise experience has started?

A gulet on blue cruise along Southwestern coast of Turkey

The infamous beach resorts of Turkey were once far far away villages and sleepy fishing towns where nobody went. And then a court in Istanbul has  sentenced a writer named Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı to three-years’ exile in Bodrum. He loved the place so much so that  after serving the last part of his sentence in Istanbul, he returned and settled down in Bodrum where he lived for 25 years. He took the pen name of Halikarnas Balıkçısı (The Fisherman of Halicarnassus), name of the city in antiquity.

The Fisherman of Halicarnassus is the person who has brought the formerly sleepy fishing and sponge-diving town of Bodrum to the attention of the Turkish intelligentsia and their readers. This has led the formation of international tourist attraction the Turqoise Coast became today.

One of the activities Cevat Şakir enjoyed was taking his visiting friends to  tripon the sponge divers’ sailing boats, called gulets. These excursions became known as Blue Cruise (Mavi Yolculuk). He and his friends writers Azra Erhat ve Sabahattin Eyüboğlu has created the term. The first time blue cruise entered the Turkish literature was in 1957 with Azra Erat’s book with the same name.

Mavi Yolculuk by Azra Erhat

The original blue cruises were and many modern blue cruises are performed using gulets (Turkish word gulet comes from Italian word guletta which comes from French gouëlette or goélette meaning schooner).  If you will do one, try to have it on a gulet.

Modern gulets are of course not fishing boats. They are equipped with all the amenities a modern yacht can offer. Most gulets can carry eight to twelve passangers which makes a gulet cruise a very private experience. You can join tours with strangers or like many Turks do, you can rent an entire gulet with captain and crew for your group.

In practice, gulet is a full-service all inclusive hotel or a miniature cruise ship where every room offers fantastic sea view. This “hotel” moves from coves to coves, small harbours to small harbours and provides an intimate view of Turkey’s coast line which cannot be experienced with a cruise ship.

Blue Cruise Route in Turkey

Blue Voyage is offered along the Aegean and Mediterranean coastline. There are different routes including Bodrum, Gocek, Gokova, Knidos and Marmaris ports. A full Blue Cruise generally starts in Didim or Kuşadası, although tours may also depart from Bodrum or Marmaris. They usually terminate at the port of Antalya.

Blue Cruise Map – Source : www.chevvytours.com