PICTURE: ISTOCK
DESTINATIONS TURKEY
Bodrum
36 | Travel Weekly | July 3 2009
is reborn
The Turkish town is no longer the preserve of the budget bucket-and-spade brigade;
high-end hotspots and spas give it an altogether wider appeal. Louise Scott reports
Budget breaks for sunworshipping
party animals
– that’s Bodrum, right? Well,
its town centre does burst to
the seams with brash bars,
Brits and bargain stores, so you could
be forgiven for pigeonholing the whole
area as a no-frills fail safe. But there’s a
lot more to the peninsula than that.
With Pegasus Airlines and easyJet
recently launching direct fl ights
from London to this non-euro
currency zone, aff ordable luxury
breaks amid quieter spots in the town,
and more so around the peninsula, are
well within reach.
Try suggesting a fl ight and hotel
and then throw in some add-ons –
but fi rst read on for a few ideas.
WHAT TO SEE
Crammed with classical ruins,
the Bodrum peninsula is history
buff s’ heaven. In a short uphill
stroll through the town’s winding
residential streets, they will be able
to hear the haunting calls to prayer
from the town’s mosques, before
reaching the ancient Roman
amphitheatre and admiring the
coastal views.
Elsewhere in town are the remains
of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus –
one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World, no less – and St
Peter’s Castle, housing the Museum
of Underwater Archaeology, is on
Bodrum Bay. Your clients can either
see these sights independently, or
book a private city tour.
Whether staying in Bodrum town
Turgutreis boasts
impressive
beaches
or elsewhere on the peninsula, there
are many sites within easy reach by
car or escorted tour. For one, there’s
the unspoilt fi shing village of Torba,
set in a charming bay and home to
the remains of a Byzantine monastery.
Ferries from Torba take visitors to
Didyma and the Temple of Apollo,
while the ancient city of Ephesus can
be reached in two-and-a-half hours
from Bodrum town.
If archaeology isn’t enough,
recommend a traditional bath and
massage at a hammam, peoplewatching
at a local coff ee house or a
visit to a mosque, for a taste of
Turkish culture.
WHAT TO DO
With miles of Aegean coastline, the
sea is where the action is. A great way
to explore the Bodrum peninsula’s
hidden coves, in style of course, is to
charter a gulet yacht for a day or more.
Energetic types can windsurf, canoe,
catch fi sh or snorkel off the boat.
Others can simply lie in the sun. Bliss.
Dive centres serve the needs
of scuba junkies, while those who
prefer the water’s surface should
head to Bitez for upmarket water
sports clubs. Choices include
wakeboarding, parasailing and
the sport it is most renowned for –
windsurfi ng. The unspoilt village
of the same name, a 15-minute
walk inland, off ers a break from the
beach throng.
Inland, there is white-water
rafting on the Dalaman river and
horse riding at Turgutreis Country
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