Bodrum, Mediterranean Coast, Turkey

After racing through the centre of Turkey in a matter of days, we took a late night flight down to the southern coast for a bit of relaxation. Choosing where to stay along the Mediterranean Coast was tough with so many options. 

Mediterranean beachfront at Bodrum 

At a recommendation we went to Bodrum, an international holiday hub, and because of this very long holiday that was occurring in Turkey it was a very popular location! Although Bodrum was busy (and can be quite expensive if you eat at any of the many restaurants surrounding the marina), it still has a laid back coastal town feel.  

Along the sunny and dry coast all of the buildings are painted white and the small cobble roads that weave between houses are lines of spider web running up the hillside. 
Large olive trees and luscious pomegranates grow wild and untamed in back gardens and bougainvillea of all colours fall from terraces.

Relaxing in the beautiful waters

Our priority in Bodrum was to relax and unwind. So we found a sailing cruise to take us on a day trip into the beautiful clear and calm turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. 

When looking for a cruise it helps to shop around a bit because there are so many options and different sized boats ranging from a 90-seater to more intimate and private options.  Each night the captains sit on board their boats, moored at the marina to negotiate rates of hire.

By the time we organised ourselves, the four and half day holiday was over and the town was surprisingly quiet. We were pleasantly surprised that the boat we booked was a small wooden sailboat catering for only 12 people (four double bedrooms) because of low numbers. 

We got on and took our places at the front. John then ran to the local supermarket for drinks (as these weren’t included on the boat) only to realise that it was much further away than anticipated. He would have missed the boat if it weren’t for Kara begging the captain to wait a little longer. Talk about an awkward start. 

Kara posing on our sailboat (John is in the water with the camera)

Another boat cruising the mediterranean

So off we went into the blue – our first stop aptly named Aquarium because of the clear water and ease of spotting the little fishes (we unfortunately didn’t see any fishes bigger than our hands). 
At each stop we spent about 30 to 45 minutes to soak up the area, enjoy a swim and dry off in the sun before heading to the next stop. It was absolutely blissful. 

Us at the front of the boat

Then we stopped at a cave area where there is a natural hot spring and the water gets to a nice 32 degrees. All the swimming built up quite a bit of an appetite so we were glad that our next stop was a lunch stop where we were provided with salad, bread and mouthwatering chicken and rice. 

This area also had a meteorite hole 60m deep where John jumped in from high above the cliffs. After our lunch stop we went to an island named Rabbit Island after all the rabbits it may have once had. We had one final stop before ending our day back at the marina where we ate some delicious beef kebabs.

In Bodrum, we also had the opportunity to experience a ‘turkish bath’. This overall conveyer belt style bathing experience was ‘interesting’. 

Exploring the marina

A Turkish bath (Hammam) area

It was here! Now I'm all clean!

Although we can’t show any pictures of the inside (we took this photo at another bath that was closed for the holiday) in essence what happens is that first you either put on your swimsuit or a small wrap towel (that doesn’t really cover anything). 

Lunch on the beach?

You then sit in a stinking hot sauna until your heart races and then move on to the cleaning room. There you then sit against warmed white marble tiles and watched as the young Turkish men (also wearing the small wrap towels) scrub down people with white exfoliating mitts and then douse them in a bucket of cold water. 

Next up, the bathers moved and lay spread eagled in the centre of the square room to be soaped up by more scantly dressed men. Then it was our turn. 

Bodrum Amphitheatre 

We can’t say that it was a particularly enjoyable experience – we felt a bit cold and exposed and were stared at quite a bit, so we won’t be doing it again in a hurry. However it’s interesting to experience something that Turkish people have been doing for centuries. Of course when it was all over...  we enjoyed lunch on the beach laughing at the hilarity of it all. 

Lastly, before heading North we made a quick de-tour to visit the quite deserted Bodrum Amphitheatre located high above the village. Heres a quick photo, but if times limited maybe give it a miss the attraction is quite run down and a large community of homeless people live in the vicinity.

Tot siens,
John and Kara