TURKEY OLUDENIZ & FETHIYE DESTINATIONS S
tanding between the eerily quiet houses of ‘ghost town’
Kayakoy, it’s hard to believe we’re just a few minutes’ drive from two of Turkey’s busiest coastal resorts. While Oludeniz throngs with sunseekers flocking to the famous Blue Lagoon and Fethiye’s market traders haggle with locals and tourists alike, this now-derelict town sits empty and uncannily silent. Behind every set of peeling
wooden shutters and every yard now overgrown with weeds lies a tragic story of the Greek community forced to abandon their homes in the wake of the Greco-Turkish War of the early 1920s. Yet it’s also a poignant reminder of how much more there is to this region than its sun and sea reputation would suggest. While the majority of visitors come for the picture-perfect
beaches or the family-friendly hotels, there’s as much for thrill- seekers or history buffs as there is for sun-worshippers, provided they know where to look.
w SELL: MIXED BLESSINGS Turkish gateway Dalaman is well served by flights from across the UK – departure airports include Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester and Belfast – with low-cost carriers keeping prices competitive. Add to that just a 45-minute transfer from Dalaman to Fethiye, or an hour to Oludeniz, and accessibility is a real selling point for these resorts. Broadly speaking, Oludeniz’s sandy beaches and shallow waters steer it toward the family market, while Fethiye might be a better fit for couples or older clients who like strolls around the
Oludeniz is one of the most beautiful places in Turkey
Turkey and a protected area of outstanding natural beauty – the perfect place to go on holiday if all you want to do is relax, soak up the sun and watch the sunset.” Yet it’s also the nearest resort
harbour or bargain-hunting in the market. Yet there’s plenty of crossover appeal in either resort, so there’s no need to pigeon-hole them too strictly. “Oludeniz has arguably
Turkey’s most famous beach,” says Olympic Holidays commercial director Photis Lambrianides. “It’s one of the most beautiful places in
to Babadag Mountain, famed for its world-class paragliding, thanks to favourable thermals. Novices can take a tandem flight with a qualified pilot while more experienced paragliders can go solo, but either way, it’s a serious adrenaline boost. Fethiye, on the other hand, has
a different vibe, with its weekly market and homely, harbour- front restaurants as much
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PICTURE: JET2HOLIDAYS
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