Ruins, recession-busting deals and Ronaldo’s hotel

This Article was sourced from the Daily Mail Online, and was written by Gareth Huw Davies

29th September 2011

Bodrum, on the balmy south-west coast of Turkey, is one of the country’s most popular resorts. It lures a fashionable set – including Cristiano Ronaldo and Catherine Zeta-Jones – who have helped it develop a reputation for sun and celebrity that rivals Marbella and St Tropez.

But you don’t have to be part of the jet-set to enjoy its attractions, as Gareth Huw Davies discovered.

1. Riches from the deep

Bodrum has one big advantage over many Turkish holiday resorts. It’s just 21 miles from the airport – and these days it is such a rare pleasure to check in to your hotel an hour after you clear immigration. The town itself is a handsome, shimmering vision on a hot morning, with ranks of white stucco houses and bougainvillea climbing a hill above the deep blue of two bays.

By night, it basks in the glow of the lit-up St Peter’s Castle, home of the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Here they display wondrous riches recovered from 3,000 years of shipwrecks in these coastal waters. Look for the fabulous gold seal of Queen Nefertiti, from the famous 14th Century BC Uluburun shipwreck. The ship was found in 1982 close to Bodrum, 120ft down, with enough metal aboard to make weapons for an entire army. More details at www.bodrum-museum.com.

2. Ronaldo’s retreat

The Turkish holiday coasts in the south and west have evolved rapidly since my first visit in 1987. There is still plenty of standard hotel accommodation and small, cheap B&Bs. But now the coastal holiday experience has a new category: elite and exclusive.

The five-star Kempinski Barbaros Bay, a rarefied and supremely quiet retreat 20 minutes from the town, is one of the top places to stay outside Istanbul. This summer, ex-Manchester United football star Cristiano Ronaldo was a guest with his girlfriend. Its features include sumptuous bedrooms, acres of marble, vast views over the sea and one of Europe’s best spas. See www.kempinski.com/bodrum.

3. Sea of tranquillity

From Turkey’s many splendid summer features, I award top bliss-rating to… the sea. The early-morning flat calm, before the breezes get up, is quite sublime. Lazy bay-hopping in a gulet, the traditional boat for these waters, was conceived in Bodrum. You can sail for a bit, drop anchor in some empty little cove where nothing has changed in 2,000 years and swim around in clear blue water. Lunch aboard or in some little waterside restaurant and then enjoy some more swimming and drifting, and get back in time for a sundowner.

4. Forget the recession

While the Greek economy ails on the island of Kos, just a few miles away, Turkey is booming. And few places demonstrate the burst of spending by the country’s rich as much as Türkbükü, on the north side of the peninsula above Bodrum. Comparisons with Marbella and St Tropez are not so wide of the mark. If you want a restful visit, go in late afternoon, inspect the megayachts in the marina, and see if you can spot Catherine Zeta-Jones or Tom Cruise. Dine early at one of the ultra-chic waterfront restaurants – before this place transforms into one of the loudest, brashest, highest-octane nightspots in this corner of the Aegean. Prepare to party, or leave town.

5. Gaze in wonder

There are two original Wonders of the World in Bodrum – the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and the remains of the Temple of Artemis at the huge Greek and Roman city of Ephesus. But it can be busy. For more tranquil ruins, take the boat tour to the nearby Datca peninsula. At the very end is quiet Kindos. We had the extensive ancient Greek site almost to ourselves in high summer.

6. Go by bus

Leave any forays into the unspoiled peninsula to the west of Bodrum until after 3pm, when the heat drops. Hop on a dolmus public minibus. They’re cheap and handy and criss-cross the high and ancient terrain of terraced fields, giving thrilling glimpses of islands, capes and inlets on a brilliant aquamarine sea. Take a good guide book to seek out deserted villages, monasteries and ancient rock tombs. Then savour one of the glories of the Aegean – the view of a golden sunset over the sea at Gumusluk on the peninsula’s western tip. Find a terrace table at any of the excellent fish restaurants and be amazed.

You will find a host of information about Turkey by visiting www.gototurkey.co.uk.

 

   

 

© Click here to view the Original Article on the Daily Mail Site.

© Source of the Ronaldo photograph from Daily Mail online