A week along the Turkish coast - Kas and Cesme

Part 1: A week in Istanbul and Cappadocia

After a week inland in Istanbul and Cappadocia, we spent the next week of our Turkish vacation along what is known as the Turkish Riviera or the Turquoise Coast, along the towns of Antalya, Kas, Kalkan and Cesme. It was a completely different experience to the first week, with its coastal vibe, blue waters and relaxed air. (Also after a bit of research, I realised that I have already been to the British, French, Italian, Swiss, Dutch, American and Mexican rivieras before, with the Turkish one being the latest addition to the list 😊)

The itinerary during this part of the trip was

Day 1-8: Istanbul and Cappadocia
Day 9: Drive from Antalya to Kas (4 hours), stay at 3 house apart; Stop at Cirali beach and coves along the way
Day 10: Kas: Day boat tour to 4 swim sites, a sunken Roman city and Kalekoy village
Day 11: Kas: Visit Kalkan, Kaputas beach
Day 12: Drive to Cesme (6 hours), stay at Radisson Blu Resort
Day 13: Cesme: Visit Alacati
Day 14: Cesme: Explore Cesme
Day 15: Drive to Istanbul (6 hours), fly to London


Day 9: Drive to Kas (4 hours), stay at 3 house apart; Stop at Cirali beach and coves along the sea

We didn’t spend much time in Antalya and very soon in the morning started driving along the Turkish Riviera towards Kas. It was quite a scenic drive all along brown bare mountains, with some small patches of greenery. The water all along was the deep blue Mediterranean colour. (Apparently the water in this sea is deep blue because it lacks the nutrients required by algae to grow, so the water is better able to absorb and scatter sunlight and give off its typical vibrant blue appearance). There were also some 100s of beaches and Roman ruins along the route, though we didn’t stop at any of them. Still they were tempting, and its amazing how much history Turkiye has, starting from the Greek and Roman civilisation.

 

Cirali Beach

As it was quite a short drive to Kas, we stopped at a few spots on the way. The first was Cirali beach. It was quite a lucky find as it was a bit off from the highway, and turned out to be a world onto itself. It had high green mountains on the one side, the deep blue water on the other. And a long white sandy beach in between. It was lined with restaurants and hotels along the road, but it still felt quite secluded as it was off the typical tourist route. So we got a chance to swim and lay on this long huge beach with white sand, blue waters and very few people. It was awesome.

 

Random cove

As we drove further between the hills and the sea, there was a cove where we saw a few people swimming in the open sea. There was something so enticing about the view, that we also stopped there and swam and snorkelled for a while. And this was the start of a surreal stay along the coast. Thereafter, every turn brought a new spectacular view. Sometimes a beach, sometime a rokcy cove. Places where we could just stop and swim and snorkel, in the deep blue Mediterranean blue. It was just so heavenly.

View from airbnb during day

Very quickly though, we reached our Airbnb which was located on a mountain overlooking the sea. It was a bit outside the village, in a residential area. And had an imposing view of the sea far off, which included some Turkish and some Greek islands. This Airbnb was the best place I stayed at during our entire vacation, it was even better than the 5 star hotels. It had a pool, lot of greenery, grapes and other fruit plants and a view of the vast world below. We could see Kas village, an extension of the village and many islands in the sea. This view was the best part of the apartment, and I fell in love it it very soon. It was a bit warm though as it was on the top floor. But totally worth it for the view and the sun.

After settling in, we went into the village to shop for groceries as well as to have dinner. Kas is more a locals' village than a touristy one. Surprisingly it is not as well known among tourists as among the locals who spend their summers here. And that was clear as we walked around, there was loads to do but it was mostly Turkish people around.

The first evening, we walked in to the city centre and along the waterfront. It was so lively, full of shops, with people everywhere, shopping, eating and so on. It was quite overwhelming too, with its energy. We finally ate at a vegan restaurant which had a long queue. And the food was less Turkish than we could have hoped for. But it was nice to sit by the harbour and eat, with the boats bobbing up and down in the water all around.

We then walked by a long line of boats trying to book passengers for the full day boat ride the next day. We were tempted but weren’t sure if to go or not. Finally we decided to. We also decided that Kas was too great to leave within a day, so we even cancelled our stay in Pamukkale the day after which is apparently quite a tourist puller, so that we could stay longer at Kas. And it was totally worth it.


Day 10: Kas: Day boat tour to 4 swim sites, a sunken Roman city and Kalekoy village

This day was the highlight of the trip for me, and encompasses the essence of what the Turkish Riviera stands for. We started early and got to our boat in Kas by 930 in the morning. The village was totally empty and it looked nothing like the night before. We got to the waterfront and could see all the boats ready to leave with their passengers, each with their own plan for the day.

We got onto this huge boat @Simenaboats, with some 20-30 people and then spent all day on it. The captain took us to some 4 swimming sites, showed us a sunken Roman city and dropped us for a while at a village which wasn’t reachable by car. And all day, the same sequence repeated again and again. He would take us to a swimming cove, stop, then everyone would jump into the water and swim for an hour or so, we would come back on the boat, dry ourselves in the sun, eat something, he would take off for the next step and then repeat. It was quite an enjoyable though tiring day, and I enjoyed it completely - the swimming, the sunning and the relaxing.

 

Islands around Kas

While on the boat, we sat on the top and gazed at the different islands and rock formations all around. We lay on the sunbeds with the sun giving warmth and the wind some coolness. The first stop we stopped at was Inonu Noyu. It had clear turquoise waters, and we could see all the way till the bottom of the ocean, with all the rock formations below. It was amazing to swim there. Many other boats also came there and anchored, and suddenly the place would fill up with tourists.

Swimming sites

The other stops we went to were the Akwaryum Koyu, Tersana sunken city cove and Camlik Bay, Each was stunning and lovely to stop and swim around. At the Tersana spot, we could see the Roman stone ruins all along the land on the side. During our last 2 spots, there was another boat going to those places at the same time as us, and they had too many passengers. The moment they would reach it felt like the place was full of loud people. We started trying to avoid swimming after that boat came in 😊.

Batik Sehur
Sunken Roman city

On the way, we also saw the sunken city, Batik Sehur which sunk below sea level due to an earthquake. It was interesting to see some of the remains of the Roman baths, and other walls so clearly under the sea. We also stopped at a village called Kalekoy which was famous for its ice-cream. And surprisingly, it was great. We walked around a bit, and tasted the famous tasty ice-cream. There were lot of fruit trees here too.

 

Kalekoy village

The boat ride also included lunch and tea for the day and I loved the home made Turkish food provided by them – apparently the Captain’s wife made it herself. It was the best Turkish meal I had had in Turkiye. So spicy and tasty, just amazing. My parents also loved the Turkish tea on the boat. We later went looking for those flavours too, trying to find them in town.

While on our boat ride, we saw some people who were living on a boat and touring the coast. They would jump in to the water and swim whenever they felt like – it looked fun. Also during our tour, one old woman came floating in a boat and was selling her herbs and spices to the chefs on the boats. It was a bit heart wrenching to see such an old person having to row so much out to sea to sell her wares.

After the swims, we ended the day, around 6pm. We were really tired by the end. We had ended up having a great day, also thanks to the Captain who was very friendly and helpful. It was definitely the highlight of the Turkish Riveria for me.

View at night

We stopped a bit longer in the local Kas market, trying to buy some local stuff. But we were so tired, we retired early to our apartment. We swam in its pools and just enjoyed watching the slow sunset across the islands. And then the twinkling lights coming up slowly. The view from the apartment was to die for and made the evenings very calm and beautiful. 


Day 11: Kas: Visit to Kalkan, Kaputas beach

On the extra day we got in Kas after cancelling Pamukkale, we didn’t do a lot actually. We drove to the nearby village of Kalkan, which was completely different from Kas, stopping on a beach on the way. And once back to our Airbnb, we just walked around nearby to get a feel of the area.

Kaputas beach

The drive to Kalkan was as expected – in the mountains, next to deep blue waters, with a cool wind blowing. It was quite a spectacular drive. On the way, we first stopped at the Kaputas beach which I had heard a lot about. It’s all the way down a cliff, in a cove and was supposed to be the best beach of the area. So we stopped there and it was quite a steep walk down. To be honest, I wasn’t impressed. It was definitely a good beach but nothing spectacular - it just felt like all the beaches around. It’s location was definitely insta worthy, but that’s it. And it was extremely busy, even though we had gone quite early.

We spent some time swimming there, which felt nice as the day had got really hot. And the water was so clear till very far into the water, even when it was deep. You could see all the way till the bottom but not touch it.

Our next stop was the village of Kalkan which was a relatively posh village, with many holiday homes, mostly new buildings. It was more spaced out too, and didn’t feel too old – quite modern actually. We also found some Turkish hamam places here which we couldn’t in Kas.

Apparently, this village is quite popular with British and other international tourists to have their holiday homes at. There were more British citizens in this village than Turkish people! And that’s why, more people spoke English here, the shops were different, and everything was more posh, while Kas was more Turkish, where local people lived and worked. It’s so interesting how within some 30 kms, two villages can look and feel so different.

My father went to the beach for a while and liked it. And we experienced the Turkish hamam and liked it too. But as it was so hot that day, we decided to call it a day soon without exploring Kalkan and came back to our Airbnb for an afternoon siesta. We finally enjoyed our own Airbnb and views from it in the evening. We also walked down to the Aksagerme beach which was right where the road turned towards our Airbnb and watched a wedding reception happening there.

I also went for a run along the waterfront, almost till Kas. It was a fun run, though a bit tough in the humid heat. The lights of the village, the houses in the cliffs and the islands all lit up, made it quite a charming scene. 

It was interesting to see though, the whole road was lined with people in their caravans, who had come for a nice evening next to the water. They were all sitting outside in the evening breeze, some in the water, some just on the road and all had their barbeques going on, till late at night. We even saw some people swimming till 9 pm! It definitely felt like a relaxing place to be.


Day 12: Drive to Cesme (6 hours) stay at Radisson Blu Resort

The next day was quite an uneventful day, a full day of driving all the way from Kas to Cesme. Most of the drive was again along the coast, with mountains on one side and deep blue Mediterranean Sea on the other. It was a spectacular view but to be honest, it had become a daily occurrence by now😁. So we noticed it a little less today. We drove through some huge green valleys with pretty villages.

In between we stopped at a local stall for some fresh juice. And also at a local eating place, like a dhaba, with some very tasty food served very cheap – rice, yoghurt and rajma! We also drove past Izmir, which was this huge city right next to the sea. It felt a bit like Bombay, with all its high-rises and the waterfront in between.

We then turned towards Cesme which was on a peninsula, jutting out into the Aegean sea. Suddenly the quality of highways, quality of houses and everything around changed. It was clear that this was where the rich Turkish people holidayed. The coastal road had been a two lane road, but here it had turned into a motorway with fast traffic.

Cesme was richer and greener than Kas. It was full of holiday homes, with avenues lined with palm trees, loads of restaurants and resorts everywhere. The roads were wider and better maintained, with lot of buildings everywhere. The weather also became cooler here and the sea less blue (Aegean sea is different than the Mediterranean in its colour and character).

The hotel

In Cesme, we were staying at the Radisson hotel, which was a huge resort hotel on the beach. It had a few swimming pools, and a lot of activities everywhere. And all around it, were holiday homes surrounded by palm trees. The whole experience here was very different than all the other places we had stayed during this trip.


Day 13 and 14: Cesme: Visit Alacati, explore Cesme

The first half of the day, we spent in the hotel itself, in the various spa facilities they had, the 4 pools and the sea. It was a great hotel to enjoy and a lovely warm day to boot. It was a bit windy though. The beach was shallow till far. And the variety of pools was good to shift from warm to cool to the herbal ones – depending on your mood at the time.

Streets of Alacati

The second half of the day, we went to Alacati, a nearby town. The town looked quite normal initially, with the usual modern houses, shops et al. But the city centre was something else. Apparently it was a Greek town for a very long time, and the old town still retains the same feel to it. So the city centre was all white, with old Greek stone houses with blue doors and lot of bougainvillea everywhere.

Greek streets of Alacati

It felt like we had come to a different world altogether, a slow place, with white stone houses, lots of shops and just a lot of walking to do. The place was full of tourists and there were many restaurants to just sit and have a nice day. We shopped a bit, but for the rest of the time just walked around, enjoying the various small streets and views. Every street had its own flowers, which added a lot of charm to it. We also went up to the old windmills, to get a birds eye view of the area around.

We ate food at Salkim Sorgut and it was quite tasty. Interestingly, the only other guests at restaurant were also a group of Indians 😊. We had a lovely evening in the place, it was so charming. And it also helped that the weather was perfect, neither hot nor cold.

Radisson Blu

One of the next days we went out to Cesme town to do some small shopping. It was quite crowded and full of people – it felt like a popular tourist place for sure. We ate at a boutique small place which offered homemade Turkish food but it’s sad that it was the worst food of our whole trip. It’s also interesting how even good reviews can lead to bad places. Anyways, we spent the rest of the day in the pools and spa of our hotel, and were ready to say goodbye to Cesme (and Turkiye) soon.


Day 15: Drive to Istanbul (6 hours), fly to London 

The last day was just a mad dash to the finish. We left early, to reach Istanbul before our flight and it helped that the entire route was through highways. The roads were perfect and we beat the Google Maps time too. Though we kept driving without a lot of breaks. All the roads on this route had tolls which were totally worth it.

The landscape was gorgeous, it was more green this side of the country. There were stunning valleys full of agriculture. And nice charming towns and villages on hilltops on the way. We stopped only once at a service stop on the way. Closer to Istanbul, we took the farthest bridge on the Bosphorus to make it to the airport in time, driving along the Black sea. And as usual, I was surprised with how lavish this place is. We again passed by small settlements which felt quite exclusive and posh. And we made it to the airport in time, to fly back to London.


Some impressions of the country

I have wanted to tour Turkiye for quite some time. I had read so much about the country, that I wanted to go beyond the capital Istanbul. And it did not disappoint. I loved it, its culture, its vibrancy, its history and the lovely Turkish Riviera. I can definitely see myself coming back here more, just to relax.

Here are some thoughts on what I saw and felt

• The whole country felt really like somewhere in between Europe and Asia. It still had some of the chaos and flexibility; the colours and vibrancy of Asia. As well as the good infrastructure and development of Europe. It had so many beautiful villages on the sides of the road and each one was so picturesque and very clean – such a stunning country
• Turkiye has everything – vibrant and varied nature – mountains, seas, coast, beaches, desert, salt lakes and forests; huge cities and charming villages; history from the Greeks to the Romans to Byzantines to Ottomans to now; its own unique culture and spectacular landscapes to drive through. The whole Mediterranean coast is crazy – there are ruins every 15 mins from Greek and Roman times. It's mind-blowing how much history, culture and things to do there are in Turkiye
• Agriculture is everywhere. We saw so many gorgeous fields on our drives – sunflower, wheat, maize, kale chane, and so on. And we also saw so many fruit trees either on our hikes or places we stayed in, like grapes, figs, lemons, oranges, peaches, plums, melons, walnuts, cherries, pomegranate, tomatoes and so on. We also sometimes just plucked a few and had them fresh from the trees. And I was amazed by the number of greenhouses everywhere. It was all really nice to see
• There was so much of good handicraft ware everywhere, all shops were full everywhere. It was a treat to the eyes to see it all. The shopkeepers don't bargain a lot though which was surprising
• We saw a lot of Indian tourists both in Istanbul and Cappadocia, but not in the coastal areas, in Kas or Cesme. It was clear which were the more touristy areas 😉. And the same went for Indian food, we didn’t get any more Indian food once we got to the coast
• People felt quite European here. They are on time. There wasn’t a lot of cheating or bargaining here (except of course taxi drivers in Istanbul). Overall, the status of life looked ok but of course, we saw some poverty around. And saw some old people having to work (the toughest scene was when a very old woman came in her boat to where our boats were, to sell herbs. She was so old, it felt very risky to be out at sea so far, all alone)
• Overall Turkish people are not too friendly. They are polite but don’t really go out of their way to help you. Also, they smoke too much, all the time
• People really don't know English much. Nothing was written in English anywhere, and we had to translate everywhere. In fact, at a few spots, some cops stopped our car but let us go without checking anything when we started with, "English?"
• The local Turkish dogs are so huge, like really huge. We saw a few of them on our travels. Also there were lots of cats everywhere. Just like in Greece
• The highways were fabulous – they connected all the main cities, and were completely new. It was a pleasure to drive there. The drivers though were less so, they drove more like Asia 😉. Overtaking, speeding and all was common. Also an interesting difference of driving in Turkiye is that the police place paper cut - outs looking like police cars all along the highways, full with blinking lights. It was really tough to figure out which were the real and which the fake cars
• We started our trip from Istanbul, drove around in a circle and flew out from Istanbul. One can always fly between the places or drive in one direction and fly back out from Izmir or Capadoccia or Antalya. This change in itinerary saves one long day of driving
• If I have to post the trip make a change to the itinerary, I may not have gone to Cesme. As Cesme was quite a similar seaside resort to Kas. So I would have just stayed in Kas longer, then gone to Pamukkale and back. Driving to Cesme took an extra day and it was quite similar to Kas
• In Capadoccia we stayed in the centre of the Goreme National Park in a cave house. I felt that living in a cave house was overrated, and the main villages were too crowded. Next time, I would stay outside of the park, maybe in the town of Urgup
• And as always, here is a list of many other places on this route that we could not visit. Cappadocia - Cavusin, hike along the canyon to see balloons in the morning; Antalya – Hadrian’s Gate; Kas - Meis, Greek theatre; Along the coast - Pamukkale, Ephesus, Fethiye, Dalaman, Kusadasi; Bodrum and around - Datca, Palamutbuku, Gocek, Selçuk; Izmir

Overall, I loved the vacation and see myself coming back again.

Map of the drive