Things To Do

In most resorts sunbeds and umbrellas are free of charge. The bar or restaurant nearby usually owns them so if you purchase a drink or meal they are quite happy for you to use them.  Most have toilets or showers. Yalikavak has its own sandy beach all along the coastline the nearest being 15 minutes walking from the villa.  Camel Beach (Kargi Bay) is a larger sandy beach with shallow waters and is about a 25 minute drive away its also one or two degrees hotter there so be warned!! Akaylar beach is also nice which is near to Camel Beach.

Other than relaxing on the beach or around the pool - Within walking distance of Yalikavak you can view the rock tombs of Küdür Bay or visit the old deserted Greek village of ‘Sandima’ with its waterfalls and spectacular views of Yalikavak bay.

Due to Yalikavak’s central location on the peninsula, surrounding areas of Geris, Kürdür, Gümüslük, Turgutreis, Torba, Gündogan, Göl-Türkbükü, Gümbet, Bitez and, of course, Bodrum are all within easy reach by dolmus (mini-bus), taxi or hire-car.

The new marina is very beautiful to walk around, having an amphitheatre within, and there are lots of shops and café bars to sit and relax.  There is also a play area along the marina walk for the younger children which can sometimes have a small fairground merry go round depending upon season.

If sailing and boats are your forte, you can enjoy an organised boat trip from the old harbour or charter your own yacht from ‘Port Bodrum, Yalikavak’s new state-of-the-art marina.  We definitely do a boat trip every holiday, you never seem to tire of the experience!   It’s a wonderful day out with your meals included in the price, which averages about £15 per head excluding drinks during the trip.  Make sure you take suncream, even if cloudy you will catch the sun!

Yalikavak has a number of quality restaurants, whether your choice is international cuisine, delicious Turkish home cooking or one of Yalikavak’s famous seafood restaurants. If you just want to relax in the evening with a cold beer, try one of the beach bars and enjoy a spectacular sunset over the bay.

Shopping in and around Yalikavak

The village itself has many small shops to browse allowing you to take home a souvenir of Turkey and there are new shops opening around the new marina selling various goods and souvenirs, which are worth a visit.

Gümüşlük
Gümüşlük is one of the oldest settlements on the Riviera and is rich with ruins both underwater and on land. These can be seen in the shallow water as you wade towards Tavsan Adasi (“island of rabbits”). The area is full of Mediterranean shrubs, citrus orchards and centuries old olive trees. Lining the bay are a myriad of fabulous fish restaurants much favoured by locals because of their unique atmosphere.   You must visit one of them during your stay especially in the evening when the sun is setting – it’s a pure pleasure.  The bread and pastries stuffed with herbs and cakes made from cornmeal also just have to be eaten

Many of the beach bars have shaded areas with large cushions where you can go and relax out of the heat of the sun, following a lovely beachside lunch.


GündoğanGündoğan is covered with beautiful flowers all year round. Olives and their oils are extracted by the local people in this authentic unspoilt village with its citrus orchards and history of sponge divers.

Bitez
Bitez is the second bay to the west of Bodrum and here the old stone houses are today’s restaurants. The countryside around Bitez is full of mandarin groves, which are still unspoilt by tourism. There is nothing nicer than a gin and tonic enriched with a slice of fresh green mandarin, a taste that will inspire you. Bitez has become an international centre for windsurfing. 

Bodrum 
Bodrum - ancient Halicarnassos – is the main town within the Bodrum Peninsula where shopping and restaurants abound.  The main attraction is the Castle of St Peter (Tues–Sun 9am–noon & 1–5pm), built by the Knights of St John over a Selçuk fortress between 1437 and 1522. Inside, the various towers house a Museum of Underwater Archeology, which includes coin and jewellery rooms, classical and Hellenistic statuary, and Byzantine relics retrieved from two wrecks, alongside a diorama explaining salvage techniques. The Carian princess hall (pay extra) displays the skeleton and sarcophagus of a fourth-century BC noblewoman unearthed in 1989. There is also the Glass Wreck Hall (pay extra) containing the wreck and cargo of an ancient Byzantine ship, which sank near Marmaris. 

Immediately north of the castle lies the bazaar, from where you can stroll up Türkkuyusu Caddesi and turn left to the town's other main sight, the Mausoleum (daily 8am–5pm). This is the burial place of Mausolus, who ruled Halicarnassos in the fourth century BC, greatly increasing its power and wealth. His tomb (from which we derive the word "mausoleum") was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but the bulk of it is now in London's British Museum. The town's ancient amphitheatre, just above the main highway to the north, was begun by Mausolus and was modified in the Roman era; it's used during the annual September festival.