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Our villa is in the town of Yalikavak which is on the north east coast of the Bodrum peninsula a 15 minute drive from Bodrum. Yalikavak used to be just a cluster of houses on the quay. The tiny harbour remains, but the town has developed and now offers everything required, including several banks. A 150 year old water cistern can be viewed and has been used as a gallery in the past. The market takes place every Thursday near the bus station without the heat and frantic activity of Bodrum, and Port Bodrum, a new marina, is now alive and busy just south of the town, In Gökçebel, within the boundaries of Yalikavak, the volcanic characteristics of the landscape are obvious.

Sightseeing
Bodrum Castle & Museum; One of the world's finest museums of underwater archeology housed in a superb 15th century castle built by the Knights of St. John of Rhodes. The world's oldest known shipwreck exhibition is now open. This star attraction rates a 'must see' on everyone's list.

other attractions include; The Mausoleum, Amphitheater, Myndus Gate, Ottoman Tower and Zeki Müren Museum.

Cuisine
Turkey is home to some of the most wholesome and delicious food in the world.
Heavily favoring fresh vegetables, steering away from too much red meat and relying extensively on pure olive oil and garlic, the Turkish cuisine is healthy and non-fattening, except if one indulges too much in good Turkish bread, borek pastries or rich sweet desserts.

There are loads of little places all over town. All the restaurants we tried were very good, especially at fish (daily-caught sea bass, red mullet, snapper, calamari etc), but they all do shish keabs of chicken or lamb as well as meze (lots of little dishes like tapas), salads and pidets, the Turkish version of pizzas. The restaurants on the front are obviously the dearest, but not eye-wateringly so – about £30 for two courses and wine for two people. If you go to the smaller places off the front, things are cheaper. Some look a bit like greasy spoons, but the food is much better than you would expect and this is where the locals eat.

Paprika
(just back from the front and opposite the Oirish bar). Run by a couple who retired here from Istanbul, it’s mom and pop-style friendly service and the food is simple but really fresh and good. Specialities are stuffed vine leaf starters (made sweet with cinammon) and samphire cooked in garlic, followed by sea bass or chicken kebabs. They also do a great pudding called halva, made from semolina, butter, sugar and cinammon…much nicer than it sounds.

Urfa Kebap Evi
(on the little street that runs parallel to Paprika, and on the other side of the Irish bar) Doesn’t look that promising from the outside, but does the best chicken kebabs and chips; and the owner is really friendly.

Karya
Along the strip of seafront restaurants, there’s one at the far end (turning left, as if you’re going towards the marina) managed by a really nice Kurdish guy called Omer that has a belly dancing show on Sunday nights. The fish is good, and the dancing provides excellent comedy value.

Cafes
Anyone will do, and the hot choices are tea (chai), or a short shot of thick Turkish coffee, served sweet, medium sweet or without sugar, to give the heart a jump start.

Bars
There’s a good one (that I can’t rememeber the name of ) about halfway down to the front between two of the streets that run parallel to each other. You can’t miss it, because it has scatter cushions that you can lounge on and drink a cold local beer, Efes, or local firewater, Raki. You can also try a hubbly-bubbly pipe if you’re feeling brave… or pissed.

Sofia bar
(turn right at the front, under a sign that says Sofia’s Aegean Cuisine) Part of Taskule hotel, a boutique-chic place with red leather sofas, where a bottle of beer is brought to the table in a wine cooler ). Bit over the top, but good place to watch the sun set.

Shopping
If you get bored of the supermarket and want to go a bit more local, there’s a good fish market with about six little stalls that sells the day’s catch (sea bass, barracuda, grey mullet, red mullet, snapper, sardines, prawns etc). It’s going towards the marina, but just ask at one of the restaurants, and they’ll point you in the right direction. Just before you get to the fish market,

there’s a good grocer that sells all manner of salad veg (rukala is their version of rocket), new potatoes, small cucumbers, watermelons and other fruit.

Weekly market
Held every Thursday from 7am-7pm on the edge of town. It has an amazing array of fresh produce. There’s also a clothes side where you can buy bootleg designer T-shirts, shorts etc.

Patisserie
Just up from the market, on the left-hand side, if you’re heading back into town, is a really nice bread and cake shop (you’ll see all the locals sitting at outside tables). In here they sell all those little honeyed cakes like baklava etc.

Out and about
If you hire a car, there are lots of little villages and coves a short drive away for day trips. They all have lovely settings on the bay. The beaches are pretty narrow and not great but the scenery is high, wide and handsome.

Golturkbuku
Said to be the St Tropez of the Aegean…which is overstating it, but the drinks can rack up to 15 quid a throw. It’s where the Istanbul elite go to party. Because the beach is so thin, the bars and restaurants have built pontoons out into the sea with scatter cushions for people to flop on . Worth a look and a quick pop, but anything else might bankrupt you.

Torba
There’s a nice little laid-back hotel here called Omar, where you can have lunch, and they’ll let you use the pool to cool off.

Gumusluk
Really nice couple of bays separated by an island that has a good run of restaurants.

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