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

Where to stay in Alanya?

Alanya is one of the most beautiful and popular tourist destination in Turkey. Located at the end of Pamphylia, Alanya is famous with its white sandy beaches, clear waters, ancient Roman ruins, watersports and giant luxury, all-inclusive resorts dotting the long coastline.

Alanya is a favorite vacation destination for many Turks as well as Europeans and Russians. The city and nearby coastline is filled with German, Scandinavian and Russian tourist during high seasion of June - August months. The large resorts with almost everything are marketed in cheap, all-inclusive holiday packages where a resort stay plus flight tickets from Europe can cost as low as 400 Euros.

We will answer the question of the title (where to stay in Alanya?) by providing information about the neighbourhoods. You can have two major types of hotels in Alanya to choose from : large hotels and resorts outside Alanya and concentrated around nearby towns like Konakli, Avsallar and Okurcalar or hotels in Alanya city. Alanya has a fantastic beach to the west of the historical peninsular (housing Alanya Citadel) named Cleopatra Beach (Kleopatra Plaji) and recently, boutique hotels converted from town-houses are also increasingly becoming popular alternatives to big resorts.

Alanya City Center- Cleopatra Beach, Saray District and Alanya Old Town (Historic Peninsular)

Lying from the Alanya Castle to the west on the waterfront of Alanya city center, Cleopatra Beach is one of the most beautiful and popular beach in Alanya. With its white sandy beaches and clear waters, Cleaopatra Beach carries Blue Flag. The beach is named after the infamous Egyptian Queen because it is believed that she was once using it as a place to swim when Alanya was given as a gift to her.

The hotels near the beach, especially in the Saray District behind it offers an excellent location from where you can both access a fantastic Mediterranean Beach as well as the colorful center of Alanya. This location is for those who want to be away from noisy, large resorts (couples indeed) and near Alanya shopping centers and Alanya night life.

For hotels near Cleopatra Beach, hotel prices and details like customer reviews, you can check Alanya Cleaopatra Beach hotels or Alanya Saray hotels pages.

Another popular location in Alanya is the historical peninsular which also houses the Alanya Citadel. Although this place is a little of the Alanya center, it is still near the center and offers fantastic views of Mediterranean Sea. In the past few years, this location is getting popular among couples as a romantic holiday destination in Alanya, similar to Antalya's Old Town (Antalya Kaleici). The demand is met by a supply of boutique hotels converted from historic town houses.

For hotels in Alanya old town, you can check Alanya Tophane hotels page.

Map of Alanya. The best places to stay in central Alanya are near Cleopatra Beach (to the west of
peninsular here) or Alanya old town (on the historic peninsular).

Konaklı, Avsallar and Okurcalar
The coastline of Alanya to the direction of Side and Antalya houses many seaside hotels and resorts. Some of these resorts are quite big with large and luxurious facilities. There are three towns in the region around which the hotels are clustered : Konakli, Avsallar and Okurcalar (in the order of their distance from Alanya). Families will love the resorts here with facilities and activities catering to both adults and children. From these towns, Alanya is still quite near.

Konakli is probably the most popular town near Alanya. Just 12 kilometers to the west of Alanya center, Konakli is a cluster of 4 and 5-star hotels and the area is almost entirely invaded by Russian tourists during summers. There is also a significant European expat community here, permanently staying or using the place as a summer house location.

22 kilometers to the west of Alanya Center is Avsallar, another popular tourism village in Alanya. Huge Alanya resorts are clustered here and usually used by Germana and Russian tourists as a holiday destination. The small town here has a quite long history. Avsallar probably takes it name from a Turkic clan who came and built the village here. Originaly the town was to the north of the current location but that town was destroyed by a far in 19th century.

The coastline to the west of Alanya is dotted by luxury, all inclusive resorts.
(Photo : Granada Luxury Resort in Okurcalar)

Okurcalar is a little far away from Alanya (30 kilometers or 30 minutes by bus) but is still quite popular. Although there are many resorts on the coastline now, the sea is still beautiful and there is still a green pine tree forest behind the shoreline. Other than a small town center and beautiful hotels, the place also has a large aquapark.

For resorts and hotels in Alanya's Konakli, Avsallar and Okurcalar villages, you can check Alanya Konakli hotels, Avsallar hotels and Okurcalar hotels pages. 

Where to stay in Bodrum?

Bodrum, one of the most popular holiday resort in Turkish Riviera, offers fantastic beaches, unique yatching and cruising experience (see blue voyage a.k.a blue cruise), plenty of ancient ruins to discover, beautiful bays and coves, very colorful night life with bars, restaurants and night clubs and if you are sailing a very nice Marina. The promonade and the man-made but beautiful beach is quite a nice place for evening walks and the city indeed offers two different parts: an eastern half which is a typical mediterrenian resort and the western half mainly catering to marina.

Although you can swim and sunbath in the beach in Bodrum center (this is a man-made beach but quite nice), the nicest beaches of Bodrum are outside and a little far from Bodrum. So when people talk about Bodrum, they also talk about these nearby seaside towns and beaches but these are not districts in Bodrum but rather separate towns. Ortakent (20 minutes drive or bus trip to Bodrum), Yalıkavak (35 minutes), Gümüşlük (35 minutes) and Bağla (25 minutes) are some of the most known beaches. Most people staying in Bodrum prefer nearby beaches of Gümbet and Bardakçı.

Bodrum night life is the second most colorful in Turkey after Istanbul. Bodrum Bar strip (Bodrum Barlar Sokagi) runs parallel to the sea and offers many bars, night clubs, restaurants and cafes. For many Turks as well as foreigners, Bodrum holiday is something similar to an Ibiza holiday: sleep, sunbath and swim lazily all the day in a nearby beach and store energy for the night. Dine and start drinking in the evening. Then starting from 10:00 PM bar hop, dance and party until the next morning.

If you are in Bodrum for the night life, it is better you stay in Bodrum’s pretty city center. You can find all types of accomodation in and around Bodrum catering to all tastes and budgets. But usually Bodrum center and surrounding districts offer small hotels, motels and hostels. If you are looking for a typical luxurious Turkish beachfront resort, you will need to stay outside Bodrum. Here we will cover some of the places you can stay in and around Bodrum.

Bodrum Castle and Bodrum Marina

Bodrum City Center

Bodrum city center seems like a typical Mediterranean resort at the beginning. A nice beach and promenade and bars, restaurants and night clubs behind. But this is also ancient Halicarnassus of Caria where  Mausoleum of Mausolus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World once stood. Although ancient city disappeared in time, you can still find remnants of the old in Bodrum.

The western side of Bodrum has a large marina and yacht club. The seaside here caters mostly to boats and their guests. The eastern side has a nice promonade (fantastic in the evening to take a nice walk) and the beach between the Castle and Halicarnassus is great for swimming. But if you decide to stay in Bodrum, visit Bitez and Gumbet for swimming. The natural beaches and the sea is just fantastic in these two small towns.

If you want to be near the “action” in Bodrum, right next to Bodrum night life, you should stay in Bodrum city, as near to sea as possible. For hotels in Bodrum with their prices and guest reviews, you can check Bodrum hotels page.

Gumbet and Bitez

Gumbet is just 3 kilometers away from Bodrum center and has a very nice beach drawing a gentle arc in a small bay. This 1 km long beach is great for swimming, sunbathing and water sports. This place was once a sleepy fishing village but now is a mini Bodrum with its own share of hotels, resorts, bars, restaurants and night clubs. Especially popular among British tourists.

Bitez is 4 kilometes to the west of Bodrum and is almost a part of Bodrum now thanks to the fast construction effort. Bitez offers blue flag beaches and you can find some of the best hotels and resorts of Bodrum in this small town.

Both Bitez and Gumbet are very close to Bodrum center and can be considered a part of city center. Still they keep their small town atmosphere a little. If you would like to stay in these places, take a look at Bodrum Gumbet hotels and Bodrum Bitez hotels pages for more details.

Turgutreis

Turgutreis is 20 kilometers away from Bodrum and indeed it is a separate resort on its own. Named after a 16th century Ottoman Admiral, Turgut Reis offers 5 kilometers of sandy beaches, beachfront restaurants and bars as well as a nice Mediterranean town center. The saturday market here is very famous and draws thousands from nearby towns and Bodrum. Turgutreis offers 5-star luxurious hotels and resorts right next to a developed town center. Its winds also makes it a magnet for wind surfers.

For hotels in Turgutreis, refer to Turgutreis hotels page.

Bodrum map and nearby towns

Yalikavak, Torba, Gumusluk

Yalikavak is one of the most beautiful towns near Bodrum city (25 minutes drive) and is famous for its 29 kilometer long coast and clear sea. It is so popular that it is the fastest growing town of the peninsula. A gentle wind is always blowing here so it is quite “cool” in Yalikavak and you can find quality hotels here.

Torba is a small resort town between Bodrum and Guvercinlik and just 5 kilometers away from Bodrum. Torba beaches and sea is famous but this small place does not offer a lot of things to do. From Torba you can take a boat to Didim, Milet and Priene.

Gumusluk is for those who would like to be away from Bodrum’s hustle and bustle.

Turkey has the third best beaches worldwide

The Blue Flag Awards are certificates of quality which are given to beaches based on the cleanliness and beauty of the sand as well as the bathing quality of the sea (i.e. no waste) flow. Other factors include the environmental management of the area as well as coastal protection.

Judges last month awarded beaches in Turkey a total of 387 Blue Flag awards, ranking the country among the top three who applied. Only Greece with 408 Blue Flags and Spain with 571 scored higher. France (where the awards originally started) was just behind Turkey with 379 Blue Flags while Portugal was next with 298.

Oceanwide Properties MD Suleyman Akbay said: "We are delighted, but not surprised, to hear of Turkey ranking so highly in the beautiful beach awards. Anyone who comes here is always amazed at how clear and clean the water is while many of the beaches are so secluded they are almost pristine. Certainly if it's miles and miles of white sand you're looking for then Turkey is the place to come.
"Fethiye and Kalkan in particular have always been popular with Turkey property investors looking to secure a holiday home in the area, and this news of even more highly praised beaches can only widen their appeal I'd have thought."

Turkey has always enjoyed a highly rated presence in the Blue Flag Awards table. The ranking takes into account European nations as well as South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil,
Canada and the Caribbean. This year, a further eight Turkish beaches, in the Mugla region, were awarded the distinction. Beaches in areas such as Kalkan, Fethiye and other Mediterranean coastal towns and villages have already had a beach bill of health for a number of years now.

Antalya meanwhile boasts 197 Blue Flag beaches - the highest number for a Turkish province - in addition to six marinas with the award. The latter were introduced in recent years.

The Blue Flag awards have been in existence since 1985 and are currently promoted by the European Commission.

Meanwhile, Oceanwide Properties has been marketing and selling properties in the Mediterranean coastal resorts of Turkey since 2005. They are particularly active in the Fethiye, Side and Antalya areas. The company have also recently moved into the increasingly popular Istanbul. UK property investors meanwhile can call into the company's London office for convenience and to make an initial appointment.