Where to Stay in Marmaris and Fethiye?

In both Marmaris and Fethiye, hotels ranging from five star all-inclusive to budget bed and breakfast are located on the seafront but if you want to be away from all the action, look at staying in the Armutalan area. Nightlife is mostly active on the well-known bar street by the harbour and the beach front also has numerous bars and clubs open until the early hours of the morning.

Armutalan

People who want to stay in a cosier and traditional environment will benefit from choosing one of the surrounding resorts of which a few include…

Bozburun is the home of traditional gulet boat building. Credited with constructing the vessels used to sail the Turkish Riviera, this is an ideal choice for people looking for quiet and rustic holiday spots.

Bozburun

Icmeler is a 20-minute bus drive from Marmaris town centre and is a scenic resort, fronted by a long sandy beach and backed by green pine tree forests. Water sports are popular in this area. This is an ideal destination for families with young children.

Honey, almonds, and fish are the main attractions of the Datca Peninsula. Beehives dot the mountainside while locals eagerly anticipate harvesting time for the almond trees. As a fishing village, it is no surprise to find fish dishes are top of the menu. Windmills also dot the coastline and the nearby ancient ruins of Kaunos excite history lovers.

Datca

Turunc has adapted well to foreign visitors because it has not given way to mass tourism and still stuck to its original beginnings as a small fishing village. This resort is a two-hour transfer from the nearest airport of Dalaman.

Turunc

Popular Turkish Resorts on The Aegean

Turkeys Aegean coasts offer a lot of alternatives for visitors who would like to enjoy sea, sun and wonderful beaches. Apart from Bodrum, there are 2 other popular resorts in the Aegean coast of Turkey; " Marmaris" and "Fethiye".

The Marmaris peninsula is one of the top holiday spots in Turkey. It grew from a small fishing village into a large city, surrounded by many small coastal resorts. The most popular destination to stay is Marmaris centrum because all amenities are close by.

Marmaris

Fethiye is popular with expats and holidaying Turks from big cities of Turkey. It lures many because of sandy beaches and the natural landscapes of Blue Lagoon and The Butterfly Valley.

Fethiye Blue Lagoon

Where to stay in Bodrum?

In Bodrum, you will have no problem to find the accommodation which will suit your needs because there are hundreds of hotels from budget to luxury as well as romantic alternatives.

Bodrum is a large peninsula with different areas. If you want to get information about the locations you can read my previous article about which area is the best to stay in Bodrum?

Here I have listed my top 5 selections for Bodrum hotel from Budget to luxury and romantic alternatives.

Gulet Hotel  Located in the heart of Bodrum town, it offers reasonably costed rooms and open whole year-round. Some rooms are faced to Bodrum Marina and hotel is walking distance to yacht marina, town center, castle and museum.

Gulet Hotel Roof Terrace View

Dolce Hotel Bodrum  Settled on  Bardakci Bay of Bodrum, it offer wonderful view of the town and Aeagean Sea. You can reach to the town center by using local buses.

Dolce Hotel Bodrum

El Vino Bodrum Hotel  One of the best boutique hotels in the town center. Walking distance to local market, restaurants and museum. Although there is no view at the rooms, the restaurant and atmosphere inside the hotel is wonderful.

Double Room at Elvino Bodrum Hotel

The Marmara Bodrum Hotel offers comfortable accommodation services for luxury lovers looking for a hotel in the center of Bodrum. Belong to the The Marmara Collection , hotel has 95 rooms, SPA center, private beach.

Party Animal Suite in The Marmara Bodrum Hotel

Doria Hotel Bodrum belongs to Doria Collection, its one of the romantic hotels of the town. Although its away from the town center, it offers a romantic holiday for couples at leisure.

Doria Hotel Bodrum

Things to do in Bodrum

Parties & Clubs : Bodrum is the town of crazy parties during day and night. You can start partying in a beach club and then continue in the evening at the bar street.

Bodrum Bars 

Day trip to Kos Island : You can take a day trip to Kos Island if you have a schengen visa (No need for Americans and Australians) on your passport. Ferries running daily during high season ( May till October) from Bodrum port. You leave in the morning and return in the evening. 

Kos Island, Greece

Walk through the narrow streets, enjoy shopping in the local market, taste delicious Greek food and drink Ouzo (local spirit). An enjoyable day to add a Greek touch to your holiday.

Kos Market

Which area is the best to stay in Bodrum?

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Bodrum town centre, Gumbet is a neighbouring resort. Although British visitors have heavily influenced the atmosphere and lifestyle, it is cheap, has a long sandy beach and a variety of water sports to keep teenagers entertained.

Gumbet at Night

Turgutreis is small yet busy enough to attract couples, families, and solo travellers. This resort has quite a few art galleries because it is a haven for inspiring artists.

There is one main beach in the centre but around the surrounding coastline are many small coves and bays should you want to get away from the crowds.

Yalikavak is popular with the ex-pat community. A long beach centres the resort that eventually leads up the hillside to pine tree forests. This resort is well known for the windmills in the centre and fishing enthusiasts will appreciate the boats for hire at the harbour. Get ready for an orange, vibrant sunset as well.

Bodrum Windmills 

Bitez is another destination popular with British holidaymakers. Although not large when compared to places like Bodrum town centre, it still provides everything for an ideal break.

Bitez

The local market on Wednesdays attracts everyone, while visitors first normally head to the historic 17th century Mustafa Pasa tower.

If you want upmarket and luxury, the best resort to head to is Golturkbuku. It is a favourite destination for the rich and famous of Turkish society. Hotels, beach clubs, and restaurants all focus on providing top class service no matter what the price.

Golturkbuku

Bodrum " St. Tropez of Turkey"

If you want to enjoy beautiful beaches of Aegean Coast and spend some days by swimming then you can be sure Bodrum is the right place on your route. 

Bodrum St JOHN Castle

Situated on the Aegean coast of Turkey, the Bodrum peninsula is the playground of the rich and famous but also the haven of budget holidaymakers. It manages to achieve a harmonious blend of Western and modern influences with traditional roots as a small fishing village.

Street in Bodrum 

It first gained fame in the 1950s thanks to Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı who was the famous “Fisherman of Halicarnus.” Exiled to the region in 1920 because of his political views, the devastating news turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

He fell in love with the sandy beaches, strutting coastline ruins, blue waters, and friendly locals of the small villages. Boat makers in the area adapted the old style-fishing vessel of a Turkish gullet boat, to a new style so they could accommodate many who were flocking to the region to sail the Turkish Riviera. 

Gulet Cruising in Bodrum

There are many resorts to choose from including Bodrum town centre itself. This is the most convenient location because it is near to all major landmarks such as the castle and museum.

It also accommodates everyone by providing varied styles of everything from five star luxury hotels to budget bed and breakfast rooms, from fine eating establishments to roadside cafes selling street food. The town centre is also best for anyone seeking an active nightlife scene.

Best time to go Bodrum from April till October. June - July - August is high season including Turkish people so the prices are much higher than other months.

Visit Seven Churches of Revelation

Just another information for Christian visitors to the Aegean Coast of Turkey; All the ‘Seven Churches’ of Apocalypse are seven major churches of Early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation and written to by John the Apostle can be visited here.

 In Revelation, on the Greek island of Patmos, Jesus Christ instructs his servant John to: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.  "Churches" refered to the community of Christians living in each city, and not merely the building in which they worshipped.

Map of Seven Churches

1:Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) - the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4)

2:Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) - the church that would suffer persecution (2:10).

3:Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) - the church that needed to repent (2:16).

4:Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) - the church that had a false prophetess (2:20).

5:Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) - the church that had fallen asleep (3:2).

6:Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) - the church that had endured patiently (3:10).

7: Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) - the church that was lukewarm and insipid (to God) (3:16).

If you would like to visit Seven Churches then I would recommend you to look at this Seven Churches tour offered by Turkey Travel Specialists.