We were now on the D400 road headed to south*. The first stop we made was in Patara. What today seems like just a traditional Turkish village, used to be a lively commercial center in its time. Pass the village you can now visit its ancient ruins and just a bit further is the Patara-Beach; a nearly 20 kilometres long white-sand beach popular in summer time.
As you leave Patara area, you soon find
yourself on a very scenic coastal road that takes you literally along the
seaside. What makes it really impressive is that you have the mountains right
next to you on the other side, and the sea on the other. Along the road we
saw endless number of little coves, most of them completely untouched, and some
with local folks lounging the day away. We took our time to enjoy
the road and it wasn’t until one very special beach that we actually pulled
over, parked the car, and got around to it- Kaputas Beach
The final stop for the day was Kas, which is only about 20km ahead from
Kaputas. As we arrived, we made a small stop above the town where beautiful
panoramic views opened up not only over Kas, but also over the Cukurbag peninsula and the nearby Greek island of Kastelórizo ahead
Our lodging for the night was on that peninsula, and after following a
narrow, winding road we descended steeply down to the parking lot. The place
was on a great location overlooking the sea and the Greek island- and so was
our room. We took a sunset swim, and enjoyed our two balcony suite (for 30€-
cheap price, even for off season). It turned out we were one of the only guests that night in that rather sizable hotel. The owner (it was family run) was
a very involved host, and the wife (I assume) cooked some fish for dinner. It
was a decent meal, but it turned out to be the most expensive thing about that
stay! Out of some reason I couldn't sleep too well that night, so I was up and out on the balcony on couple occasions watching the night sky and later on the gorgeous dawn.
Yet another fine breakfast (and a morning swim) later, we were back on the road and off to explore some of the most pristine spots on the coast...
TIPS & LINKS
Route (distances & approximate travel times):
D400 Fethiye - Antalya (scenic coastal road via Kas, 295 km, 5-6 hours)
D350 Fethiye - Antalya (mountain road, about 200 km, 3- 3.5 hours)
Accommodation:
(Kas, Cukurbag peninsula)
Mais Hotel
or on Booking.com
Turkey's Top 10 Beaches
(ancient ruins, beach)
