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FETHIYE : If all places and all seas were known by a colour, Fethiye’s colour would be turquoise. The word turquoise, a blue that has more than a hint of green, comes from the blue used in the Turkish tile work. The most beautiful shade of the colour blue came and settled on the waters of the Ölüdeniz (Dead Sea). Towards evening, around sunset, you catch such a wonderful turquoise you can never see on any other seas. If you call it blue you are wrong, if you say it is green it is not that either but both together. It is difficult to put it into words. It is best if you go and see it for yourself and be hit by a lightening bolt! Once you get to Fethiye and check into you accommodation, get out and see the bazaar. Once you visit the town’s pleasant bazaar you feel as if everything has been planned and preserved for you, with its narrow and shady streets and tiny squares. You will forget about being a foreigner and feel as if you have lived here for years. However, once it is the evening the colour and nature of the market will suddenly change. It is now the time for the restaurants and bars. The fish start sizzling on the grill and the aniseed scent of Turkey’s national drink, raki, can be smelled. The heat of the day is left behind and the coolness of the evening settles in. It is not easy to visit the region surrounding Fethiye in just a few days. Here are all you will need and want for a holiday. History, culture, nature, beaches, aqua sports, the best paragliding in Turkey, the most impressive historical sites, best coves, cuisine and shopping. The number of places that you can get such full on holiday and enjoy it other than Fethiye itself are rare. This is why it is difficult to fit Fethiye into just a few pages. Let us begin our trip.
MARMARIS : Marmaris is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Turkey. If you are travelling with your own vehicle, when following the road through the pine forests stop and take a break when you see the sign that reads,"Iste Marmaris" (Viola Marmaris). You will see the town from above. Although there has been a high level of construction in the town over the past 15 years, it still looks beautiful from this vantage point. Marmaris, with its population increasing to 100,000 in the summer months, is now a huge holiday resort city. The bed capacity of the hotels has surpassed 60,000 and it is possible to find hotels that will suit all types of budget. There are hundreds of restaurants, cafes and entertainment places newly opened up. Marmaris is one of the rare towns in Turkey where you can swim right in the city centre, despite the increased construction, as environmental and water treatment facilities have been installed. For those who seek cleaner seas and quieter spots there are boats trips that go to other coves or you can get there by land. If you are interested in water sports and nature activities the hotels and travel agencies here provide you with many alternatives.
BODRUM : "Do not think that you will leave as you came, those of you came before were the same. However, they all left their mind in Bodrum and left." This was what Cevat sakir Kabaagaçli, known as Halikarnas Balikçisi (the Fisherman of Halicarnassos), wrote about Bodrum. None of Turkey’s others holiday destinations have such a different image as Bodrum. Everyone has a different Bodrum of their own. If you like let us begin with the Fisherman of Halicarnassos, who promoted Bodrum in Turkey and internationally. " In the past, houses were built on high hills for protection from war or for defence. These were not called house but "towers". But with the longing for the sea, with their admiration for the blue, with their clogs that had the scent of pine, with a clanging they slide down from the hills and lined up between the creaking gravel stones of two coves. Those who were in the back tiptoed and stared in surprise at the sea over the shoulders of their sisters. Some of the more courageous houses dipped into the sea and became a caique (small Turkish boat) and became joyous and playful on the waves, teasing their diffident sisters. This is why houses, caiques and mandarin fields have a fast kindred spirit. The caiques that are tired of coming and going from the sea either became houses or mandarin fields." For those who do know Bodrum what Cevat sakir writes might sound like a lie but believe it, is exactly as he says. Bodrum is one of Turkey’s most talked about holiday resorts in Turkey. This fame is greatly due to the Fisherman of Halicarnassos who did so much to promote it, who caused our intellectuals to fall in love with the place, so much so that now many of our writers and artists can be found for most the year in Bodrum. There are so many stories or novels by famous writers such as Selim Ileri, Vedat Türkali that are based in Bodrum. In Bodrum, whose fame and number of visitors are increasing parallel to each other, you can surely come across one of our poets, authors or artist that you know. However, the town’s fame does not just spring from this. The big hearted sponge divers, captains who are in love with sea, the fishermen, the white washed houses, the purple flowering begonias that climb the walls, the clean coves around it and most of all the long entertaining nights that stretch to dawn all add to Bodurm’s fame. Bodrum is not only a place to rest. Entertainment is definitely added to holidays in the town. In Bodrum holidays days are divided into two. During the day it is time to swim in extremely blue coves, to leave your body to the hot sunshine and in other words to rest and get ready for the night. Once the sun sets and the stars begins to fill the sky another call of life is heard. It is impossible to close your ears to this call. This is the call of the Bodrum nights. Who can resist the call of friendship, dreams and love, especially if a full moon decorates the sky?
DATCA : Datça is where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean. One side of the 70 kilometre long Datça Peninsula, which stretches to the west from Marmaris, is lapped by the waters of the Aegean and on the other by those of the Mediterranean. Those who go to the very end point of this peninsula, where the ancient city of Knidos is sited, can see that the inner port of the city is in the Mediterranean and the outer port in the Aegean. The Datça Peninsula is a large one, beginning at the narrowest point of the peninsula where the port of Bencik is and stretching all the way to Knidos. At its narrowest point, the side facing the Gulf of Hisarönü where Bencik is and the side facing the Bördübet, it appears from looking at a map as if it could split from the mainland at anytime. The distance between the two sides is as little as 800 metres. There were even plans in the past to cut a channel across the peninsula, thus turning Datça into an island. According to the historian Herodotus, the locals of ancient Knidos thought of digging up the narrow strip of land in the Balikasiran region and turning the area into an island after the Persians invaded Ionia. They tried very hard according to history but the peninsula resisted being separated from the mainland. Those who worked to break the stones and dig through the soil began to suffer from injuries to their eyes, forcing them to give up their efforts. The geographer Strabon said, "God would send his beloved servants to Datça to live longer". These words were not uttered in vain as a story told in the region confirms what Strabon wrote. Some 450 years ago, Spanish pirates sailing near the peninsula decided to throw members of their ship’s crew suffering from the plague off the vessel. The pulled in to Sarigerme Cove and left their dying crewmates. However, those who were left to die recovered thanks to the oxygen rich air of Datça. Legend has it that they founded a village on the foothills of Emecik Mountain, becoming one of the many peoples of these lands. However, in Emecik no one remembers the story and moreover they do not like it. It is not known whether the story is true or not but the fact is that the air of Datça makes one feel healthy. This may be why the Dorian peoples established more 50 settlements in the region. Some 2,700 years ago, the population of the peninsula surpassed 70,000. If you consider that today the population is under 15,000 you can see that there must have been an extraordinary civilisation. In recent years Datça has been discovered again. Those who try to escape crowds, noise and pollution are choosing Datça as a place to settle and see out their lives. You should not think of Datça as a place for a one day visit. Around the peninsula you will find as many as 52 coves, some of which can only be reached by sea and which for one full day will be yours alone. You will not be able to forget the beautiful sea with the stillness of an aquarium in Datça’s coves and beaches. You can find small and beautiful hotels, sail by boat into its coves, make discoveries in the impressive ruins of the ancient city of Knidos and treasure memories of the pleasant Datça evenings.
ORHANIYE Kizkumu : Orhaniye is only 2.5 kilometres from Turgut. After you leave Turgut the road divides in two. In order to get to Orhaniye you turn to the right while the road leading to the left goes to Selimiye. One of the most important tourism centres on the Gulf of Hisarönü, Orhaniye sees the yachts that come to Hisarönü pass through. The sea of Orhaniye is always as flat as a sheet. The colour of the pine trees that surround the area are reflected on the sea, giving it a shade peculiar to this region. The area is so quiet that when you swim you can only hear the sound you create in the water. You will be puzzled by the sight of people apparently walking on the sea. Thanks to the movement of the sand there is a shallow bar in the middle of the cove that divides it in two. This ribbon, of approximately 600 metres, is called Kizkumu. There is also a legend attached to it. "A girl who wanted to meet with her lover put some sand in the hem of her skirt and planned to fill the sea with this sand to get to her lover. However, there was not enough sand and she was drowned". By way of explanation, the word Kizkumu means "girl sand". In the middle of the cove there is an island and on top of the island there are the ruins of a castle. It is believed that the castle belonged to the ancient city of Baybassos. You can get to the island by hiring a caique (small boat) and then walking to the ruins of the castle along the path. The view from here is brilliant and is worth the effort. The people of Baybassos brought water to the island from the waterfall in Turgut through aqueducts and a pipe laid under the water. From Orhaniye there are boat tours to the Gulf of Hisarönü. There are stops at places such as the coves of Selimiye, Hisarönü and Inbükü and the island of Dislice. The tours include lunch and last until the evening. Dislice Island, located opposite the hill facing Hisarönü where the Robinson Club Maris Hotel is, is popular for its small canyons and stone formations. At the entrance of Orhaniye Cove there is the Keçi Bükü (inlet) where yachts moor in summer and winter and where they are maintained at the Marti Marina and the Hotel. Just next to these facilities are the ruins of an ancient monastery. It is worth seeing the mosaics in the garden. It is possible to get to Hisarönü or the Marmaris-Datça road from Orhaniye. The distance between Orhaniye and Hisarönü is only 3.5 kilometres, the road being wide and is asphalted.
GOKOVA : While going to this region you should travel during the day from Sakar Geçidi, which is 15 kilometres along the Mugla-Marmaris road and then the winding road descends towards the valley for seven kilometres. The magnificent view presented by the valley and the Gulf of Gökova is really breathtaking. There are places on the road where one can park and take time to view the scenery. This is the place to pull your vehicle to the side of the road and enter into timeless imagination sessions. The gulf often has a haze over it, which presents a very suitable backdrop for the imagination. You can see this same scenery from the NET entertainment venue on the winding road down by taking a lunch or a rest break. This winding road diverts into Akyaka later. You can head towards Akyaka by turning right on the road amongst the pine trees. If you pass this intersection you can turn left at the Marmaris-Mugla intersection. (Not towards Marmaris) At end of this road turn left and observe the pristine waters of the Azmak Stream. The special architecture of Akyaka will catch your eyes straight away. On your right the most beautiful of these wooden houses are lined up for your viewing pleasure. It is difficult not to envy the owners and want to live in one.
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