Datça & its peninsula

Known in Turkish as ''half island'', the Datça Peninsula is surrounded on three sides by sea and is reminiscent of a small Greek island some 20 years ago. Datça is a town where life centres around the harbour. Carpet shops, boutiques, restaurants, bars and even an amphi cinema line the harbour side and each evening an assortment of gulets, yachts and gin palaces arrive to drop anchor in this attractive setting.

In Datça you don't need a car but we think it can only add to your hotel or villa holiday allowing the freedom to explore. A drive through the peninsula with pine forests and roads zig zagging down to sea level will bring you to Knidos, on the tip of the peninsula, a site dating back to 400BC and most famed for its statue of Aphrodite, the first naked female statue in history. If you prefer less strenuous activity then there are numerous bays, some sandy, some pebbly but all with crystal clear water and many ideal for snorkelling. Karaincir is our favourite bay - just 12km. from Datça town it has a splendid golden sandy beach and calm, shallow waters. Driving through the small villages scattered around the peninsula you will be surprised to find how traditional life continues. If you prefer to explore by boat there are boat trips available from the harbour calling at many of the bays unreachable by road, you can even take a day trip to the Greek island of Symi. The nearest major town is Marmaris, a one hour drive through the mountains, the scenery is spectacular and at points you can see the sea on both sides of the peninsula. Many of the locals think of Bodrum as their nearest major town and there is a daily ferry boat taking two hours.

On Saturday the villagers assemble in Datça for market day affording the opportunity to buy some of the best local produce. Datça is famed for its almonds, honey and thyme and something you cannot buy in the market - the air! In ancient times it was known as ''magic air'', due to the north wind that blows in the summer there is very little humidity and this is considered to be of great benefit for some medical complaints! Nearby ''Eski Datça'', or Old Datça. is the original inland settlement. Crooked little stone houses line the narrow streets. Until recently the road to Datça was very bad but it has now been improved making the journey much more comfortable. We consider this area one of our best finds and would highly recommend a holiday here in one of the best villas in Datça - Kangohan or in the Marfe Hotel and Marfe Villas.

Selimiye on the Bozburun Peninsula
If your idea of a holiday is to spend time relaxing in a quiet, unspoilt destination then there can be few locations as idyllic as Selimiye where you will find Layla, a spacious sea side holiday villa. It’s likely that the most you’ll do is to take a stroll along the sea front in search of restaurants offering a great selection of Turkish fare, but, if you are feeling particularly energetic then you might consider kayaking to the restaurant!

Just an hour’s travel time from the big and bustling Marmaris Selimiye is  a “one street” village where all the activity centres around the sea front. As with many of the best “undiscovered” places this is a haven for yachts, the most fitting geographical description for this area is a “sound”, the steep hills surrounding this inlet ensure that it is perfectly calm and with no sandy beaches the water is crystal clear and quickly shelves to very deep water. Where there are yachts then there are usually good restaurants and this is certainly the case in Selimiye. The famous Sardunya restaurant situated on the sea front with it’s own jetty is full every night during the summer months – the tables, adorned with white linen and elegant glassware would not be out of place in the best French restaurant. Life is lived on the sea front and with one carpet store, a handful of beach ware boutiques and a few jewellery and craft shops there’s even an opportunity to shop on the sea!  Every Wednesday the village market offers a great selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, dried fruit and nuts, cheeses and olives and stalls laden with Turkish fabrics.

Daily boat trips leave the village and visit spectacular islands and coves, Kamelya with its ancient ruins of a monastery and guard like donkey and shoals of small fish, the magnificent volcanic island with an underwater chasm that you can swim through and the Fairy Chimney bay with rock formation similar to that in Cappadocia.

Hiring a car or even just hopping in a taxi will allow the chance to explore, just a 10 minute drive from the village is the famous waterfall, whilst in terms of a waterfall it might not reach the dizzy heights of Niagara or Iguaçu there is nothing more enjoyable than going late in the day when all the day trippers have left and taking a dip in the icy cold pools. At Orhaniye there is a shallow bar across the bay, the phenomena of walking through the middle of the sea just has to be photographed. Bozburun, a little further south is best known for its boat building but again where yachts stop there are always good sea side restaurants to be found.  

If history and ancient sites are your interest then the area will not disappoint with the ancient sites of Hydas, Hygassos and Baybassos. In the nearby city of Hydas the ruins of wide city walls dating back to the Hellenistic period, several tombs and a watchtower can be found and there are a number of castles in the area dating back to 5th century.

We think that staying here is a privilege – a holiday villa in an authentic and unspoilt village where  the emphasis is on relaxation - few holiday choices could be better.

Click to read more about our villas in Turkey.