While Bodrum's night life is everything a reveller
could wish for, the smaller villages offer cozy taverns
and restaurants overlooking quiet bays which can be
reached easily by Dolmus, car or boat.
The Bodrum peninsuala offers a wealth of choice: one
may choose between busy resorts or traditional villages,
between thriving marinas or quiet secluded coves, or
between the modern and the ancient. The peninsula offers
the traveller and the resident all the comforts of modern
living with the true luxury of knowing one can get away
from it all with a 10 minutes drive.
The craggy Bodrum Peninsula is an area of stunning
diversity, where simplicity and sophistication jostle
side by side, whilst tranquillity and vitality are never
more than a few miles apart.
Some facts:
Bodrum Peninsula is situated on the southwest coast
of Turkey, in the eastern Aegean. The Peninsula extends
42 km in the E-W direction and 6 km - 23.8 km in the
N-S direction between the bays of Güllük and
Gökova. Covering an area of 649 km2, its highest
elevation is measured as 690m. The Bodrum Peninsula
is surrounded by 32 islands and islets and forms a 174
km long coastline.
Bodrum
town
Bodrum town - St. Peter's Castle
Bodrum town’s whitewashed buildings
snuggle up against the hillsides that rise above two semi-circular
bays, separated by the imposing castle of St Peter. For
those wishing to find the bustling resorts and others
looking for a tranquil retreat, the Bodrum peninsula has
something for each taste.
Gulet on Bodrum Coast
Restaurants catering for every
taste line the picturesque harbour where the masts
of traditional wooden gulets sway gently.
The old town, with its narrow lanes, is a delight
to wander in, not least for shoppers who can find
some amazing bargains, from leather goods to local
herbs and spices and from fashionable casual wear
to traditional carpets and kilims.
Given Bodrum’s unabated popularity,
it comes as a surprise to find many parts of the
peninsula almost untouched by tourism. Just the
shortest of drives inland lie villages which remain
blissfully unaffected by the intrusions of modern
life; with laden donkeys carrying firewood for
the traditional bee-hive shaped ovens to bake
the unleavened 'pide’ bread.
Carpet making is still a way of life and this
area is renowned for its traditional 'Milas’
carpets. Using olive tree leaves, tobacco and
aubergines to produce the harmonious natural tones
that Milas carpets are famous for, you can still
see the dyed yarns hanging out on balconies to
dry.
The coastline still reveals several unspoilt
backwaters with hidden bays and coves with aquamarine
waters. This combined with the bohemian atmosphere
of Bodrum with its superb shops and restaurants
makes it a destination to return to year after
year.
Milas carpet
Yalikavak
Yalikavak impresses with its combination
of alluring traditional charm and a sense of recognition
of the importance of contemporary comforts desired
by today's discerning visitor. This is what makes
Yalikavak attractive to those who care for both,
the old and the new.
The town is neat and tidy, and many aging buildings
have undergone sensitive restoration and conversion
to modern use, one being an old water cistern
converted to a gallery displaying the works of
well-known local and national painters. Another
is a disused olive oil processing plant which
has been refurbished and turned into an attractive
souvenir shop.
Active civic groups work in concert with the municipality
to promote the town and the same time to protect it
from depredation by the unscrupulous, so far achieving
very positive results: the enviroment is cared for,
services are timely and the hotels and restaurants are
among the best in the region.
Turgutreis
Turgutreis bay area
Named after the famous sea captain "Turgut Reis",
this town has developed quite rapidly becoming the largest
settlement on the peninsula after Bodrum. A distance
of 20 kilometers from Bodrum, Turgutreis is spread throughout
a rich valley well planted with orchards and vegetable
gardens.
Çatal Island and many islands of various sizes
fan out in front of the town protecting it from westerly
storms. These islands and the sea surrounding them make
a spectacular backdrop for the setting sun, providing
some of the most beautiful sun-sets in the world.
North of Turgutreis, 23 kilometer from Bodrum, lies
Kadikalesi Bay, an area with a long vivid history. The
castle from which the village takes its name was built
during Hellenistic times. A wide sandy beach is surrounded
by tangerine groves.
Gündogan
Gündogan
Only a few minutes West of
Yalikavak a place that can be really called
peaceful. This little village is still more
or less unspoiled despite the holiday developments
on the surrounding hills. Gündogan,
ancient Farilya, has been always an important
town for fishing, sponge diving, olive and
tangerine growing.
The North of the peninsula enjoys some
fresh breezes that prove popular with wind
surfers.
While in Gündogan a recommended boat trip is
to the nearby 'Big Rabbit Island' (Büyük Tavsan
Adasi), the site of a Byzantine church with visible
remains of frescos, estimated to date back to the ninth
century.
Bitez
Bitez Beach
The old village of Bitez is set back from the beach
and populated almost entirely by local residents. The
increase in tourism over the last few years has seen
an expansion of the village along the sea front. The
original old stone houses have been converted into restaurants
and bars. There are a number of new hotels and apartments,
all contributing towards maintaining the village atmosphere.Despite
the expansion, Bitez has been able to retain its village
atmosphere, providing a quieter place for a more casual
evening out than the glitz of nearby Gumbet and Bodrum.
Bitez is the best place on the Peninsula for windsurfing,
providing conditions for beginners and experiences surfers.
Bitez is gaining a reputation worldwide as the place
for surfers visiting Turkey.The sandy beach is safe
for children, with numerous leisure facilities within
easy reach spread along shorefront.
Beyond the beach, reached by dry riverbeds, lie hundreds
of acres of private agricultural land, with its extensive
tangerine orchards Bitez is still one of the greenest
localities of the peninsula. Country walks along shaded
paths through fragrant citrus orchards are also popular,
and visitors can expect a warm welcome in the village
tea houses.
