Now may not be the time of year when many people are heading for the coast. On the other hand, when the weather is cold and gray outside, maybe it's a good time to cheer ourselves up by thinking about where to go for the summer holidays.



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With over 7,000 kilometers of coastline, Turkey has more than enough resorts to choose from, but Bodrum has long been seen as the cream of the crop, which may come as a surprise to some foreigners who all too readily lump it in with Marmaris, Kuşadası and Alanya and complain that it has been "ruined." As so often, the secret lies in timing. Visit Bodrum in July or August when its narrow streets are so crammed with sun-cream-slathered bodies that it's hard to move along them and you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Visit in spring or autumn, however, and you will still be able to see what it was that inspired the Turks of the 1950s who flocked here in their thousands and kick-started the craze for "blue voyages" along the coast.

Bodrum is lucky in that it still retains a strong sense of its past, most particularly in the shape of the enormous Castle of St. Peter, which dominates the waterfront. Started in 1437 by the Knights of St. John, an order of Crusading knights who had taken up residence in nearby Rhodes, it continued as a castle until the end of World War I, after which it found surprising but successful new use as Turkey's first museum of underwater archaeology. Today the castle's various towers and chambers house the remains of some of the oldest shipwrecks ever dredged up from the sea, including the Uluburun, which dates right back to the 14th century B.C. Here, too, ancient Greek and Roman ships are on display, although perhaps the most impressive sight of all is a wreck dating back to the early 11th century which sank en route between Syria and the Black Sea, leaving a cargo of more than three tons of broken glass to be found by the divers.

Even if ships are not your thing, it's still worth visiting the castle to wonder at the sheer magnificence of its architecture and at the glorious sea views from the ramparts. Many people will also enjoy inspecting the gold artifacts found buried alongside a Carian woman of the fourth century B.C. who has been identified, on rather flimsy evidence, as Queen Ada, who lived from 360 to 325 B.C. Manchester University has provided a model of what she might have looked like using the same sort of technology as comes in handy for identifying victims of crime.

But of course Bodrum's history stretches back way beyond the Knights to the days when, as Halicarnassus, it was the capital of the province of Caria and governed by a king called Mausolus, whose tomb became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and gave the word "mausoleum" to the English language. Sadly, very little remains of the tomb after it was shattered by earthquakes, raided by treasure-hunting tomb robbers and then pillaged for its stones by the Knights when the time came to build their castle. Today's visitors have to make do with a few pre-Mausolean remains below ground level, the entrance to the tomb, the precinct walls and a big helping of imagination. It's still worth going in search of the mausoleum though not so much for what you will find there but because the hunt for it takes you deep into Bodrum's beautiful back streets, where hundreds of pretty, whitewashed houses lurk behind bougainvillea-draped walls, the model for the more successful of the modern villas that now spill out from the town center in all directions.

Bodrum's other great attraction is its waterside setting on a pair of natural harbors. This has been greatly enhanced by the addition of a palm-tree-lined promenade that leads visitors past a lineup of graceful wooden gülets all vying to take them on cruises to the surrounding islands. The gülets mainly moor in the western bay, which wraps round until it comes to the flashy Netsel Marina. Beyond this lie slight remains of an 18th-century shipyard where the Ottoman fleet was rebuilt after the Russians destroyed it off Çeşme in 1770; and of the Myndos Gate, the only part of seven-kilometer-long walls built by King Mausolus in the fourth century B.C. These walls were originally rendered even more formidable by the presence of a deep moat in which many of Alexander the Great's soldiers drowned in 334 B.C.

The eastern bay stretches out from behind the castle and boasts a thin strip of sand which is more useful for enjoying a sundowner than acquiring a tan. The area between the castle and the beach is crammed full with shops and restaurants catering for everyone from penny-pinching package-holidaymakers to İstanbul's rich and famous. Most of the town's infamously noisy nightlife is centered here, with the Halikarnas disco at the far end of the sands bragging that it has the loudest sound system of all.

But one of the joys of Bodrum is that you have easy access to all sorts of small resorts out on the adjoining peninsula. It may be a cliché, but there really is something for everyone here, with Gümbet catering for package-holidaymakers in endless high-rise hotels, while Göltürkbükü favors the super-rich and stylish with a series of upscale restaurants and boutique hotels, including the super-trendy Maki Hotel and the much more traditional Ada. One of the prettiest small resorts on the peninsula is Gümüşlük, over on the far western shore where a lovely sandy beach is backed by a scattering of discreet hotels and restaurants. Historically this was the settlement of Mindos, and remains of the old city are scattered about both on the mainland and on Tavşan Adası (Rabbit Island), which is connected to the mainland by a causeway that can be walked across at low tide. Almost equally appealing is Yalıkavak, which centers on another harborful of gülets but also boasts several getaway-from-it-all boutique hotels up on the hillside.

Until recently Torba was a fairly undistinguished resort immediately north of Bodrum. However, last year it acquired one of Turkey's most extraordinary new hotels in the shape of the beautiful Casa Dell'Arte, the dream of the Büyükkuşoğlu family, who designed it to house a magnificent collection of modern Turkish art built up over the last 30 years. Each of its 12 rooms is completely different and each is decorated with breathtaking artworks, making a stay here a completely novel experience.

Finally there is Bitez, on the southern shore of the peninsula, which has acquired a reputation as the best place to come for Sunday brunch. Forego what's on offer in your hotel for the chance to chill out with the cool crowd at the New Season restaurant, where tables spill out onto the sands and jazz plays from behind the heaving breakfast tables. Then you'll know you've really caught the Bodrum vibe.

HOW TO GET THERE

There are regular flights from İstanbul to Bodrum International Airport, which is actually closer to Milas than Bodrum; Havaş buses connect the airport with the resort. Otherwise, there are bus services from most surrounding towns, including Marmaris and İzmir.

WHERE TO STAY

4 Reasons Hotel, Yalıkavak: 0 (252) 385 3212

Ada Hotel, Göltürkbükü: 0 (252) 377 5915

Baç Pansiyon, Bodrum: 0 (252) 316 1602

Bodrum Marmara Hotel: 0 (252) 313 8130

Casa Dell'Arte, Torba: 0 (252) 367 1848

Lavanta, Yalıkavak: 0 (252) 385 2167 Now may not be the time of year when many people are heading for the coast. On the other hand, when the weather is cold and gray outside, maybe it's a good time to cheer ourselves up by thinking about where to go for the summer holidays.



Today's interactive toolbox

Video Photo Audio

Send to print Send to my friend

Post your comments

Read comments







With over 7,000 kilometers of coastline, Turkey has more than enough resorts to choose from, but Bodrum has long been seen as the cream of the crop, which may come as a surprise to some foreigners who all too readily lump it in with Marmaris, Kuşadası and Alanya and complain that it has been "ruined." As so often, the secret lies in timing. Visit Bodrum in July or August when its narrow streets are so crammed with sun-cream-slathered bodies that it's hard to move along them and you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Visit in spring or autumn, however, and you will still be able to see what it was that inspired the Turks of the 1950s who flocked here in their thousands and kick-started the craze for "blue voyages" along the coast.

Bodrum is lucky in that it still retains a strong sense of its past, most particularly in the shape of the enormous Castle of St. Peter, which dominates the waterfront. Started in 1437 by the Knights of St. John, an order of Crusading knights who had taken up residence in nearby Rhodes, it continued as a castle until the end of World War I, after which it found surprising but successful new use as Turkey's first museum of underwater archaeology. Today the castle's various towers and chambers house the remains of some of the oldest shipwrecks ever dredged up from the sea, including the Uluburun, which dates right back to the 14th century B.C. Here, too, ancient Greek and Roman ships are on display, although perhaps the most impressive sight of all is a wreck dating back to the early 11th century which sank en route between Syria and the Black Sea, leaving a cargo of more than three tons of broken glass to be found by the divers.

Even if ships are not your thing, it's still worth visiting the castle to wonder at the sheer magnificence of its architecture and at the glorious sea views from the ramparts. Many people will also enjoy inspecting the gold artifacts found buried alongside a Carian woman of the fourth century B.C. who has been identified, on rather flimsy evidence, as Queen Ada, who lived from 360 to 325 B.C. Manchester University has provided a model of what she might have looked like using the same sort of technology as comes in handy for identifying victims of crime.

But of course Bodrum's history stretches back way beyond the Knights to the days when, as Halicarnassus, it was the capital of the province of Caria and governed by a king called Mausolus, whose tomb became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and gave the word "mausoleum" to the English language. Sadly, very little remains of the tomb after it was shattered by earthquakes, raided by treasure-hunting tomb robbers and then pillaged for its stones by the Knights when the time came to build their castle. Today's visitors have to make do with a few pre-Mausolean remains below ground level, the entrance to the tomb, the precinct walls and a big helping of imagination. It's still worth going in search of the mausoleum though not so much for what you will find there but because the hunt for it takes you deep into Bodrum's beautiful back streets, where hundreds of pretty, whitewashed houses lurk behind bougainvillea-draped walls, the model for the more successful of the modern villas that now spill out from the town center in all directions.

Bodrum's other great attraction is its waterside setting on a pair of natural harbors. This has been greatly enhanced by the addition of a palm-tree-lined promenade that leads visitors past a lineup of graceful wooden gülets all vying to take them on cruises to the surrounding islands. The gülets mainly moor in the western bay, which wraps round until it comes to the flashy Netsel Marina. Beyond this lie slight remains of an 18th-century shipyard where the Ottoman fleet was rebuilt after the Russians destroyed it off Çeşme in 1770; and of the Myndos Gate, the only part of seven-kilometer-long walls built by King Mausolus in the fourth century B.C. These walls were originally rendered even more formidable by the presence of a deep moat in which many of Alexander the Great's soldiers drowned in 334 B.C.

The eastern bay stretches out from behind the castle and boasts a thin strip of sand which is more useful for enjoying a sundowner than acquiring a tan. The area between the castle and the beach is crammed full with shops and restaurants catering for everyone from penny-pinching package-holidaymakers to İstanbul's rich and famous. Most of the town's infamously noisy nightlife is centered here, with the Halikarnas disco at the far end of the sands bragging that it has the loudest sound system of all.

But one of the joys of Bodrum is that you have easy access to all sorts of small resorts out on the adjoining peninsula. It may be a cliché, but there really is something for everyone here, with Gümbet catering for package-holidaymakers in endless high-rise hotels, while Göltürkbükü favors the super-rich and stylish with a series of upscale restaurants and boutique hotels, including the super-trendy Maki Hotel and the much more traditional Ada. One of the prettiest small resorts on the peninsula is Gümüşlük, over on the far western shore where a lovely sandy beach is backed by a scattering of discreet hotels and restaurants. Historically this was the settlement of Mindos, and remains of the old city are scattered about both on the mainland and on Tavşan Adası (Rabbit Island), which is connected to the mainland by a causeway that can be walked across at low tide. Almost equally appealing is Yalıkavak, which centers on another harborful of gülets but also boasts several getaway-from-it-all boutique hotels up on the hillside.

Until recently Torba was a fairly undistinguished resort immediately north of Bodrum. However, last year it acquired one of Turkey's most extraordinary new hotels in the shape of the beautiful Casa Dell'Arte, the dream of the Büyükkuşoğlu family, who designed it to house a magnificent collection of modern Turkish art built up over the last 30 years. Each of its 12 rooms is completely different and each is decorated with breathtaking artworks, making a stay here a completely novel experience.

Finally there is Bitez, on the southern shore of the peninsula, which has acquired a reputation as the best place to come for Sunday brunch. Forego what's on offer in your hotel for the chance to chill out with the cool crowd at the New Season restaurant, where tables spill out onto the sands and jazz plays from behind the heaving breakfast tables. Then you'll know you've really caught the Bodrum vibe.

HOW TO GET THERE

There are regular flights from İstanbul to Bodrum International Airport, which is actually closer to Milas than Bodrum; Havaş buses connect the airport with the resort. Otherwise, there are bus services from most surrounding towns, including Marmaris and İzmir.

WHERE TO STAY

4 Reasons Hotel, Yalıkavak: 0 (252) 385 3212

Ada Hotel, Göltürkbükü: 0 (252) 377 5915

Baç Pansiyon, Bodrum: 0 (252) 316 1602

Bodrum Marmara Hotel: 0 (252) 313 8130

Casa Dell'Arte, Torba: 0 (252) 367 1848

Lavanta, Yalıkavak: 0 (252) 385 2167

Maki Hotel, Göltürkbükü: 0 (252) 377 6105

Su Otel, Bodrum: 0 (252) 316 6906

Maki Hotel, Göltürkbükü: 0 (252) 377 6105

Su Otel, Bodrum: 0 (252) 316 6906