When it comes to beach holidays, some people want peace and quiet and others busy nightlife once the sun goes down. A desert island with white sand and crystal blue sea is not everyone’s ‘heaven.’ In Turkey the explosion in overseas tourists has seen many of the wonderful bays that were once only home to fishermen in villages expand to cater for tourists. The really busy ones have few spaces to lie on the beach any more yet there are resorts that still have quiet stretches just a few miles away for those that want a base then the chance to get some solitude.
There are perhaps three distinct sections to the Turkish Coast; the stretch from Antalya on the Mediterranean taking in Belek, Side and Alanya, the Province of Muğla with 1000 km of coastline stretching from Bodrum round past Datça and Marmaris to Fethiye and the west facing Aegean Coastline from Çeşme in the north incorporating Altinkum, Akbuk, Didim and Kuşadası.
The eastern area beginning in Antalya, a city of over 1million permanent inhabitants, has scores of beach side hotels either side of the Old Town, Kaleici. Its climate is warm except in the midst of winter and hot in the summer months. Its airport is amongst the busiest in Turkey. The resorts further east offer stretches of beach with Belek known for its golf, Side combining beaches with historical sites and Alanya, ever growing, a very lively nightlife. Incidentally Kemer just west of Antalya on the coast road towards Fethiye is also worth a mention.
Muğla has three very popular resorts each with quiet areas close by, unspoilt beaches and quiet coves, a coastline as popular with sun worshippers happy to lie and swim as with those keen to sail in these beautiful seas. Bodrum, which has its own airport, has grown to quite a size; it faces the Greek Island of Kos and is situated on a peninsula where there are many opportunities to find quiet beaches. Marmaris has grown from a tiny village to a hectic resort full of all-inclusive holidays, bars and restaurants. Those wanting a quieter time will find solitude in a host of small places to the west all the way down to Datça. East of Marmaris there is a tiny jewel, Iztuzu Beach close to the small town of Dalyan, twenty minutes this side of Dalaman, the airport serving Marmaris to Fethiye. Fethiye is growing rapidly and there are many beaches away from the town centre and plenty of life as well.
The Aegean Coast is perhaps falling back relative to the other two regions. Çeşme has always been a popular Turkish holiday venue. It is a ferry port just north of Izmir. Kuşadası welcomes cruise ships and is located close to Ephesus. The stretch of coastline between the two has developed enormously and the coastline as a whole is served by Adnan Menderes Airport south of Izmir. There are many rental properties available as well as bookable accommodation of every type and for every budget.
Summer weather is predictable; hot and dry. Spring and autumn still have plenty of sunshine; suntan guaranteed.
