Yalikavak, TR

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The hotel was a real winner, here. We stayed at the Sirene Luxury just as the season was winding down; it was bliss. Most days we’d have at least one of the pools, beach or jacuzzi to ourselves. Peak season, I imagine it’s very popular and, be warned, this isn’t an adult-only hotel – your experience with noisy kids may vary. The west-facing rooms offered perfect sunset views over the sea and peninsula.

We hired a car, making exploring the coast and mountains straight-forward and giving us easy access to Bodrum town. With such a nice hotel, however, and an intention to not pack the trip, we didn’t venture out as much as we usually would. I took very few photos as a result, too.

Bodrum town is nice and there’s plenty to stay busy with. Most of the things worth seeing are in and around the marina – we didn’t venture too far from here.

Yalikavak – nicknamed the Marbella of Türkiye – was also a nice walk around, and has some superb restaurants on and around the marina. Free parking is available so no need to get ushered into one of the paid car parks unless you want a quiet life. I was quite happy parking on a postage-stamp sized space by a parking entrance and getting shouted at by the attendant – all good fun. The marina is also good for shopping if you’re into luxury brands. The Zuma there probably has the best views to enjoy over dinner, though it gets very busy around sunset when the Instagramies form a queue for photos.

Speaking of food, we discovered a really nice restaurant set back from the coast with a beautiful view overlooking the marina called Lika. Highly recommend if you want to step away from the hustle.

Another nearby town, Gümüşlük, is also a good place to spend an afternoon. There’s a delightful market and plenty of places to eat and drink overlooking the water.

Recommendations

There’s less to recommend than usual here as it was mostly a hotel break. This will be far from a comprehensive list of things worth doing in and around Bodrum.