Villa Gulseren

Located above the sleepy village of Bayir in the centre of the Bozburun Peninsula in Turkey, Villa Gulseren boasts a wonderfully remote location but is still ideally positioned for exploring the towns and beaches below. Surrounded by gardens and pine tree-lined forests, you can go on scenic walks under the shade of the canopy or take advantage of the owner’s horse trekking service.

In Bayir itself, 3km from the villa, there are a handful of mini markets for picking up your daily essentials, alongside a few friendly local restaurants for trying traditional Turkish cuisine. The nearest sandy beach is at Delik or Ciftlik, just 10 minutes’ drive from Villa Gulseren, while the unspoilt beaches, harbour and fishing villages of Hisaronu, Selimiye and Sogut are a 25-30 minute drive away. All these spots boast fabulous restaurants where you can experience traditional Turkish fayre and the freshest catch of the day. There's cooling waterfall and also The Carpet Weaver's association at Turgutkoy. Osmaniye has a Bee Museum showing the local methods of an age old trade, still practiced by the villagers in Bayir.

For a fun day trip, you could head to the small seaside town of Bozburun, known for building the traditional wooden gulets. There you’ll find a quaint yacht-lined harbour and pristine swimming spots and coves. Slightly further afield is also the port town of Datca where the traditional Saturday market is worth a visit as well as the ruins of Knidos. There, the cultures of Lydia, Persia, and the Byzantine and Ottoman empires stud the landscape, and there are church ruins, ancient cisterns and tombstones for exploring.

If you’re a keen walker or want to discover more of this beautiful part of Turkey, you can walk some of the Carian Trail, Turkey’s 500-mile long distance path. It winds through the peninsula, with many places where you can enter it for a short stroll. The tracks on the hillsides around Bozburun have a red and white flash painted on stones every 50 metres, so you shouldn’t get lost.

The South West coast of Turkey offers the perfect climate for your holiday, boasting over 280 dry days a year and an average June temperature of 28 degrees Celsius in this area, with sea temperatures of 23 deegress celsius.  For keen walkers the paths of the Carian way will take you around the area. 

Sat on the site of the Carian city of Physkos, Marmaris started welcoming European tourists in the 1980’s. At the time big hotels were what the travel agents were selling. The surrounding areas remained unspoilt and in recent years villas have popped up in less touristic areas. Marmaris still has a picturesque vista and the areas around the harbour, Netsel Marina and the castle are worth a visit. The castle was reconstructed by Suleyman the Magnificent during his expedition against Rhodes and houses a small museum. You couldn’t find better places to try an authentic Doner Kebab than some of the restaurants behind the bazaar, or for a more sophisticated version go to the Baris Ustu Kebabci in the Netsel Marina.

The Bozburun Peninsula represents the real hidden Turkey. In recent years wealthier Turks have headed to these parts to enjoy the thyme-scented air that is said to be ultra-healthy due to being high in oxygen as a result of the trees and proximity to the sea Throughout the peninsula villagers live as their ancestors did a century ago, tilling the land of a small holding, keeping bees or working in ancient trades handed down through generations. The women work hard to keep house and land. Every village has a teahouse where you’ll see the men making business over a game of Tavla (backgammon), slowly drinking endless cups of crystal clear black Cay (tea), drunk out of tulip-shaped glasses. The peninsula has loads of lovely restaurants, simple but delicious food. Enjoy fish in Selimiye; choose mezes from the kitchen and wash it all down with a glass of Lion’s Milk, the slang for Turkish Raki, an aniseed spirit that becomes white when water is added.

Travelling around the peninsula, there’s Orhaniye where you can walk the sand spit, Turgut where you can see the ancient trade of carpet weaving and visit the waterfall to cool off, especially if you purchased a carpet. Sogut is a hidden gem, and where a long seafood lunch is the way to go. There is a bee ‘museum’ in Osmaniye which pays homage to the local production of pine honey. Turunc, Amos and Kumlubuk sit on the southeastern coast of the peninsula. Kumlubuk has a sweeping beach, and a sandy shingle, water-sports and a few restaurants. Amos has a smaller pebble beach and a popular restaurant selling a range of Turkish favourites. Turunc is more of a resort, with a few streets behind the beach, plenty of eateries, shops and bars. Give it a little time as it is somewhere people fall in love with. Further around is Icmeler, which merges into the bigger Marmaris.