When to Travel and where to Stay
Not sure what accommodation to choose or when to go - some answers are here.
Turkish Gulets
A fantastic way to explore the Bodrum peninsular and coastline is provided by gullet cruising offering attractive wooden motor sailing vessels giving shipboard adventures and new sights everyday.
Turkish Gulets are hand crafted by local pine which creates spacious airy cabins and generous alfresco living with cushioned seated areas.
Traditional boat building can be found along the shores of Turkey but the main area can still be found in Bodrum which has over 30 boatyards situated on the peninsular. This is shown from the mass of Gulets displayed in Bodrums harbour and marina which is a spectacular sight to be seen.
Bodrum has been an important local building centre for the Gulets since the time of King Mausolous (4th Century BC) but now many of the boats seen today are modern replicas of much older crafts and make ideal charter boats for tourists.
The boats can take anything from 9 months to 2 years to complete but when they are ready they undergo a traditional Turkish christening ceremony at the waters edge. However this ceremony is not celebrated with champagne but the slaughtering of a sheep or cow in accordance with the muslim customs and the blood is smeared on the bow of the gulet ensuring good luck and safe voyages. Once in the water a properly maintained gullet can last for 30 years.
Every year Bodrum has an International yacht festival (The Bodrum Cup) just for wooden boats. The objective of the Bodrum cup is to encourage and expand the use of sails among Turkeys majestic fleet of wooden charter yachts known as Gulets
Villanaz
Villanaz is an attractive boutique hotel which started in 2006. It is one of the nicest places to stay in Bitez and close to Bodrum and the beach.
Villanaz cares about customer satisfaction, quality and hygiene providing you with the best stay possible.
There are 8 natural and modern achitecture villas each sleeping a maximum of 3 people which are available 12 months of the year and they are just as comfortable and peaceful as home.
You can visit Vona and New Season Restaurants during your stay in Villanaz for delicious meals, quality service and have the use of the nice beach in Bitez or you can take their free pick up service to the Chinese Inn Restaurant in the Oasis Shopping Center You are welcome for an unforgetabble stay in Villanaz!
Minimum 7 days stay. Check their website for updated prices.
Milas Airport
This relatively new airport was completed in 2000 providing its 2.5 million visitors a year with a modern spacious terminal catering a limited number of shops, cafes and bars and providing a friendly atmosphere and a good first impression of Turkey.
The international airport is now connected to the international network for air routes and the domestic airport which was the main terminal building is now used for the service of other Turkish airports.
If you arrive into Bodrum on a Package holiday the reps will be waiting and guiding you to the relevant coaches in the small car park otherwise there are plenty of car rental shops, taxis and the airport bus (Havas) will transport customers to the bus station in Bodrum centre.
Situated just 16kms south of Milas and 35km North of Bodrum it only takes 30 minutes to reach Bodrum Centre along the widened dual carriageway.
Bodrum Ferry Connections
Due to Bodrum being a popular destination and it offering many attractions and facilities to suit every ones tastes, adequate sea crossings have been put into place, for visitors to access the peninsular much more easily.
For those wishing to arrive by ferry with or without a car there are various routes to choose from. Ferries leave from Venice and Brindisi (Italy) to Izmir.
There are also ferry boats departing from Athens to Kos (Greece). Once arriving in Kos it is much easier to make the last connections to Bodrum with the frequent ferry taking 60 minutes or hydrofoil taking 20 minutes. Through the harbour port you will be required to show your boarding cards and passports, duty free restrictions also apply so you will be restricted to what you can take and bring into the county.
Rhodes Town can also be visited in 2hours 10 minutes by the hydrofoil for the day returning at approximately 16.30 to Bodrum harbour. Or take a 1 hour 50 minute trip to Marmaris with the Bodrum express disembarking at the small harbour of Gelibolu and having a 20 minute drive into Marmaris centre.
Alternatively travel 50 minutes with the Bodrum Express to Kormen just a short trip from Datca.
Which ever direction you travel from you will always reach Bodrum.