Turkey Traveller

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 ...

Eskisehir is a city I return to on a regular basis, and I consider it my home city in Turkey, over the last decade or so it has undergone a huge amount of change and positive development. Every time we return there is something new, improved or restored mostly due to the vision of one man Mayor Yılmaz Büyükerşen. This video by heritage heroes recognises his achievements in this role. The Mayor has said he wants Eskisehir to be a role model for other Anatolian Cities, something he has undoubtedly achieved, every time you tell another Turk you are from Eskisehir they immediately all most always comment on how beautiful and successful the city is …. ah Eskişehir cok guzel demi? More about Eskisehir Eskisehir Sivrihisar Yazilikaya Platform/Midas City

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 humble Dolmuş (pronounced Dol-moosh) sometimes referred to as a shared taxi is the cheapest way to travel in Turkey, Dolmus buses vary from city to city sometimes a small minibus sometimes a converted transit van. They normally stick to a set route although I have known them to go off route to drop you off closer to you destination in Istanbul. Dolmuş stops are indicated by a blue bus stop style sign with a large white “D” on it in some areas in other areas there are no marked stops, however Dolmus buses will stop and pick up or drop off anywhere along their set route you just have to hail them like a taxi. The sign in the front window of the Dolmuş usually indicates the route of the bus saying both the departure and destination point. It is generally accepted that the Dolmus never runs on time, and in fact the name Dolmuş translates as a taxi that doesn't start until its full (stuffed full) with passengers. Once you have hailed the Dolmus take a seat and pass your money to th...