Attractions in 20 min. driving distance
Göltürkbükü, 14 km. from the city of Bodrum, is still the "greenest" town in the area with trees and foliage everywhere. ( However in the winter of 2005-2006, a lot of new houses have been built in the tangerine and orange groves, which is sad to see.) Göltürkbükü is the "marriage" of the villages Gölköy ( Karianda ) and Türkbükü. This twin city is blessed with a beautiful beach and has a good selection of seafood caught in the Mandalya Gulf. Archeology buffs can take a walk into the hills and visit the remains of Karianda, a Lelege city found 5000 years ago. No exvacations have been undertaken yet but the oter limits of the site have been is identified.
The two villages are still seperate from each other though it takes only 5 min to go from one village to another by car. However, the atmosphere of these two are quite different.
Gölköy
is a rather modest village compared to Türkbükü. Instead
of the trendy and famous hotels of Türkbükü, this village's
seaside still offers some small establishments, pensions run by the owners
and recently built luxury summer houses. There are four trendy beach clubs:
Havana People, Tampa and Bee. Havana is set on a vast area and offers beach
parties, 3 restaurants, bar and a very lively night life. However if you
are a type who likes quite nights, it is better to stay at a place as far
as possible from Havana as the open air night parties mostly exceed the
sound disturbance limit.
Although the village is being occupied by the "city people" in summer ,the village life is still alive here throughout the year unlike the other villages of Bodrum. The village cafes ( called "kahve" in Turkish) are full with the village men gossiping, cows are being taken around, "baklava"s are taken to the bakery to be cooked and village marriage ceremonies are being made. However nowadays, the villagers are selling their tangerine groves and green fields to the construction companies for new summer houses to be built. Though sad, this seems logical as they earn a little money from the gardens due to the government's agricultural policy. This is one of the most important enviromental problems of the Bodrum Peninsula, as it is being invaded by the summer houses that are occupied only 15 days in a year, and the green area is destroyed so fast and without a reasonable development plan that very soon, the only view that one will see from their "fancy summer house" will be the back wall of their neighbor's fancy summer house.
Türkbükü
is the summer heaven of the Turkey's rich and famous. The atmosphere noticeably
changes from haute couture to hoi polloi as one crosses the little wooden
bridge near the taxi stand. Though the primary concerns to visitors to Türkbükü
may be to "see and be seen", it nevertheless has a community spirit.
Many have also invested in residental summer property here and the number
of luxury villas and hotel-like residences is on the steady increase.The
restaurants and bars offer a refined ambiance and it is an ideal place for
dining and afterwards for a few drinks.
In the summer, the coves of the town are full of yachts from around the world. Its waters may be overrun with seafaring traffic, so Gölköy might be a better choice for swimming.
Health and Yoga Holidays, Yoga Centre
The Health and Yoga Holidays is run by Pervin and Michael Cullingworth, a lovely couple who live in UK in winter and spend the rest of the year here in Bodrum. They start their summer yoga holidays in May and end in mid October.The teachers are from UK and all professional in their yoga style. This year they have programmes offering Astanga Yoga, Hatha Flow Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Oki Yoga and other programs like Yoga & Creativity and Yoga & Rhythmvmnt. If there isn't a yoga programme at our hotel during your visit, you can visit their center and join the classes. Please contact Pervin to learn if the teacher accepts daily students ( some teachers prefer to keep the same group ) .
Every day there is a main morning Yoga practice (approximately 2 hours). Then in the late afternoon on most days there will be shorter sessions of yoga, meditation or pranayama. And there is ample time for own explorations and relaxation. Lovingly prepared vegetarian meals are colourfully laid out in buffet style at Pervin's home.
The lessons take place at the yoga terrace in the garden, and the students stay at hotels in the village.The centre is only 15 min. walk from our hotel or 5 min. drive.
The
daily rate for the morning yoga session and lunch is 30 GBP. Lunch and the
morning class are organised as a package. And for the participants of the
morning session, the afternoon class is also free of charge :)
If you would like to join just the afternoon class, then the rate is 15
GBP for the class.There will be only 4 afternoon classes in a week's yoga
programme.
The
contact info is as follows:
Pervin Hakimoglu and Michael Cullingworth
London - 020 8699 1900
London - 020 8291 7981 ( Fax)
Gölköy - 00 90 252 357 7207 (Tel and Fax)
info@yogaturkey.co.uk
website: www.yogaturkey.co.uk
Farilya farm, situated in the northern part of Bodrum Peninsula, 15 km. from Bodrum and only 6 km. from Atami Hotel, is on 30.000 square meters of land, surrounded by mountains, forests and streams. It is a natural environment with riding horses, lambs, sheep, goats etc. and with walking paths, fruit trees and a beautiful view of the mountains and plains. There is also a farm house where the guests can rest and enjoy a barbecue meal.
Manege training for new starter children and experienced riders accompanied by a trained staff and nature rides is not only an open air activity but also a perfect way to develop oneself mentally and physically.
Visitors to Turkey are always suprised by the rich variety of fresh fruits, vegetables and spices here. But what makes the food markets ( or farmers markets) in Bodrum unique is the cacaphony of sights, smell, sounds and activity, as well as the fresh food, which-outside of your home garden or greenhouse-can only be obtained in the "Pazar".
Turkey is one of the few countries in the modern world able to fully support its national food needs. This is more than apparent in the weekly markets where the sleepy neighborhoods come to life with villagers setting up their stalls before dawn at a designated area to sell their products. On these days, a cornucopia of vegetables, fruits, fresh and dried herbs, countless spices, nuts, seeds, grains, homemade jams, pickled vegetables (tursu), home made pasta like manti ( Turkish style meat ravioli ), and eriste ( a type of egg noodle), traditional Turkish yufka ( similiar to phyllo ), various cheeses and other dairy products are sold by vendors from villages throughout the Bodrum Peninsula. There is lots of haggling and jostling, as people make their way through the narow isles of the vendors compete for attention. Handicrafts, textiles, baskets, glassware and other household items are also among the displays at the most affordable prices. In Yalikavak market, for example, you can watch as patio umbrellas and a variety of fruit and vegatables baskets are woven by hand, and take them home at reasonable prices.
Everyday
is food "Pazar" in Bodrum. Yalikavak Pazar is on Thursdays.
It is one of the best bazaars in Bodrum together with the Bodrum Food Bazaar on Friday, Bodrum Fabric Bazaar on Tuesday and the Turgutreis Bazaar on Saturday.The variety of the products is amazing. Especially the olives are really delicious and they are all processed differently. You can taste all diary and olive products before buying. Do not forget to buy green olive pickels filled with orange hull, the taste is unique and delicious !
Yalikavak is very near to Göltürkbükü, only 4 km. away and it takes a 20 min. ride to get there. It has for many years supplied bountiful harvests of olives and citrus fruit in addition to an incredible number of spices of wild herbs and other flora.These have endowed the indigenous cuisine of Bodrum with a variety of natural ingredients resulting in numerous gastronomic specialties, including a wide selection of vegetarian dishes.
After the bazaar, it is very relaxing to drink Turkish tea at the cafes just by the seaside and the eat the delicious pastries from the bakery nextdoors.
The
tradition of the Turkish Bath extends far back, to a time before Turks reached
Anatolia. When the Turks arrived in Anatolia, they brought with them one
bathing tradition,and were confronted with another, that of Romans and Byzantines,with
certain local variants.The traditions merged, and with the addition of Moslem
corner for cleanliness and its concomitant respect for the uses of water,there
arose an entirely new concept, that of the Turkish Bath. In time it became
an institution, with its system of eradicable customs.
For
the Turkish, bath was much more than just a place to cleanse the skin. It
was intimately bound up with daily life, a place where people of every rank
and station, young and old, rich and poor, townsman or villager, could come
freely. Women as well as men, made use of the hamam,although of course at
seperate hours.
From the individuals point of view, the hamam was a familiar place from the earliest week of life right up to its very end. Important occasions during a lifespan were celebrated with rejoicing at the bath.
There
are 3 choices for visiting the hamam.
Iberhotel Bodrum Princess Hotel just 5 min. from
our hotel has a beauty center which also has a hamam. The resort also has
a sauna and offers massage and skin care. Visitors from outside are welcomed
and the hamam fee is reasonable. The phone of Iberhotel: +90 252 357 77
50
The
Turkish bath in Ortakent: Rachid's Hamam: "Rayola Turkish
Bath"
They offer a free two way transfer service to the hotel for groups of 4-5.
The entrance fee is 30 TL and includes a welcome coctail & a soap massage.
The Hamam is clean and is popular. It is 30 min. away from our hotel. website:
www.rayolahamam.com
phone: +90 252 358 56 99 / 358 57 80
The
"Bodrum Hamami" is just accross the Bus Terminal in the centre
of Bodrum. Entrance fee, rubbing with kese, Turkish soap massage, body massage
made with creams and massage oils is in total 35 YTL.( 20 EUR ). It takes
30 min. to go to Bodrum from Göltürkbükü.
website: www.bodrumhamami.com.tr
phone: +90 252 313 41 29
Leaving
from Gölköy: In summer, there are daily boat trips leaving
from Gölköy and cruise the bays around the village. They also
stop at our Paradise Bay, and they can pick you up from here. They serve
lunch and afternoon tea on the boat. To join one of these tours, please
contact our hotel. Reservation is requred.
Leaving from Bodrum: However, the boat trips leaving from Bodrum
are more interesting as they visit the southern part of the peninsula.They
visit places like Karaada Island which is six kilometres off the coast of
Bodrum and a popular destination for daily or night stopover stays by touring
boats. Although it is named Kara (Black), contrary to its name the island
is in fact green and covered in pine trees.
The cave facing Bodrum on the island is a popular point of call for yachts and boats. On the seaside there is a small motel and restaurant. The mud in the cave is known to be good for skin diseases. Most important it is claimed that Cleopatra made use of this mud to preserve her beauty. Women in particular put this mud on their faces to emulate the Egyptian queen. After the mud pack you enter the thermal waters springing up in the cave and then throw yourself into the blue waters of the sea.
At
the back of the island there are many coves and beaches competing in beauty
with each other. One and a half kilometres to the to east of Poyraz Port
and to the north of Yassi Island is Adali Cove, while one and a half kilometres
to east of Tavsan Point stretches Çemperci Cove. Both are much visited
the boats as the bottom sand and sea is very clean.
There
are many boats so there is no need to make reservations. The daily boat
trips leave from the town centre which is near the castle. The leaving time
is around 10:00 a.m. and they come back at around 16:00-17:00.
The Blue Cruise: If you would like to make a blue cruise leaving from Bodrum, there are a lot of charter companies based in Bodrum.The trip may last for a week due to the route that you prefer. Please visit our links page to get information about these companies.
