It’s been quite a while since I wrote my last travel post, so I’m back to talk about my trip to Turkey earlier this year! Me and a few others road tripped the incredibly gorgeous turquoise coast of Turkey.
Last year I headed to Benidorm to explore the alternative side of the seaside town. Besides being swarmed with British tourists each year I managed to seek some incredible spots which has since opened my eyes to the popular destination. I’m always looking to experience places that exceed expectations, was Turkey going to surprise me with its incredible scenery? (Slight clue: absolutely).
During our short 5 day stay we managed to fit in 5 different cities. Our intense itinerary looked a little like this: Bodrum > Marmaris > Dalyan > Olu Deniz > Fetihye – pretty crazy right? That’s a lot of land to cover in less than a week.
Let me start from the bottom and work my way up. We landed at 4am to Dalaman airport, little did we know we were about to embark on another 3 hour journey to Bodrum to spend the night. We were kindly welcomed at Royal Asarlik hotel with a breakfast before heading up to our rooms. Sadly the rooms weren’t as great as the rest of the hotel looked, they smelt of cigarettes and looked like something from the late 80s (now, I’m all for the retro vibe but… this had just been left too long for a refresh!) but since we were only there for one night I didn’t mind too much! They did have a stunning sunrise view which I soon found out the following morning. We really enjoyed a lazy day around the 2 pool areas the resort had to offer, the bar & entertainment staff were so incredibly kind and welcoming, and definitely accommodated to our needs.
We managed to head out to the Bodrum marina- it was absolutely gorgeous! The winding white washed alley ways were so wonderful to walk through. I really wish I had done my shopping here, since there were some lovely stalls and shops! Before sunset we headed to see the best view of the city, which is opposite the stunning amphitheatre! I’d really recommend this stop if you have a spare moment.
After a well needed sleep, we were up and ready to head to Marmaris. We had a pit stop at Atalyans ocakbaşı muğla for lunch. They accommodated for my vegetarian needs with some stunning traditional Turkish dishes! It really seems like this place is in the middle of nowhere, which was a perfect mid way stop on our journey.
As we arrived into Marmaris later on that evening, we headed straight to our next resort, SENTIDO ORKA lotus beach. This place was my favourite spot of the whole trip. It truly is paradise with its tranquil location. The beach is incredibly calm with the most scenic mountain views. We spent the evening relaxing, eating, and joining the hotel on the rooftop bar for some welcome drinks. Spending only one night here wasn’t enough, I could had easily spent a week there & not moved!
DAY THREE
Whilst we were in Marmaris we checked out the Bazaar shopping centre. I’ll make it easy for you guys: If you like cloned designer bags, or other wise known as ‘genuine fakes’ this is the place for you. It’s full of them. I really didn’t like this place so I can’t recommend to go there… I personally love markets that sell authentic local goods. After the market, we checked out the marina which was super gorgeous- full of amazing food and drink spots. Me and a few of the girls stopped for a coffee whilst watching the beauty all around us.
Since we were spending a second night in Marmaris, we checked in to the stunning Green Nature resort This resort hosted a huge activity pool with plenty of sun beds surrounding it, with direct access to the beach. The energy was alive here, it was a super busy hotel & the high season wasn’t in full swing yet.
The rooms were stunning too, mine was super large and airy with a beautiful view of the sea. I absolutely loved the fact you had a private sealed off balcony to each room too. My room had an incredible view to the main stage performances that take place each evening. On the night we were there, a Colombian dance show took place & it was truly UNREAL!
DAY FOUR
The following morning, we had a trip planned in Dalyan to check out the cleopatra mud baths. All week I had been super excited to experience my first mud bath! We indulged our bodies in the mud and laid out in the sun to dry out completely, before washing off & heading into the sulphate thermal baths to make us feel incredible. This was one of my trip highlights, I absolutely loved seeing the Lycian rock tombs along route too.
DAY FIVE
Later that evening we headed to Rixos premium belek for our final dinner before making our way back to the UK. Now… this place truly is sensational. This resort looked so incredibly luxurious upon arrival, and it certainly didn’t disappoint as we were showed around. Rixos is a 13+ resort, which is perfect for those who want a quieter get away when visiting Turkey. The dinner was good, though they really need to widen their vegetarian menu… I’m not sure I could come here and live off of pizza for my main course each evening.
Thank you to each of the hotels for hosting us throughout this memorable trip.
