The Daily Telegraph - July 9, 2005
Lycian Coast
Patricia Yates offers an in-depth guide to the beaches, resorts and antiquities of one of Turkey's most appealing areas.
This coastline is truly spectacular. Rugged cliffs of pine forests plunge into turquoise sea. Between them are small bays of sand and shingle accessible only by boat. In ancient times the Lycians, mentioned in Homer's Iliad, settled here and the ruins of their cities and majestic rock tombs can easily be seen.
Drive the coastal road, wander round a deserted dusty ruin, stop for a dip and a simple lunch at a lokanta and you will discover that you can still experience the rugged pleasures of old Turkey.
The arrival of that coastal road, though, has led to the opening up of once-isolated fishing villages. While resorts are still on a small scale, they are becoming more and more developed and are proving particularly popular with British tourists. In some places, such as Kalkan, the British presence is overwhelming.
Turkey, which is outside the Eurozone, remains good value, so the likelihood is that the pressure for more development will continue. For now, however, the cobbled backstreets, the haunting call to prayer from the mosques and the friendliness of the people combine to make for a relaxing holiday with a touch of the exotic.
The harbour is still the focus of these resorts, and to get the best from the coast you should take to the water. You can hop on boats that run like buses to local beaches, buy tickets for day-trip excursions or negotiate your own deal directly with a boat owner. For about £20, you can chug out for a couple of hours on a small fishing boat.
The term beach is interpreted liberally here. You could find that it means miles of undeveloped sand, as at Dalyan, or a couple of concrete terraces, as at Kas. But head out from your resort by car or boat and you are sure to find a small bay of shingle that you can call your own.
Evenings are likely to revolve around an al-fresco dinner by the sea. The meze tend to be the highlight of the meal, small appetizers that include the aubergine-based imam bayaldi (the literal translation means "the priest fainted"), cacik (yogurt, cucumber and garlic salad) and sigara boregi (fried feta-cheese pastries shaped like cigars).
Here is our guide to the better resorts...
KAS
Kas fits the general pattern of resorts along this coast - a small fishing village that transformed itself into a holiday destination. In the 1960s and 1970s it was a favourite hippy haunt but fashion now favours neighbouring Kalkan, leaving Kas as the quieter sister. It's all the better for it, and the shady streets leading up from the sleepy harbour retain a villagey feel.
As you wander round, you may stumble on the odd ruin from ancient Antiphellos - at the top of one alley, for example, is a tall sarcophagus in warm, sand-coloured rock decorated with lions' heads; west of the harbour is a modest theatre from the first century BC..........
Where to eat
If you are looking for a break from Turkish cooking, Chez Evi is a real find. It is a white house with blue painted shutters and a shady courtyard garden. The menu could have come from the South of France with salade Niçoise, £4, or gigot d'agneau £10. Smiley's by the dolmus (minibus) station at the harbour is a more Turkish experience, with large platters of hot, flat bread served with meze (all around £2); the special is sea bass with calamari kebabs (£7).
What to do
The town "beaches" are terraced concrete bathing platforms, such as Cinarlar and Derya to the east of the harbour. The nearest proper beach is Kapitas about 10 miles away towards Kalkan (down a flight of about 200 steps). There's no shade or cafe. Boats in the harbour offer day trips to the sunken city of Kekova, for about £100 for a private boat trip or £10 per person for a group tour.
KALKAN
Despite an extensive building programme in recent years - private villas with pools have sprung up in various parts of the town - Kalkan, with its pretty harbour setting, has retained much of its character and many of the small hotels are in renovated village houses.
The town, extremely popular with British visitors, is built on a steep hill and consequently is not ideal for older travellers or families with young children. On Thursdays, a weekly market, opposite the school on the road out of town, sells a wide range of household items and fake designer clothes.
Where to stay
The boutique-style Hotel Villa Mahal, on cliffs above the bay, has bright, airy rooms and a good rooftop restaurant....
Where to eat
In the heart of Kalkan, Sofra Terrace Restaurant has one of the best views of the town. Skewered chicken is a speciality and a two-course meal with wine costs about £12.50.
Ibo Restaurant serves authentic Turkish cuisine - reserve a table on the balcony. Two courses with wine costs about £10.
Fish lovers should head for Aubergine, by the harbour. The sea bass and hot garlic prawns are excellent. Two courses with wine cost £17.50.
What to do
The nearest decent beach is the 12 miles of unspoilt sand at Patara, a 30-minute drive to the west. Travel by dolmus takes 45 minutes and costs £1.25.
Kalkan is also a great base for exploring ancient Lycian sights. The best is Xanthos, the ancient capital, mentioned by Homer in The Iliad. Many smaller finds are now in the British Museum, but you can see the tower-like Tomb of the Harpies near the Roman theatre.
OLU DENIZ AND FETHIYE
Oludeniz is the poster beach of Turkey: a beautiful, wide stretch of shingly sand (Belcekiz beach), long enough to absorb the crowds, and with the waters of the warm Blue Lagoon behind a natural sandbar.
This is now a nature reserve and charges for entrance (£3 including parking), but still attracts hordes of families who come with picnics to shelter among the pine trees from the heat of the day. The sea is sandy underfoot, calm and gently shelving, so ideal for small children. Set back from the beach is a cluster of open-air restaurants and hotels.
There is much less sensitve development in tacky Hisaronu, the dormitory town for Oludeniz. Bars advertising all-day hangover breakfasts stand back-to-back with jewellers and ranks of hotels offering Sky Sports.
Fethiye, about 10 miles away, is a regional town rather than a resort, with a busy harbour and marina. Dive into the restaurants, shops and cafes that form the old bazaar - a good place to hunt for a bargain.
Where to eat
In Oludeniz, the White Dolphin restaurant is the best spot for a romantic dinner. Main courses focus on fish and cost from about £8.
In Kayakoy, confirmed carnivores should seek out Cin Bal, the racks of lamb on display give a pretty good idea of what's on the menu. Choose your meat by weight - 1kg (2lb) costs about £8 and feeds three or four. You then wait for it to be barbecued while feasting on mezes (£1.50). Megri dominates the central square of the old bazaar. The long menu features local stews and classics such as leg of lamb (£20 for two).
What to do
From Hisaronu, follow the signs through the pine woods to Kayakoy. It's an eerie place, the result of a forced population exchange in 1924, when the Greeks who lived here were repatriated. The human story is told in Louis de Bernieres' latest novel Birds Without Wings. The village - thousands of stone houses, plus churches - has been left to crumble on the hillside. There is also good walking (two hours along the coastal path to Oludeniz) and horse riding.
At Fethiye, day trips round the 12 islands in the bay cost around £10. On Tuesdays, the town hosts one of the region's best markets, which has the benefit of being under cover.
GOCEK
One of Turkey's favourite bases for yachties, Gocek attracts more independent travellers than package tourists. In the sleepy morning sunshine, sailors emerge from below the decks of small yachts and floating gin palaces and wander to a waterside restaurant for a breakfast of crumbly Turkish cheese and olives.
Landlubbers can catch the hourly boat (£2.50) to one of the island beaches.
Behind the fish restaurants that line the wide harbour is a straggle of dusty streets with shops selling provisions and souvenirs. It is all very low-key - except perhaps on Saturday, market day, when the boats arrive bringing tourists from Fethiye......
Where to eat
The strangely-named Swiss Chalet restaurant by the harbour has a typical choice of simple Turkish dishes - meze for £2.50 and kebabs for £6.........
TURUNC AND THE BOZBURUN PENINSULA
Pass quickly through the massive overdevelopment that is now Marmaris, and the road climbs past Icmeler into the craggy mountains of the Bozburun peninsula. Follow the coast road and Turunc nestles in the next bay.
The beach is a long, narrow stretch of dark sand and shingle, gently shelving into the sea. This, and its Blue Flag award for clean bathing water, make it popular with families.
The beach itself is lined with loungers packed cheek by jowl.
This was once a small Turkish resort, but now scores of cheap restaurants and scruffy hotels compete for business - this isn't the undiscovered village guidebooks still claim it to be.....
Where to stay
The place with the wow factor is undoubtedly the Dionysos (available only through Exclusive Escapes), above the bay of Kumlubuk. The property and service are stunning, and you could happily spend the day lazing by the infinity pool.....
Where to eat
Dionysos' Sea Club on the beach at Turunc is a cut above the other establishments and has a short, simple menu.
What to do
From one end of the harbour you can take a boat trip to Marmaris (particularly popular for the Thursday market) or a day tour to Dalyan, two hours away. Hire a car, though - or even better, walk the coastal path - and you will quickly find the real Turkey. Roads into the interior of the peninsula are rough, and signposting is a touch haphazard, but you will certainly feel you are exploring.
One bay along, Kumlubuk has been preserved by a wealthy Turkish magnate, who bought all the land to ensure that development is limited. Naturally his house dominates, but the pebble beach is deserted. Inland, blue painted beehives are dotted over the hills and every other house seems to have a small display of honey for sale.
At the beach in Orhaniye jeep tours stop to walk across the sandbar - great fun if you manage to avoid the crowds - otherwise head farther down the coast and dive into one of the small bays with a waterfront lokanta for a simple lunch.....
What to buy in Turkey
Shoppers will have some fun. Carpets are the big buy: don't rush your purchase and be prepared to negotiate. The silver and gold jewellery is attractive. Turkey is also a faker's heaven - you will find "Ralph Lauren" polo shirts for under a fiver, "Louis Vuitton" bags and leather goods, and plenty of shops selling watches. Leather goods - from full-length coats to belts - are everywhere, as are pashminas.