DESTINATIONS — TURKEY
Isobel Finbow looks beyond the bars and beaches to find the real Marmaris
SO THINK YOU KNOW MARMARIS? S
tanding at the front of the ship, arms spread-eagled, head tipped back and mouth gaping to drink in the
air, I felt a joyous sense of disorientation. Then as the pirate-like wooden vessel lapped over the water, I faced the harbour and remembered that I was, after all, in Marmaris. Yes, the Turkish town Marmaris, best known for sunloungers, beaches and not much else. Although there’s no denying the presence of McDonald’s, baseball caps and bargain beers, scratch the surface a little and there is evidence that the town, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Aegean, has not lost all its tradition and culture. Rural Marmaris might well be one of Turkey’s best-kept secrets. An hour and a half’s drive from Dalaman, its gateway airport, Marmaris’s reliably good weather and cheap hotel
beds – there are more than 60,000 of them – have long been a pull for British tourists who, until recently, have largely been herded in and left to their own devices. But hoteliers are upping their game and beginning to
develop higher-end, boutique options that leave the tacky three-star stereotype in the dust. There’s more to Marmaris than meets the eye – so don’t let your clients miss the boat.
l ISN’T MARMARIS JUST SUN, SAND AND SEA? Once visitors go off-piste in Marmaris, there is a whole host of sights and activities available that will leave them with a real taste of the region, and some
23 January 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 75
TURKEY
travelweekly.co.uk/destinations
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