Dalaman Area Holidays

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Offering Blue Flag beaches, lively tourist resorts and historical sights, holidays to the Dalaman area of Turkey fly off the shelves.

Holiday hotspot

Slicing into Turkey’s south-west coast, the Dalaman area has been attracting visitors since ancient times. Back then, it was the destination of choice for Greek gods like Pegasus and Apollo.

The turquoise coast

The region’s appeal begins with its beaches. Known as the Turquoise Coast, the Dalaman area’s shoreline is a chain of coves, bays and long stretches of sand. Icmeler and Olu Deniz are bumper beach resorts. Their shorelines are accessorised with bars, restaurants, shops and watersports. The famous Blue Lagoon in Olu Deniz, meanwhile, is such a sight for sore eyes, it’s been turned into a national park. Then there’s Sarigerme, a relative newcomer to Turkey’s tourism market, and the proud parent of a 12-kilometre beach.

Ephesus

The Dalaman area’s coast is just the tip of the iceberg. The region’s mountainous backbone is encrusted with traditional hamlets that can be explored on 4x4 safaris. The Dalaman area is also within daytripping distance of historical sites like Ephesus which, in its glory days, was the second-biggest city in the Roman Empire.

Marmaris

Marmaris is one of the big names in the Dalaman area. The centrepiece of this town is a colourful bazaar. Here, stallholders tout loudly, shisha smoke curls through the air like calligraphy, and shoppers haggle to buy replica designer handbags for the price of a London latte.

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Fethiye

Fethiye – on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast – was hit by an earthquake in 1958, but it rose again to become a flourishing holiday spot. The place comes with a traditional market, atmospheric old town and a marina filled with yachts, along with plenty of bars and restaurants. There are some great beaches in easy reach, too.

Olu Deniz

Once a hideaway for pirates and smugglers, Olu Deniz – on Turkey’s southwest coast – doesn’t bury its treasures anymore. The Blue Lagoon here is probably the country’s most photographed tourist attraction, and it regularly tops polls of the world’s best beaches.

Ovacik

Ovacik is a sleepy village on the western rise of Turkey’s pretty Turquoise Coast, on the Anatolian Riviera. It’s set back a few kilometres from the coast, so you get a peaceful place with traditional appeal – as you’ll see from the thatched wooden houses and cedar-clad mountain scenery. Livelier Fethiye and Hisaronu are within easy reach, and just down the road you’ve also got the country’s most-photographed beach.

Marmaris

Marmaris is larger than your average resort, so it’s not surprising it has so much to offer. Set on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, it’s got a smart marina and a charming old town with a historic castle, as well as all the modern restaurants, bars and lively clubs you’d expect. And, conveniently, the place also comes with a beach that lounges along the whole length of the resort.

Icmeler

On Turkey’s southwest coast, Icmeler comes with a first-rate setting. It’s in a sweeping bay that’s surrounded by pine-forested mountains. The resort has a canal running through it, and there’s a traditional old village here, too. The place is purpose-built, but there are plenty of restaurants serving up authentic cuisine. And location-wise, it’s close to bigger and bubblier Marmaris.

Hisaronu (Fethiye)

Wind back to 1990 and Hisaronu, nestled inland on Turkey’s southwest coast, was a quiet village. It began to develop as an overspill of nearby Olu Deniz, and is now a bustling destination in its own right. It’s full of bars and clubs that keep things pumping through the night, and it’s just a short dolmus ride from some of Turkey’s most jaw-dropping beaches.

Sarigerme

A 20-minute drive from Dalaman, this village on the southwest coast of Turkey was once the bustling ancient city of Pisilis. Sarigerme take things slower than its ancient ancestor, though, with a just a laidback village centre and a couple of bars and restaurants. It’s a different speed down on the sandy beach, mind – the sweeping stretch is popular with kiteboarders.

AT A GLANCE

  • Photograph the Blue Lagoon in Olu Deniz
  • Wallow in the mud baths in Dalyan
  • Brave the white-knuckle slides at one of the Dalaman area’s waterparks
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Weather

Average monthly temperature and rainfall for

TEMPERATURE (°C)RAINFALL (mm)

WHEN TO GO

In summer, daytime temperatures regularly top the 30˚C mark and can creep up to 35˚C in July and August. Thankfully, the heat isn’t sticky. Better still, summer evenings are beautifully balmy, with temperatures hovering around the low 20s even after sundown. Winters are warm, too, with the temperature hovering around 17˚C between December and February.

 

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