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Fethiye &
Oludeniz, Turkey
The crew of Travelers Digest toured Istanbul for a
week and then headed south down the interior of Turkey. The bus ride was long, 16 hours,
and very uncomfortable. We boarded in Istanbul at 8:30 PM and arrived in Fethiye at 11:30
AM the next day. We had chosen to travel to this area as a result of befriending a Turkish
man we met During
the end of our first week we rented a small car, a Fiat, and ventured over the mountains.
At about 24 kilometers from Fethiye we discovered a small tourist village built along one
of the best beaches in the area. The tourist village of Oludeniz was mostly constructed of
wood, stone and
We toured, filmed and reviewed a really gorgeous hotel at the end of the lagoon
here in Oludeniz. Hotel Meri was bought and renovated about ten years ago and sits on the
best beach in Oludeniz. It has a park like setting and is nestled in
If you still seek more adventure, Focus offers horseback riding though rustic mountains, past green valleys and into a deserted village built on a hill. Kaya village is unique in statue and most of the buildings are still standing. It was one of the absolute first villages in the entire country of Turkey and was built by the Greeks. Again, bring your camera! Want even more? The team at focus can arrange or offer any tour that is available in the entire region, even a jeep safari. They rent bikes, motor cycles, jeeps, speed boats, with or without a captain, and if you are a dare-devil... they even have some micro light flyers. A micro light flyer is a hang-glider with a motor. It takes off and lands like a small plane, on its wheels. It is relatively safe and can glide down for a safe landing even without the motor. Whatever your adventure be sure to check out the friendly staff at Focus Tours. Two brothers, Kudret and Ahmet are the owners and after spending many weeks with them they have become really good friends. Two great people! Click here for more information! Review written by the touring editor; Mike Smith. This editorial in its entirety is the sole property of Travelers Digest and may not be distributed, sold or copied without prior written permission of Travelers Digest and/or its licensed representatives.
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while touring in Thailand. He was proud of this, his home land and
convinced us that it was a beautiful place to film. Fethiye is on the southern coast of
Turkey next to the Mediterranean Sea. It is well know by many English and German tourism,
but not by many Americans. Our friend had arranged for us to stay at a small hotel across
from the harbor. It was not the best selection to say the least, but sufficed until we
could find a better hotel. Our friend and his brother owned and operated two small disco's
and so on our first night in town, we were invited to meet his brother and other members
of his bar staff. The size and simplicity of the disco's were not impressive, but for this
small town they were the only choice for any young enthusiast. We stayed in Fethiye for a
week and did extensive exploring in the area. It was, and is, rich in ancient ruins. On
our third day we took a boat tour of the 12 local islands and it was an enlightening
experience. There were also many Greek and Roman ruins scattered amongst the 12 islands. 
bamboo. There were enough bars to keep even the most intense
alcoholic happy. Here, as in most of southern Turkey, the tourist consisted mostly of
Germans and English. While there were many restaurants, I found that they were definitely
no bargain. In fact I found that just eating anything in Turkey was very expensive. As for
lodging, the small, local hotels were reasonable, but prices of the larger tourist traps
were astronomical. I also discovered that the local businesses had two prices. Giving a
cheap price for the nationalists or locals they doubled prices for the tourists. I don't
approve of this practice, but it is quite common in most third world countries. The trick
for getting better prices is to take along a local and have them order or make purchases
for you. Another thing I was disappointed in was the Turkish women. While the men did take
some time to warm up to you, the women were extremely rude, cold and just downright
unfriendly. Being an American, I didn't really experience any negative feelings from the
people I encountered. Turkey is a Muslim country and did participate heavily in the anti
Iraq war and anti-American demonstrations, but by the time the actual combat was
finishing, it had dissipated. After all, Turkey was supposed to be a strong ally of
America. 
natural surrounding's, including many pine and olive trees. This particular area has since
become restricted and can not be built upon in the future. Most of the rooms have a sea
view and all have a private bathroom, shower, hair-dryer, air-conditioning, direct dial
telephone, a mini bar and satellite television. They offer larger suites for families and
groups and most of these are near the beach. The other rooms are built on the hill
overlooking the sea. The hotel's beach is private and therefore void of any boat noise.
The swimming is good and your privacy is guaranteed. You can even grab one of their many
small paddle boats and head off to explore the lagoon. They too are included in your room
price. If you just want to hang around the beach there are plenty of lounge chairs for
tanning or just relaxing. The food and bar is inclusive and service is available only a
few steps from the beach. There are three meals served each day and there is a wide
variety to choose from. Its a buffet, so you can eat all you desire. The beer and other
drinks are also included in the daily room price, so knock yourself out. If you want to
work off a meal, they have a gym, sauna, large pool and a game room. The staff are
friendly and helpful. They will even carry your bags up the hill to your room. 
If you are interested in a tour or car rental, they can arrange that too.
Believe me, you will want to take several
tours. This area is absolutely surrounded by ruins, hidden lagoons, caves and huge
mountains. If you are into paragliding I recommending it with a local company named Focus.
I did it for the first time and was thrilled with the experience. Their pilots are well
trained with most having several thousand flights. Focus has one pilot that was the Turkey
sky-diving champion. Flying like an Eagle has been a dream of man for thousands of years
and is now affordable and extremely safe. Give it a try. You will always cherish the
memory. When you arrive for your flight at their office on the Oludeniz beach, their crew
will drive you to the top of a 2,000 meter (6,550 feet) mountain. It is the highest
mountain by the sea in the world. The drive up takes about forty minutes and in itself is
worth the time spent. After a few minutes of simple instructions you don your flight suit,
the pilot straps you into the double harness and after raising the chute you run for the
edge of the cliff. The wind catches your chute and gently lifts you into the clear blue
sky. The view of the beach, the lagoon and the nearby islands is breathtaking. On a fair
day you can stay afloat for over forty minutes. The chutes are designed and made in
Switzerland, and are the best in the world. The design is simple and the amount of
control is unbelievable. Up, down, round and round and tight turns are no
problem. You land like a giant bird right in front of their office by the
beach. There is no jolt or hard landing. The experience of the pilot and the 
fabulous
design of the chutes allow you to touch down like a feather. Focus also
offers many other tours. From all day boat trips on their large, 110 feet
long boat with a custom water slide that actually takes you through the
center of the boat. The island and stops along the coast are really
beautiful. On one of the stops at Butterfly valley you can even hike to the
top of a large waterfall. The climb is a little difficult, but worth it. On
another island, St. Nicholas, there are ancient Grecian churches scattered
along the top of the hills. Their age, approximately 1500 years are apparent
in their decay, but they are stunning. Be sure to carry your camera because
it would be a shame not to be able to share their beauty with friends are
family.