We started waking up to the rising sun somewhere on the Taurus Mountain range before Fethiye. The night in the bus had been quite pleasant, and to my surprise, we had actually slept pretty well (Turkish busses are comfortable in fact). As we now approached the coast, we were so excited about our third part of the trip that would take us along the Mediterranean coast line. Although it was really early, we couldn’t sleep anymore, but kept watching as the hilly road started descending towards our destination. It was about 7am as we got to the central station of Fethiey, which is located in the outskirts of the town. We had to get a taxi for the last couple of kilometres to reach our hotel by the seaside. We had decided to treat ourselves for a little nicer hotel this time, thinking it would be a nice relaxation after a night in a bus. This early we couldn't check-in but let me tell you, the Turkish hospitality was on its best once again: we got to use their Spa downstairs to get all freshened up, and then enjoy the breakfast on the waterfront (which I can assure was the best breakfast we have ever seen or eaten- free of charge). We knew it would be a great day.
Their hospitality didn’t end here. The guy from the lobby then arranged us for a day cruise and a pick-up came some minutes later. Without further planning, we were going to spend the day cruising around the 12 islands off the coast- a perfect combination of enjoying the picturesque coast and spending a chill day on a boat (very affordable, too). During the day we made multiple stops in blue lagoons where we got to swim and jump off the boat! On one of the islands we got to climb up the hill and admire the gorgeous views all over the island group.
For lunch we had fresh fish straight from the boat’s grill- simple but oh so good. While sailing back to the home harbour, the sun started setting behind the rugged skyline making it look simply gorgeous.
We walked the beach strip back to our hotel, which was only about five minutes walk. Our room was a very pretty boutique type room which had a balcony with views to the bay. Later that night we strolled around the harbour and had dinner in one of its many restaurants (great spots for seafood lovers). The places weren't really packed of tourists yet, which we were happy about, knowing how popular the place is during the peak season. The town itself wasn’t really impressive to neither one of us, but on the contrary, the nature around was just fantastic with so many outdoor possibilities.
The next day started out as well as the previous one with the delightful waterfront breakfast. We also wanted to take the advantage of the cool lounging area by the pool before checking out (even when booked way in advance the place was full).
Luckily the next good thing was just down the road, even closer to the town. After checking in, we looked for a bus shuttle that would bring us to the other side of the hills to this little beach village called Ölüdeniz (translated Blue Lagoon). It’s actually famous for two things; its photogenic turquoise bay and exquisite paragliding scenario. So, naturally, we had to check out this place. The shuttle took us through this less appealing touristy area, and dropped us off further at the entrance of the blue lagoon nature reserve*. After paying a little fee, we could walk around the bay, kick off our shoes and dip into the water wherever we liked. Renting a little paddle boat turned out to be a great way to get across to the calmer corners of the bay and to find isolated swim spots. The colours of the water were splendid; all shades of aquamarine and turquoise. The surrounding mountains and the paragliders on the sky just added to the beauty of the place.
We were definitely pleased to be off the peak season. Not only were the temperatures so pleasant, but also because it was all too nice to have some quiet spots on the beach all just for us. Once the sun was down, we got back to the shuttle- dolmus dolmus!
A couple extra days for paragliding and hiking would've been sweet, but we needed to get on four wheels and hit the coastal road further south towards Kas...
TIPS & LINKS
Accommodation:
or on Booking.com
Cruises & Tours:
Information available on both hotel desks (with
good reliable companies), we got on the 12 Island
1 Day Cruise from Yacht Classic Hotel for about 25€ total for 2.
Blue Cruise
Big Backpackers
3-4 days cruises along the turquoise coast (more chill, backpacker alternative + can take own drinks on board)
Big Backpackers
3-4 days cruises along the turquoise coast (more chill, backpacker alternative + can take own drinks on board)
Bus lines & Car rentals:
Metro busses
- You can find car rental agencies (they often offer other other activities too) in Fethiey close to main harbour / city center.
Metro busses
- You can find car rental agencies (they often offer other other activities too) in Fethiey close to main harbour / city center.
Ölüdeniz:
* Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve is open from
morning till sunset and cost few Euros (plus if you want to rent sun chairs,
kayaks, boats etc.)
