Dalyan and Akyaka are admittedly two very special places for me, especially as I divide my time between both. With my expat mother well settled in Bodrum, we have devised the ideal four-day excursion to Dalyan and Akyaka, which we have taken over a dozen friends and family members on when they visited from the United Kingdom and the United States this summer. As it has been such a rewarding experience, I thought it might be worth sharing with others how and where seasoned expats in Türkiye like to travel.
With Dalyan and Akyaka both located in the province of Muğla and off the Aegean, this itinerary, which could take anywhere from four days to a week to do, makes for an ideal getaway from the more popular vacation destinations of Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye. Akyaka is just over a two-hour drive from Bodrum, while Dalyan is less than an hour’s drive from Akyaka and Fethiye. Our itinerary can be switched from back to front, but we enjoy starting in Dalyan and you will soon see why.
Day 1: On the first day, we enjoy having our guests arrive at Dalyan and get settled into a hotel on the river. My mother prefers the Arp Hotel for the modern rooms, my stepfather prefers the Berg for its spectacular tree-lined terrace and I would head to Dalyan Holiday Hotel as there is a more social atmosphere and they allow dogs. The reason we start with Dalyan is hands down because of the awe-inspiring 4,000-year-old mausoleum carved into the mountain overlooking the river, a truly magnificent sight as is the reed-lined river that lays beneath it.
To understand the lay of the land, we take a long stroll along the river to a road called “Sevgi Yolu,” which is best translated as “Love Road.” On the return, there is a rowboat that can be boarded that takes you across the river in mere minutes to the village of Çandır. The ancient town of Kaunus is located just a few kilometers away and offers the best gözleme in town at the basic and rustic spot called Gözde Cafe, near where the rowboat drops off passengers.
In the evening, hands down our favorite cafe in the world, Beyaz Gül (White Rose), is our main destination. Situated on the river and decorated as an antique wonderland, the owners are former chefs that now serve a simple menu in which each item is delicious. From burgers to Dutch pancakes, while it may not seem like a restaurant per se, there is something for everyone. While we love this spot, it isn’t a traditional restaurant. You may choose to dine at any of the venues along the river, with Alegria and La Boheme being the most upscale and Okyanus the most charming.
Day 2: Our second day in Dalyan definitely involves boats. If our program falls on a Monday, there are the weekly expat boat trips that head to the Köyceğiz market and back, taking passengers on a fantastic cruise from Dalyan River to Köyceğiz Lake. If not, then we hop on one of the beach ferry boats, which equally impressive takes passengers to Iztuzu Beach, famed for being protected as a spot for breeding Caretta carettas, or loggerhead sea turtles.
Day 3: One of the major highlights of this entire trip actually involves a stop at our favorite restaurant in Türkiye, West Cafe. I kid you not, for some reason we are obsessed with this restaurant, which serves up the best coffee and desserts as well as international fare from a terrace located above the flowing Azmak River. From there and after settling in Baleze Hotel in town, we take another small tour boat that takes passengers on a 30-minute tour of the river. As the river actually connects to the beach, we then take a long walk along Akyaka’s beach, which heads to the Orman Camp, which is a forest trail equipped with vista and swimming platforms.
From there, one can spot the kiteboarding beach in Gökova. The pastime has turned Akyaka into a trending destination for extreme sports lovers and thankfully so because the vista provides an unprecedented view of colored kites in the sky and the stars flying on them reflected on the sea below. An ideal spot for learning the sport of kiteboarding, that is not actually yet part of our personal tour. We like to watch the sunset from a spot on the beach and preferably at Sinemateke, a cafe owned by director Yüksel Aksu, whose films aptly describe the Muğla region he is from and has been considered for an Oscar.
For dinner, we head to Karanfil Sokak, which means “Carnation Street,” one of the cutest streets there ever was. From a canopy of colorful umbrellas to new wave coffee shops such as Pangea, colorful arthouse breakfast spots, the healthy vegan fare at Kau, delicious meze at Inceden or seriously gourmet fare at Agape, owned by one of the Gökova Slow Food organization founders, this street has everything you could ever ask for; the one parallel, which is where the town, river and beach connect, has popular music venues such as No.22 Riders’ Inn, offering some of the most talented and sought-after live performers such as Firat Akarsel and Deniz Sipahi and DJ Umutcan Genç on a weekly roster.
Day 4: On the final day or days of our excursion, we head away from the hustle and bustle of town toward the Maden Iskelesi, which is located just a few kilometers down the road but feels a world away. There are a handful of hotels in this small cove, which connects a mountain spring with the sea. We tend to check in to Filika and then never leave for one, two or even three days. This destination, where you basically dine, layout and swim all day, is so stunning and the venues so classy that it feels like you could be anywhere in the world from the French Riviera to the Amalfi Coast!
