Frommer's Turkey by Lynn A. Levine

Author:Lynn A. Levine
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2012-07-26T16:00:00+00:00

Highlights of the Çeşme Peninsula ★

81km (50 miles) west of Izmir

Given the density of cultural riches on the tried-and-true paths of the Anatolian “mainland,” few foreigners venture out to Çeşme, Izmir’s sun-kissed western peninsula. Perhaps now with the new superhighway, driving those scant 81km (50 miles) won’t seem so insurmountable. Add another half hour’s drive and you’re at Ephesus, and that’s why you came to these parts anyway, right?

Çeşme, named after the many springs found in the area during the 18th and 19th centuries, is a world-class Aegean resort, blessed with picturesque beaches and thermal spas both numbering well into the double digits. When the jet set discovered the haunts of the Bodrum Peninsula, typical Turks on holiday migrated north to the crystalline beaches of Çeşme, which responded to the influx with a nightlife scene that rivals (or replaces) that of Istanbul off-season.

Despite Çeşme’s newfound popularity, it still manages to remain relatively untarnished, offering a perfect balance between sybaritic and simple pleasures, such as the appreciation of unspoiled stretches of fertile fields of aniseed, mastic trees, and olive groves. And each corner has its own character. Alaçatı town, with its density of historical restored Greek houses, wins hands down for charm, and thanks to all of the restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and bougainvillea, you may not even want a car to drive out. Windsurfers and watersports enthusiasts prefer the wind-swept Alaçatı Bay, gifting athletes with high winds, shallow waters, and deep blue expanses. Ilica Beach has long attracted visitors seeking out the healing thermal waters of the Şifne Springs and has one of the more scenic expanses of sand. The arrival of a number of first-class hotels with spas, and a vibrant resort center, makes Ilica a worthy stopover. The enclosed harbor of Dalyan is a quiet and serene fishing port, where you can shut out the world until dinnertime, when you’ll show up at one of the postcard-perfect restaurants in the marina very, very hungry. There are a few pensions here and one boutique hotel. And in Çeşme proper, you’ll get the widest choice of food, shopping, and history and easy access to car rentals, ferry excursions, or day trips.

Orientation

The Çeşme Peninsula stretches out into the Aegean to the west of Izmir. At the extreme western tip passing through is the small resort town of Çeşme, about an hour’s drive out of Izmir. About 10km (6 1/4 miles) before arriving in Çeşme on the highway is the turnoff for Alaçatı the old town and bay. Along the northeast coastal road is the beach and thermal resort of Ilica, the thermals of Şifne, and, farther northeast along the coast, the ruins of Erythrai and the picturesque fishing village of Ildirı. (Villages farther north such as Foca and Karaburun—easily 2 hours to the north—require more time than I recommend for a short visit to Çeşme.)

South of Çeşme and the limanı (harbor) are some of the finest beaches in the area, namely Pırlanta and Altınkum.

From the Izmir highway exit road down to the

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