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Gökçebel Our Village
Is a charming little traditional style Turkish Village only 10 minutes from Yalikavak.
There is only one shop (sells bread water and eggs etc) and a tea garden mostly inhabited by the men of the village playing backgammon.
There is a small market every Tuesday selling locally grown fresh produce at good prices. You can find this one minute up the road from the house and cottage, set amongst a grove of pine trees.
Two breakfast restaurants/serving village breakfasts, more of a brunch than a breakfast, which are a must, are within five minutes of the house.
You will find, rugged rocks and lovely countryside and woodland around with a sprinkling of old ruins. Including ancient Roman Cisterns and a castle, found on Castle Street.
The people of the village are very friendly and helpful.
There is a bus stop outside shop, the bus into Yalikavak and Bodrum goes and comes every hour. This stops at all the beaches on the way to Yalikavak.
Yalikavak - Local Fishing Town Splendour
Secluded and tranquil, The Old Stone House is only minutes away from the fashionable seaside village of Yalikavak.
Here, superb restaurants and boutique shops cater for every taste and the new swanky marina already has a reputation as a first class international sailing destination for the rich and famous, shopping is exotic and expensive, Chanel, Gucci, etc.
There are some wonderful restaurants and bars, and The Billionaire’s Club too!
The real old Yalikavak is a village community some 17 Kilometers from the resort of Bodrum, And more relaxed than the busier holiday resorts, but the overwhelmingly friendly atmosphere of Yalikavak satisfies the most discerning of holiday travelers looking for the real Turkey.
Yalikavak’s boundaries stretch in the North from the old boat yard, right around the bay, to the marina to the south. Between the two are a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and many small beaches all set out with sun beds for everyone’s use.
The main street in Yalikavak is well served with a variety of shops and supermarkets.
Behind the main village is the Bus Station, Municipal offices, bank and the area on which the huge Yalikavak market is held every Thursday.
If you are energetic and are keen on walking, a couple of kilometers out of the village towards Bodrum will offer you superb views over Yalikavak bay and Village.
One of the must see features of the Yalikavak area is an Art gallery and Cafe some 30 minutes walk up the hills to Sandima, run by a rather unusual Turkish couple, both of whom are artists, they welcome visitors and go out of there way to ensure your stay is both memorable and enlightening, not to mention enjoying a glorious view whilst sipping an ice cold glass of Efes Pilsen, Turkey’s best-selling beer.
Discover The Charm Of Local Villages
Türkbükü
A delightful fishing village, popular with the artistic Turkish society as yet not too touristy, there is a wonderful selection of fish restaurants, set out on little jetties festooned with twinkling candles. There are two VERY swank hotels here where you can have an elegant drink or two. High flying Istanbulite and Ankara intelligentsia abound here and the prices reflect this.
Gundogan
Pronounced GUNDWAN, a typical unpretentious Turkish village this has a fascinating old part, up above on the hillside, which gives a real insight into rural Turkish life. Find beaches and restaurants by turning left at any point once inside the main shopping area.
Specialises in water sports.
Gölköy (on the way to Bodrum from Türkbükü)
A pretty, traditional fishing village with a small boat yard and shops, now the poor sister to the Mandarin Oriental and Hilton Spa hotel complexes, set high up on the hills overlooking Cennet Bay, which is still clinging on to it’s natural beauty.
Torba
A pleasant newer village with harbour, restaurants and bars. As in Torba Rich Turks go here, but not as ‘arty’ as in Turkbuku. Lovely jetty and harbour area, pretty houses on the water’s edge; stunning aqua water.
A Stunning Seaside Village - Gumusluk
This surely is a must for a visit: one of the oldest settlements on the Bodrum peninsula. It stands on the site of the ancient Carian city of Myndos whose seafront sections slid into the sea in some long-forgotten earthquake.
Today Gümüslük retains a small-scale, relaxed and magical atmosphere thanks to strictly enforced building prohibitions, designed to protect the ancient site.
The charming flower-bedecked houses follow the curve of a small and pretty bay.
Gümüslük is the perfect antidote for modern-day living, it’s a great place to unwind in an idyllic setting.
The place is littered with Graeco Roman remains and you can see the old city of Myndos lying bemeath the water. Take time to wnder around the bay look at the buried mosaics in a field at the end of the harbour and walk all around the peninsula (take care to wear good shoes) to see the other artifacts scattered close to the shore.
You can slip into the water and stand where the ancients stood, although of course they would have been on dry land then! There is an ancient causeway (in reality the top of the buried castle’s wall) to a small ‘rabbit’ island.
If you go to the opposite end of the harbour (left) you can eat in any of the many restaurants and then slide quietly onto one of their sunloungers to digest your meal. I love it.
Certainly though this place has attracted a lot of tourists and so I’m afraid not as cheap as it was, but still one of the loveliest parts of The Bodrum Peninsula.
Turgutreis - Stunning Sunsets & Longest Beaches
The largest residential area after Bodrum, on the Aegean coast of Turkey named after the great seaman, Turgut Reis, a famous captain from the region.
You’ll be stunned by the beautiful view spread out before you as you approach Turgutreis – beyond the white buildings and tall mosque spires, you’ll see a cluster of small islands lying in the calm blue waters of the Aegean sea.
Turgutreis has probably the longest beach on the Bodrum Peninsula, mile upon mile of golden sand scattered with sunbeds and umbrellas, bordered by cafe-bars and restaurants.
In the evenings, the thing not to be missed are the spectacular sunsets.
The very best place to see the sun setting over the islands and disappearing into the Sea. To my mind in high season it can get a little too ‘vibrant’.
Bodrum - The Capital of The Peninsula
The main town, exciting sometimes frenetic, busy and thriving. Lots to do and see, don’t miss exploring the old part of town, the castle, and the amphitheatre.
The Marina is chic and has several bars with live music, it has now been superceded by the Yalikavak marina in all area, so now appears almost quaint.
There are lots of good quality cheaper restaurants overlooking Marina.
Harbour side a little more expensive but plenty of fish all on the sea. It is certainly worth getting off main drag to find interesting places, small ‘lokantas’ which have counters stacked with containers filled with sizzling local dishes, fresh every day.
Good, honest food
No damask napkins here, just good honest food, you can use this rule anywhere in Turkey, informal cafes roughly furnished usually provide the best food.
Visit the museum, Turkish baths, and the wonderful market open on Fridays for pretty well anything you can think of.
Heart of Town
The heart of the town is around the harbour, where shops, bars and restaurants jostle together in the narrow streets under the shadow of the St. Peter Castle.
The main artery is Cumhurriyet Caddesi (Republic Street), much better known as bar street. From here you can also catch a ferry to Kos and some of the other Greek Islands. St. Peter’s Castle in Bodrum has a wonderful museum and a lot of interesting ‘stuff’. Great views and if you can cut off the other tourists you can really take yourself back in time and be those crusaders.
Our Historic Sites
To be quite honest there are so many historical sites we are spoiled for choice, so we have a specific list, which we can send out to those who are interested. We have picked out the nearest and the best below, but many may disagree!
DIDIM, THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO (nearest, about an hour’s drive) There is a Wonderful and massive lake on the way, BAFA, you can have tea and snacks there by the waters edge, it is very romantic with a small castle set on an islet, where a princess was supposed to have been imprisoned.
Didem is a pretty spectacular place and it will will take a good two hours to amble around. The nearby town of Altinkum isn’t noted for its architectural merit, anthropologists may be intrigued by the Manchester influences.
Further on and ‘doable’ is PRIEME AND MILET (not so well known), but I loved both places, not excavated properly and all the better for it I say. You could plan for a whole day out doing these 3, have lunch and several snacks and get back in time for dinner.
EPHES is of course the finest site, but much further, you would have to allow 3 hours to get there so expect the cries from the back “are we nearly there?” which may make it not worth the bother if you have small children. Adult ‘MUST SEE’.
IASSOS: If you don’t want to make the trek to Ephes, there is a smaller version only 1 hour away, just past the airport and turn left off the Milas road. An amazing example of a small Roman harbour town, with temples and baths and fantastic mosaics, even if you have seen Ephes it’s worth a trip. The added bonus is there is a very good fish restaurant within minutes of the entrance. Don’t forget the map, just when you think you must be lost, there it is! A good view of Byzantine castle too, which looks very romantic set on a rock in the middle of the sea.
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- Appollo Temple Didim
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- Didim Ox
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- Apollo Sculpture
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- Ephasus
Windmills, Boats & Lakes
THE FAMOUS WINDMILLS
On the way into Yalikavak just on the crest of the hill you will find a row of windmills, currently one only restored, but if you are lucky it will be in full sail on a windy day. There are many more scattered about the peninsula, a physical memory of a distant time when farming was the main occupation of the inhabitants.
BOATS
The renowned Blue Cruise Gulet trips around the inlets of the Turquoise Coast are well worth doing if you have the time, you will need a minimum of four –six people to make it financially reasonable, but I can say it!s the best trip I have ever made on a boat.
I do have contacts that I can trust, they give good deals to my guests and speak English. Please make sure you get advice re these trips as some as I am sure you realise are better than others. We can arrange for you in advance if required.
ROUND LAKE BAFA
Lake Bafa is a nature lovers’ paradise. The huge, oval shaped lake which has a shore line of 62km, was a bay of the Aegean Sea some 2000 years ago and was known as Gulf of Lade at the time.
Silting of the Meander river caused the lake to be cut off and as the sea receded, the bottom was Rock tombs near HerakliaLake Bafa revealed which is what you walk on today.
The Latmos mountain chain surrounds the lake with Five Finger Mountain its highest peek at 1700m. Hikers willing to climb a bit will discover a series of caves, some of which contain exceptional rock paintings.
The lake and surrounding area is home to 255 species of rare birds. Visitors can fish for eel, sea bream and mullet in the salty water of the lake or hire a boat and visit a small island which features the remains of a monastery dating from Byzantine times.
History fans are also rewarded by the sites of nearby Heraklia that contains more monasteries as well as the mysterious rock tombs with their half removed lids.
As you look down upon them from the top of the monastery, you happily discover several small restaurants eager to offer you a dish of freshly caught and grilled fish along with respite after your hearty hike and climb.
Combing both destinations makes for a lovely, peaceful and at the same time interesting day trip from Bodrum, Didim or Kusadasi. Don’t miss it if you have a chance.
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