My first visit to Turkey was some 4 years ago and it was spent in the beautiful city of Antalya. It was one of those holidays that had that unforgettable “wow factor. Everything, from the luxurious hotels to the unbelievably well preserved historical sites, left an indelible marker in my mind and I remember leaving Antalya thinking “how ever will I choose another destination which has so much to offer?” Of course, this is a common misconception and as soon as you visit another country with its own special je ne sais quoi you realise how important it is to explore the world. That being said, I always knew I’d return to Turkey one day to find out what else this fascinating country has to show me.
Welcome to Marmaris
Arriving in Marmaris I immediately noticed the contrast between here and Antalya. Antalya with all its historical sites and beautiful beaches was arid and void of any character immediately outside the resort. Marmaris on the other hand appeared lush, mountainous, and full of life. Approaching the hotel, we travelled through the town centre along the main coastal road. Out of the right side of the bus it was a light show of epic proportions. There were restaurants serving local and foreign cuisine, late night bars, ice cream parlours, and clothes and jewellery shops as far as the eyes could see.
Looking out to the left of the bus was even more entertainment for the imagination. Huge pirate ships stood out along the harbour, each one lit up for all to see and each one wearing its own fantastically unique outfit.
As the harbour ends a golden beach begins and the sands continue into the distance until they reach the base of the rocky hills.
It was very nice to see many local families and young adults enjoying the beach during the evening. Many had blankets laid out with food and drinks to share between them. You could tell that Marmaris was not only a tourist destination but also a place where many generations of Turkish families have enjoyed living and continue to do so.
During the night Marmaris is a lively place to be. The shops stay open for those looking for a late night bargain and the bars and restaurants do what they can to compete against one another. The competition is great for tourist especially in the early part of the season. The deals you get for food and drinks are fantastic and the staff hanging around to tempt you in are not too pushy. I found that just being polite and to the point was the best option. Another thing I’d like to mention about the bars in Marmaris is how lively and fun they are. Maybe they’re more suited for the younger folk but if you’re up for a dance and a joke with the staff you can have a great night out. I travelled to Turkey with my mum, sister, and my 16 year old daughter and I have to admit I was a little apprehensive taking her to one of these rambunctious bars. However, after the barman came over to chat with us and I happened to mention my daughters age he got the hint and completely left her out from all the flirting and adult humour. My mum and sister on the other hand where not excluded and at one point my mum had a Turkish barman gyrating in front of her, which I think she quite enjoyed.
Everyone got pulled up to the dance floor, including myself, and we all had a great time showcasing our best moves. It was a great laugh and the bar staff made sure everyone there had fun. Some people could easily find this approach a little too much but you have to understand that the staff need to make it look like this is the place to be and having lots of folk on the dance floor giggling and having fun does exactly that. Basically, if you like a nice quiet night the bars of Marmaris are not for you but if you fancy a dance and a bit of karaoke then make sure you head down the the beach in the evening. For us, one night like this was enough and I was quite conscious about not pushing my luck with my daughter. There’s always one bad apple out there and I certainly wasn’t going to tempt fate. We’d had a great night and besides, we were staying at a great hotel so we had plenty to do.
Labranda Mares Hotel
I won’t spend too much time describing the hotel as I prefer these posts to be about the town/city I’m in. Nonetheless, Labranda does deserve a mention as it a stunning hotel situated in an even more stunning landscape. Cut into the mountainside, Labranda Mares has the most stunning views. Breakfast at their open air restaurant is just the perfect way to start your day, looking out over the bay while you enjoy your morning coffee and croissants. And if looking out over the water wasn’t enough you have the green mountains all around you to help bring out your most peaceful self.
Another great feature of Labranda is their waterside sunbathing area. Walk down the sloping paths and you’ll find yourself at the waters edge. Instead of a beach labranda have a beautifully decorated concrete path with sun-beds along its route. And just to add an extra bit of luxury they also have a floating pontoon for those who want a whole day unspoiled by the shade of the hillside.
Down by the water there’s a selection of bars ready to serve refreshments and snacks and for those wanting a different form of transport to take them to Marmaris or the neighbouring town of Icmelar, there’s a wonderful little taxi-boat that will take you there in style. Travelling to Icmeler on this taxi-boat is especially nice as you get to sail between the mountains on either side of you. My mum mentioned how much the landscape reminded her of Thailand and I believe that is a great compliment and one that is well deserved.
Places to go and things to see
So, there’s the obvious, like the beaches and the clothes shops, which both deserve some attention. I mean who doesn’t enjoy picking up some Nike Air trainers or a Ralph Lauren polo shirts for about as much as it costs for a McDonald’s happy meal? But once you’ve replaced your wardrobe and had a few days soaking up the sun, you might want to go take a look around and discover the more cultural parts of Marmaris…
Walk towards the harbour and you will literally be on the doorstep of the old town but I can assure you you’ll be none the wiser. At this point I’d recommend asking one of the locals to point you in the right direction and within 50 paces you’ll find yourself behind the shops and bars and onto the cobblestone streets of old Marmaris.
This old part of town is just the tonic for those who wish to get away from the all the hustle and bustle of the main road. Here you won’t be hassled to step into every shop and bar, in fact, there really aren’t that many shops or bars around. However, the ones you do come across will so unique you won’t need to be asked to step inside, you’ll do that out of pure curiosity…
We stumbled across the entrance to this terrace bar by chance and once we’d climbed a few narrow steps and passed through an old metal gate, we were finally at the top. “Hello”, said the owner, who was busy squeezing fresh oranges into a glass for the other customers who were lucky enough to have found this place. “Please, take a seat”, he said, “I’ll be with you in a moment”. There were only a handful of small tables on this little terrace, so it was very clear that this quaint little bar was a labour of love and not a business ran for profit. Looking out from the terrace you could see why the owner wanted to share his fantastically situated rooftop. It was perfect. A real slice of paradise and this guy had decided to share it with anyone fortunate enough to find it.
Soon enough we were handed a menu, given a bowl of spicy nibbles, and a complimentary set of binoculars. Genius! Of course, we ordered a few glasses of his freshly squeezed orange juice and sat there feeling very lucky to have stumbled across this wonderful place 😍
Combine the beautiful view of the sea, the clear blue sky, and the mountains surrounding you with the old terracotta tiled roofs, you completely forget that you are just a stones throw away from all the shops, bars, and super-charged jet skis. Marmaris’ new town is fun and vibrant but it can get a little too much, especially with all the locals constantly trying to sell you one thing or another. So to find this little respite away from all the noise was precious. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was just what we needed.
All aboard! It’s time for an excursion
There are so many interesting places to go visit and choosing which excursion to join is a tough choice. There are jeep safari’s, scuba diving trips, cave exploring, salt baths, the list is endless. The excursion we chose involved 3 different sites starting with a boat trip to Turtle beach. From there we would hop onto a smaller boat and head down the Dalyan river to see the ancient Lycian tombs. After a quick photo op at the tombs we’d head a little further down the river until we reached the mud baths. All this with dinner included cost us £20 each and I can honestly say it would have been a bargain at twice the price.
Time to set sail…
We boarded the boat around 9am and headed up to the top deck to take a place on one of the giant sun beds. Setting off from the harbour offered some wonderful views of the coast and sailing towards Turtle beach took us past some spectacular landscapes
Unfortunately there’s not a lot to tell you about Turtle beach. At this time of year there aren’t too many turtles around and the tour guides didn’t think it important to tell us where they hide out at this time of year 🤦♂️ So, Turtle beach, for everyone apart from the one guy who stumbled across 2 giant adult turtles, turned out to be just a beach. It was a very pretty beach and a welcome break from the boat, but still just a beach. Anyway, here are some pics of Turtle beach (minus the turtles)
From Turtle beach we hopped on to a small river boat and set off down the Dalyan. With large reeds either side for most of the journey there wasn’t much to see but the boat had music playing through the drivers Bluetooth speaker which made for a chilled out cruise. After about 20 minutes the red rock cliffs began to appear so we knew we were getting close to the ancient tombs of the Lycian kings. Like many sites I’ve visited, the pictures you see beforehand just don’t do them justice (the same can be assumed of my own pictures). Seeing ancient buildings always gets you wondering as to the whys, where, and hows of it all. The Lycian tombs were no exception. Grandiose structures carved into an inhospitable yet quite beautiful landscape. Whoever these dignitaries were, they were sent to the next world in style. As for the all the valuables that were buried with them, well, that went the same way all ancient burial gifts go. Looted and never to be seen again.
We boats stopped and all crammed into a dead end, staying there long enough for us all to take turns at the front of the boat to get some photos. Yet again, our guides weren’t forthcoming with potential photo ops that we’re just around the corner. Maybe they got a kick out of watching us stumble around each other at the front of the boat?
And now it’s was time for my favourite part of our excursion…the mud bath!
We sailed away from the kings tombs and 15 minutes later found ourselves in a more populated part of the Dalyan. Holiday homes and a few small hotels began to appear on either side of the river and then not long after we pulled up to a jetty and we’re asked to climb out of our little river boats and follow our guides.
The mud baths looked like a day spa from the outside, which was a surprise to me as I had this mental image of a natural mud pool in the middle of nowhere (a little bit like what you see elephants bathing in 🤦♂️😂). Once through the reception area we were directed into a courtyard that looked like an outdoor paddling pool. You could tell that everyone was a little confused and wondering where all the mud was but as we all tiptoed into the baths we realised that the mud was contain within a series of wells. These wells were like the things you find in a church that are used to hold the holy water at a christening, only here they were filled with this wonderfully smooth cold mud. It was just lovely to push your hands in. There was a very short period of people waiting for others to go first but then wishing a blink of an eye we were all covered head to toe in a thick coat of lovely mud. It was such a good laugh. The kids were throwing it around. The adults were losing their self conscious hang-ups, painting themselves and whoever was next to them. For the next 30 minutes we all regressed to our childhoods and there were smiles and laughter all around. It was great to be a part of and apparently was quite good for our skin too!
Before long, the mud wells were empty and those who were taking it more seriously than most were sat still allowing the sun to bake them into a human mud-cake. Like many others, I’d lathered far too much mud onto my skin and it would have taken all summer for it to dry properly. Nonetheless after washing it off I was convinced I’d knocked off at least 20-years of wrinkles from my face and made all sorts of comments about how smooth my skin felt. Whether it was the mud or whether it was the pure enjoyment of it all, everyone left feeling a lot happier and also feeling like we’d all shared an experience together.
It was time to get back on the river boat and head back to our ship. I treated myself to a nice cold beer on the boat ride back as my daughter fell asleep exhausted from the days events. I felt very satisfied and very fortunate to be able to experience things like this. The boat ride back down the river felt even more tranquil than it did before and I didn’t want it to end. I love moments in life like this because they make all the worlds ills fade into insignificance. Sometimes the world is perfect.
Back on the main ship, it was a lazy trip back to Marmaris. Below deck the music was thumping and those with energy to party were partying hard. For me and many others it was time to chill out on the top deck and soak up our beautiful surroundings.
