Turkey Traveller

So I finally experienced my first earthquake, I had already accepted that it was likely that I would eventually experience one as it seems and unlikely that I would be able to spend this much time in Turkey without it happening at some point. We were having a pleasant sunny afternoon stroll in Kaş when the earthquake struck. Walking down a fairly steep hill in the old part of town my wife suddenly lost her footing in a weird way, I asked if she wanted me to take the pushchair but the atmosphere was odd and she just stared down the hill suddenly turning to me saying “earthquake”. Simultaneously the Earth emitted a low groan and absolutely everything began to shudder causing me to stumble slightly. The main quake was over in a matter of seconds but the area seemed to continue to vibrate in an almost imperceptible way, for some time after you clearly see light fittings vibrating. Obviously this caused a degree of panic and within a minute everyone was in the street. The people who had...

Gemiler Island also known as the Island of St Nicholas is located on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey between Olu Deniz and Fethiye. The Island is only small approximately 1000m long by 400m wide but that small area is littered with the remains of an historic monastic retreat containing among other things the original resting place of St Nicholas. The Island offers the perfect opportunity to take a break from sunbathing and spend an hour exploring the medieval remains, that for centuries attracted pilgrims from all over Christendom. On the island are the remains of four churches, related religious buildings, Byzantine dwellings, harbour, cistern, stone tombs, graveyard and ceremonial passageway. The views from the top of the Island across the Mediterranean and back inland are also quite stunning and well worth the walk. The Tomb of St Nicholas St Nicholas better known now days as Father Christmas or Santa Claus was the Bishop of Myra, which is just a few miles from from Gemiler Isl...

Hisaronu is a holiday resort situated between Fethiye and Olu Deniz a few kilometres inland from the beautiful Mediterranean coast. It somewhat resembles a really cheap, tacky English seaside resort that's been uprooted and dumped on Turkey's Turquoise Rivera, expect bars and restaurants with English themes, menus, clientèle, lots of sport bars, tattoo parlours, karaoke, beer bellies, and more people wearing St Georges flags and union jack paraphernalia then I thought possible outside of some kind of surreal patriotic nightmare. Walking down the main street in the evening is not dissimilar to a visit to any British town centre on a Saturday night, there is a party atmosphere, neon lights, locals touting day trips and trying to beckon you into their establishment, bar after bar in which to wile away the evening relaxing to the thumping disco music. All in all for me it represents everything that is bad about mass tourism, and certainly isn't a destination to consider if you...

Kayaköy (stone village) A fascinating and eerie ghost town lies in the hills between Olu Deniz and Fethiye hastily abandoned when its Greek population was repatriated in 1923 after the Greco-Turkish war. Since then the town has been left bare to the elements and hundreds of intact but roofless houses sit empty staring across the valley. For 8YTL you can wander the houses, shops, schools, windmills, tavernas and churches of this beautiful and serene place. Entering the houses is weird as you get a feeling of being somewhere you shouldn't be, as if someone had left their front door open and you took it upon yourself to nose around. Even the goats that wander the village chewing on weeds have a tendency to look at you like an unwelcome interloper. The absence of sound is striking and even though we were virtually the only visitors we still spoke in hushed tones. Its like a community in stasis except without the people and its not much of a push of the imagination to picture the narr...

Faralya Art house is a beautiful pension nestled halfway up the Kabak valley with stunning views over the surrounding mountains and Mediterranean sea. Faralya Art House is the perfect place to spend time peacefully relaxing and soaking up the natural atmosphere. The rooms are basic and there is a shared bathroom, breakfast consists of bread, olives, local honey, cheese and eggs. Evening meals are available if you pay a little extra. Faralya Art House is quite isolated and there is only a rough track from the main road to pension so its best not to take loads of luggage without making some kind of pick up arrangement first, as struggling halfway down a mountain in the blistering heat with a large suitcase can be a little tiresome (I speak from experience). Due to the isolated position of Faralya it is not suitable for everyone if you want clubs, restaurants and shopping then its probably not for you although these are all just a short Dolmus ride away. If you like trekking, swimming, d...

Faralya a beautiful and isolated village nestled in stunning mountains that rise from the Mediterranean sea about 15km along the coast from Olu Deniz. Faralya is a perfect destination to escape from the unpleasant over development and mass package tourism of Hisaronu, Ovacik and Olu Deniz. There are no large hotels or developments just small hotels, pensions and camp-sites. Faralya is a beautiful place to relax in peaceful surroundings and a natural environment, great for hiking, deserted beaches, breath taking views, swimming and chilling out. It is also located on the Lycian way a famous trekking route that stretches from Fethiye to Antalya through the heart of the ancient Lycian culture that was voted one of the 'world's top ten walks' by the Times. There are no restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and just a few small grocery stores. Until fairly recently Faralya was almost completely inaccessible from the outside and it is only over the last twenty years that they have ...

Kabak beach is situated at the bottom of the beautiful Kabak Valley in Faralya, near Olu Deniz on the Turkish Mediterranean, almost completely untouched by commercial tourism partly due to its isolated position and partly because of a moratorium on development in this part of Mugla province . With its small encampment of beach bums, hippies, students and potheads it bears an uncanny and slightly comical resemblance to the beach in Leonardo DiCaprios film of the same name. The beach is reachable from Kabak Koy (village) which is the last stop on the dolmus that runs between Olu Deniz and Faralya where you will find a café rather helpfully named last stop café, From the village you have to climb down a footpath to the beach it is approximately 600m and quite rough in places, there is a track that 4x4's go up and down and they will take you down for an extortionate 20 TL. The trek is well worth it because the views are stunning and at the bottom you will find the beautiful and relat...

We loved the small secluded beach at Gocek Island(Göcek Ada) enclosed on both side by pine covered slopes and a beautiful clear blue water bay to swim in, it was very peaceful without the pumping dance music you often get at beach resorts like Antalya. The beach is accessible by a service that runs from Gocek for 10 Turkish lira, the loungers are another 10 TL for the whole day. They have all the normal facilities ie: A bar, changing area, showers, toilets, light snakes and a camping area. Gocek Ada website

Göcek is a small but pleasant port that resides between Dalaman and Fethiye. The main draw is tourism that revolves around the yachting industry and the marina is stuffed full of expensive yachts and power cruisers. As a result of the money this brings some of the local prices are slightly inflated, but its an nice opportunity to see how the other half lives. The shops and boutiques are of a higher quality than the normal tit-tat you would expect in a tourist destination and there is a good selection of restaurants offering both traditional Turkish dishes and western and continental meals. We particularly enjoyed eating at the Kebab Hospital Antep Sofrasi which served some of the best pide we have ever tasted at reasonable prices. Boat trips are available from the harbour including the 12 island boat tour. Gocek has a reputation for being relaxed and is really just a nice place to chill out enjoy the food and wine and mooch around the marina drooling at the boats. It is also well know...

The Side(SEE-deh)peninsular is only about 1km long and 400m across but it’s packed full of interesting places to visit and flanked on either side by beautiful sandy beaches and the warm waters of the Mediterranean. On the peninsular you will find an interesting mix of old and new with modern nightclubs situated within the ruins of the ancient Side settlement. Side (meaning pomegranate) is a highly successful resort town and it’s not hard to see why its perfect white sand beaches attract both international and domestic tourists. Around the pedestrianised peninsular there is a good selection of eateries, accommodation, bars, shops and lodgings. Side’s true success lies in its universal appeal achieving a little bit of something for everyone and also being suitable for families at the same time. It is easy to lose a few days here just relaxing, meandering around the small backstreets exploring the boutiques, sipping iced cocktails on the beach staring over a glittering Mediterranean vi...

Kaleiçi is the old historic centre of Antalya built around a picturesque old Roman harbour, lined with restaurants & cafes. From the harbour a maze of narrow streets filled with restored Ottoman houses stretch upwards towards the walls of the once fortified old city. Exploring Kaleiçi you find a fantastic selection of boutiques, restaurants, pensions, medreses, hamams, ancient mosques, antiquated churches, Turkish rugs and some beautifully restored Ottoman style boutique hotels.The courtyards and streets are lined with palm fronds and fine fruit trees under which you will often find a man shading from the sun who will polish your shoes for a small price.The winding streets and hidden courtyards of Kaleiçi will quickly have those of a curious nature peeking and peering into private gardens, windows and speculating on the price of doing your own restoration. Kaleiçi is a protected area and was awarded the Golden Apple of Tourism in 1984,you will still see the odd dilapidated Ottoma...