Dalaman & Turquoise Coast overview
Turkey’s Turquoise or Lycian Coast boasts sweeping bays and pine clad hills, crystal clear aquamarine waters, verdant valleys and ancient sites dating back to the Lycian era. The scenery is spectacular and many miles of coastline are protected conservation areas, due in part to the presence of loggerhead sea turtles.
This southwest corner of Turkey boasts traditional charming villages, secluded sophisticated resorts for discerning travellers, and bustling coast resorts, perfect for families. Bays and lagoons abound, just waiting to be discovered, and wonderful beaches range from long stretches of coarse golden sands to secluded pebble coves. Watersports including snorkelling, diving, paragliding and white water rafting are popular, as is hiking through the stunning pine clad mountains. Sights include the beautiful coastal lagoon at Oludeniz, the ghost village of Kaya Koyu, the Lycian tombs at Caunos and the Dalyan mud baths. Classic Collection Holidays can tailor make holidays from any UK airport to Dalaman using scheduled, charter or no frills flights.
Fethiye Region
Gocek with its stylish hotels, chic restaurants and upmarket boutiques, boasts the most delightful marina and it’s easy to book a yacht or gulet cruise to discover the coast and the beautiful islands dotted around Gocek Bay. Further south in another scenic bay, Fethiye boasts cobbled streets, a ruined hill fortress and numerous restaurants and bars which line its own bustling harbour.
Traditionally a market town, Fethiye is a popular resort appealing to scuba divers and snorkellers: the nearest beach, Calis, is easily reached by dolmus bus or boat. 12km to the south of Fethiye, the magnificent Oludeniz lagoon is picture-postcard pretty. With stunning aquamarine waters against a backdrop of dramatic pine-clad hills, paragliding over the lagoon is a popular pursuit, and scuba diving and non motorised watersports are prevalent. The main town beach, Belcegiz, is a long sweep of shingle and coarse sand, and bars, shops and restaurants line the promenade.
Dalaman
Perfect for a peaceful holiday, the new Hilton is situated about 15 minutes’ drive from Dalaman and 2km from the village of Osmaniye close to Sarigerme beach. There’s easy access to nearby sights including Dalyan’s mud baths and Iztuzu beach famed for protected loggerhead sea turtles.
Marmaris & Loryma Peninsula
In a stunning coastal setting where pine clad hills plunge into azure seas, the lively resort of Marmaris boasts a long man made sand and shingle beach and a traditional quarter brimming with authentic character: thriving nightlife is complemented by stylish restaurants and bars along the palm-lined seafront. This area is particularly popular for gulet cruising and Marmaris is home to the largest yachting marina in Turkey - click here for details of our luxury and deluxe gulet itineraries.
Just 8km from Marmaris, the resort of Icmeler is set in a wide sweeping bay against a backdrop of rugged mountains where you can relax on the sand and shingle beach beside the shallow calm waters, or enjoy a plethora of water sports and yacht and gulet cruises. The resort of Icmeler boasts a wide selection of lokantas for traditional lunches and suppers, a choice of international restaurants, cafés and bars, plus numerous shops and an indoor market. Hisaronu, a family friendly resort, offers restaurants, bars, shops and
lively nightlife, and just 4km away, one of our featured hotels, Select Maris Resort, is located on the Datca peninsula in a beautiful conservation area.