Expanding Turkey’s menu

Expanding Turkey’s menu

MARKET day arrives in Yalikavak, a small Turkish town on the Bodrum Peninsula, and my sister Caroline and I are in deep discussions over an acceptable price for a beautiful scarlet handbag.

By: Annabelle Thorpe

There are dozens of bags on the stall in front of us, the air is thick with spices and everywhere women are bustling past with carrier bags filled with fresh vegetables, pots and pans and slippers, while tourists coo over the amazingly cheap cashmere wraps and pretty ceramics.

We fix on a price and retire, slightly exhausted, to a ramshackle cafe at the side of the market to revive ourselves with gozleme, delicious Turkish pancakes stuffed with feta cheese and herbs, and sip Turkish tea from tulip-shaped glasses.

Around us sit local men in knitted caps and smart grey trousers playing backgammon and sipping tea, habits formed over decades and little changed by the recent influx of tourists.

Yalikavak is just one of a clutch of unspoilt village resorts that cling to the coastline of the Bodrum Peninsula.

That they have remained unspoilt is largely due to the lack of beaches, and the fact that many of the tourists who come here are holidaying city dwellers from Izmir and Istanbul.

Yalikavak and its neighbouring resorts of Torba and Golturkbuku have slim strips of sand but there is little to rival the beautiful beaches of Oludeniz and Iztuzu. Instead most visitors from the UK stay in Bodrum or Gumbet, around 20 minutes away by taxi but a world away in atmosphere and size.

The influx of Turkish tourists has seen a crop of stylish boutiques spring up in Yalikavak and the other villages.

Our base for the first few days is the 4reasons Hotel, a chic 21-room boutique retreat 15 minutes walk from the waterfront.

Run by the delightful Esra, it is stylish without being pretentious. Our all-white room is furnished with Turkish art and antiques and has a balcony that’s perfect for watching the spectacular sunsets.

Golturkbuku has a very different feel to laid-back Yalikavak. This is where the beautiful and wealthy come to play, arriving on gleaming yachts and sipping caipirinhas at cocktail bars overlooking the water.

Part of the joy of staying on the peninsula is the chance to explore the different villages. None are more than a 20 to 30-minute drive and there are regular “dolmuses” (minibuses) which provide an excellent service if you don’t want to hire a car.

We are keen to visit Golturkbuku, said to be Turkey’s answer to the French Riviera. Although it is relatively low season the beach clubs are still running with decked platforms over the water, elegant white loungers and raffia chairs.

Hip hotels line the gently curving bay and we combine a lazy day on the beach with a browse in the chic boutiques. Golturkbuku has a very different feel to laid-back Yalikavak. This is where the beautiful and wealthy come to play, arriving on gleaming yachts and sipping caipirinhas at cocktail bars overlooking the water.

Those who sail into Golturkbuku usually head on for a few nights in Bodrum and we do the same, swapping our small boutique hotel for a couple of nights at the Grand Yazici, a sleek, modern hotel with a spectacular pool area. It sits on the hillside above the town affording mesmerising views over the rooftops to the castle and gulet-lined harbour.

We head into the winding streets and alleys that run between the whitewashed houses in the Old Town. It’s here where the real atmosphere is to be found.

We stumble across La Pasion, a lovely Spanish tapas restaurant in a candlelit courtyard and although it feels a little surreal to be tucking into patatas bravas and albondigas (meatballs), the food, particularly the crab croquettes, is fantastic.

The bright lights of Bodrum feel like a complete contrast after our few days on the peninsula and the chance to experience both in one week is what makes this such a great choice.

GETTING THERE: Anatolian Sky (0844 273 3586/ anatoliansky.co.uk) offers seven nights at the 4reasons Hotel from £729pp (two sharing), B&B, or seven nights at the Grand Yazici from £745pp (two sharing), B&B.

Price includes return flights from the UK and transfers. Rhino Car Hire (0845 508 9845/ rhinocarhire.com) offers seven days car hire from £135.

Express Readers can claim a 10% discount via rhinocarhire.com/Express.aspx. Quote “Express Discount” when booking. Turkish Culture and Tourism Office: 020 7839 7778/ gototurkey.co.uk

via Expanding Turkey’s menu | Travel | Life & Style | Daily Express.