Seriously, Turkey is an amazing country. I have lived here for over 15 years and worked remotely the entire time and in over a dozen destinations. There are truly so many great towns that serve different needs, whether it is a lively expat community you seek, close proximity to adventurous excursions, rearing children or seeking an active social and nightlife, there are different towns for different folks. But these are some of my favorites...
Located on the northwestern Aegean coast and neighboring the Greek isle of Lesbos (Midilli) is Ayvalık, a sleepy seaside town that has a lot to offer. Famed for its olive oil production and quaint seafood restaurants lining the shore, Ayvalık is a popular destination for yearlong Turkish retirees, yet is a bustling tourist town in summer. This means, that there is the proper infrastructure and comfortable housing opportunities in Ayvalık and its suburbs, which can all serve as an excellent base to combine working with discovering the vast number of sites in the region.
Not only are there regular ferries to Lesbos, but there are numerous islets encircling the bay, including Cunda, which is connected by a bridge and another residential option. Ayvalık has two of the longest sandy beaches in Turkey and the cities of Edremit and Burhaniye are in close proximity. Ayvalık also serves as a great base to discover the ancient sites of Assos, Troy and Pergamon.
Heading south is Aydın’s Kuşadası, an established seaside resort town that boasts a lively expat community of interestingly enough the Irish persuasion. You can find everything pretty much anything you could possibly need in the town itself of Kuşadası, which also boasts beaches and a marina and port which also serves ferryboats to the neighboring Greek isle of Samos, impressively showcased from the town’s horizon. From Kuşadası, it is easy to discover the magnificent neighboring sites of Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the town of Selçuk that houses them, and the boutique village of Şirince famed for its beautifully preserved Ottoman and Greek architecture.
While Datça is actually both the name of the main town as well as its vast peninsula, which extends out from Marmaris yet stretches across Bodrum, Turkey’s most bustling holiday and coastal city and destination. The peninsula is huge and houses various rural and seaside villages in addition to its quaint town center that hosts yachts navigating along the Turkish Riviera. Datça has become gentrified in the pandemic and housing in town can be pricy, but it also boasts multiple new wave cafes from which to work from. The peninsula has many villages that also offer comfortable and more affordable housing, but in that case, you might want to have a vehicle at your disposal. Datça is an extremely popular, yet somewhat more challenging area to access, so you know those that are there have worked for it. Accessible by road from Marmaris and by regular ferries to Bodrum, Datça also has the ancient site of Knidos and endless biking and hiking trails, while is also completely surrounded by coves and beaches.
Located in Muğla’s Ortaca district and connected to Köyceğiz via the Dalyan River the town is famed for, Dalyan is a precious gem of a town that has a breath-taking backdrop of ancient 4,000-year-old mausoleums carved in the overlooking mountain. Dalyan is extremely popular with British retirees, who make up nearly half of the population throughout the year. The lifestyle is relaxed, yet there is a “bar” street and lovely cafes and tea gardens, and the town is easy to navigate by foot or bike. Ferries take you through reeds to the region’s famous Iztuzu Beach, which is protected from development due to its yearly visitors of nesting Caretta carettas.
There are loads of surrounding villages as well as Çandır, which is a town located across the river and thus only accessible by ferry or rowboat, or a hefty drive through Köyceğiz. Çandır houses the impressive ancient city of Kaunos as well as the famous and historical Sultaniye Thermal Baths on Köyceğiz Lake. Overall, Dalyan is a great destination year-round and for residents of any age. There is a large community of foreigners rearing their children in the region and there are regular outings made into nature throughout the year. Dalyan is also comparatively less affected by the crowds in summer.
Last, but certainly not least is Akyaka, my latest discovery. Akyaka is located in close proximity to the city of Muğla, yet is down on the coast from a steep mountainous backdrop that you can drive to anywhere north from there. Akyaka is a small town that is lively year-round but is fast becoming one of the country’s most popular vacation destinations amongst Turkey’s young urbanites. This is because in addition to its own beach, in close proximity is the Gökova Kite Beach, which has become Turkey’s premiere destination for Kite Boarding. The colorful kites light up the sky to the left and the pine forests that line the ocean mark the vista on the right. The horizon is sea and islets, and the backdrop are stunning mountains. The architecture is in a special Ottoman-inspired style and the town sits along the Azmak River, equipped with ducks and swans, and restaurants from which to watch them all. Akyaka is in high demand in summer and has some of the hippest dining and entertainment venues, but the town is most charming in the offseason months anyway, and that is when there are multiple "Apart" accommodation options.
