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An insider’s guide to Yalikavak on the Turkish Riviera

04 Oct 2024

Yalikavak in Turkey is home from home for guest blogger, sun lover and Londoner Beckie Deniz, where she says everyone is made to feel so welcome.

A jewel on the Turkish Riviera which is split into two halves – the quaint old town and glitzy marina, complete with super yachts – Yalikavak sits on the Bodrum peninsula, which is a hotbed for tourism – for good reason. Beckie tells The Sun Lounger why:

Hi, I’m Beckie, a wife and mum to three girls and a very handsome springer spaniel called Pablo, based in North London, where I’ve lived my whole life. I used to travel a lot for work, in the events and tourism industry, but now I travel purely for pleasure.

I was so lucky with my job that I travelled the world, but, as I was working, I never really got the chance to stop and look and appreciate the beauty and diversity it has to offer. Since I stopped working (about five years ago), I have taken every opportunity to travel wherever and whenever I can, either as a couple, a family, with friends or on girls trips’, both at home and abroad.

I LOVE the sun so will always pick warmth over cold. I hung up my ski boots a very long time ago. For me, it’s about sun, sea and sangria now! I’m happy to chill or explore, depending on the thermometer!

What’s so good about Yalikavak?

Every summer for the past 15 years, we’ve spent a minimum of four weeks in Yalikavak, which is on Bodrum peninsula, on the Aegean Sea in Turkey. My husband is Turkish and we wanted our daughters to spend their summers in their ‘other home’.

We met in May 1995 when he interviewed me for a job. I walked into the room, shook his hand and a voice in my head said: “You have just met the man you are going to marry”! We’ve been together for 29 years now.

Yalikavak has a very villagey feel to it as everyone knows each other, It is super safe and has a wonderful community spirit. I think the best times to go are June and September, avoiding school holidays and Turkish Bayram (an official holiday) as it can get very overcrowded.

How do you get to Yalikavak?

Lots of airlines fly to Bodrum, but I tend to use either EasyJet (who fly most days) or British Airways (who fly on Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays). Flight time is around four hours.

When I first went to Bodrum, back in 1995, there was no airport nearby and you had to get a coach and endure a four hour journey. Now, luckily, Bodrum Airport has been built and it’s only a 45-minute transfer.

Where do you stay in Yalikavak?

We used to rent an apartment on a ‘sitesi’ (multiple properties with a shared pool) but bought our three bedroom/three bathroom villa 12 years ago. We are about 15 minutes’ walk into town and to the beach.

It’s our home from home and our little haven. It is on a small sitesi, with eight villas and 12 apartments, with gorgeous tended grounds and a shared kidney-shaped pool in the middle.

There are a mixture of English and Turkish residents, some living there all year round and others seasonal, like us, but my brother-in-law lives there when we’re not there, looking after our two Turkish cats.

It’s very easy to buy property in Turkey and we did so at the right time as prices have sky rocketed in the last couple of years.

Does your Turkish house feel like home?

It does and it’s lovely to get on the plane with just a handbag and know that all my holiday clothes are already there. Literally, all I take is my passport and Turkish ID. One of the benefits of having been there every year is that my youngest daughter now speaks great Turkish as she has spent every summer of her life there and has Turkish friends.

I’ve lost count of the times we have been to Yalikavak as we not only go for the entirety of the summer holidays, we also sneak in the odd week and weekend in other months, outside of July and August.

On this most recent trip, I was there for seven weeks, with my 14-year-old daughter, and had friends and family staying at different times, including my gorgeous 85-year-old Turkish mother-in-law, or ‘Baba anne’, meaning ‘dad’s mum’. If she was my mum it would be ‘Anne anne’, or ‘mum’s mum’.

What’s food shopping like in Yalikavak?

Macro is my Turkish M&S and I love it. It is always cool inside, which is a blessing, given the heat outside. They have the most amazing fresh produce including fruit, vegetables, fish and meat as well as dishes like cig & mercimek kofte – which are two of my favourite Turkish foods.

Çiğ köfte (pronounced chee) used to be made with raw meat but is now made with bulgar wheat and you eat wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Mercimek köfte is made with lentils and you just add a splash of lemon and eat. Delicious!

There is a food and veg market every Tuesday in town, with the most amazing cheeses, honey, spices, olives, nuts and the freshest homegrown vegetables and mouth-watering fruit. You will never taste figs like that anywhere else in the world!

Are there many stray animals in Yalikavak?

The street dogs and cats are really looked after in Yalikavak and vets offer a free neutering service. There are food and water stations for the animals, as well as some kennels. Dogs chill on the beach, swim in the sea and actually have quite a nice life with friends and lots of freedom.

Yalikavak Street Animals looks after hundreds of dogs and cats, raises money to look after them and find homes for as many as they can.

I miss my dog a lot when we are there, but I can’t take him with me as it’s way too hot for him, there’s nowhere for him to run and he’s also a bit of a posh north London dog and might get ruffed up by the local dogs! He’s very well looked after at home, though.

What’s driving a car like in Turkey?

I am lucky to have family there who drive us, as Turkish driving is a thing to behold! Zebra crossings seem to mean speed up, drive on the pavement if traffic is stationary and blast your horn as loud and as much as possible.

What kind of holiday maker goes to Yalikavak?

It’s a mixed bag. You’ll find lots of ex pats, Turkish and English families, as well as couples. It’s now becoming popular with Russians, since the new, all-singing, all-dancing marina was built.

Personally, I much prefer the old town to the marina. which is less than 10 years old. It’s the result of a multi-million-pound project that transformed the town’s existing marina into the only one in Turkey that can accommodate up to 69 giga yachts and mega yachts of 40 metres and above.

Are there any cultural differences and customs that travellers to Yalikavak should bear in mind and be respectful of, in terms of dress, behaviour, etc?

Turkey is a predominately Muslim country and call to prayer is five times a day (one in the middle of the night). You see women in skimpy bikinis on beach as well as women in full hijabs, side by side, but people don’t tend to go topless. You also won’t find pork on the menu.

What’s the food like in Yalikavak and what are the places to eat there?

Turkish cuisine is very under-rated in my opinion and is super-delicious and healthy, as opposed to the greasy kebab at 3am after a club which is what a lot of people think Turkish food is all about. In reality it is a super-healthy diet with no processed foods.

In terms of places to eat, Yalikavak is split in two. There is the beautiful old town, which I love. It has traditional Turkish architecture, cobbled streets and ancient houses sitting in olive and tangerine groves. You’ll find typical Turkish restaurants and cafes here, with a lovely vibe, the former serving kebabs, fish and mezzes, as well as great pizza and pasta at one of our favourite spots, Arka.

Some of the top, flashy eateries in the marina are:

Zuma – Asian fusion cuisine, including tiger prawn tempura (£22), miso marinated black cod wrapped in hoba leaf (£50) and six nigiri variations (£29).

Nusr-Et – a feast for meat fans, with signature dishes including Golden Asado: 24k gold- coated, eight-hour roasted short rib! No prices on the website, so make of that what you will!

Bagatelle – French Mediterranean dining in the heart of Bodrum, serving dishes such as Sea bream ceviche with citrus, herbs and oil (£33), Lamb chops, tender shoulder, black garlic jus (£44) and whole fish from the coastal fishery, cooked in lemon leaves (nearly £200)

Birds restaurant and show – with a menu centred around Pan-Asian cuisine as envisioned by head chef Konstantin Shatrov and chef Alexander Raylyan. The restaurant is a Turkish outpost of Birds Moscow, which is apparently the highest restaurant and show in the world! Again, no prices online.

Novikov Italian – another breathtaking location and complete with its own helipad, dishes include Mix Grilled Seafood Platter (£52), Linguine with Native Lobster & Tomato (£87) and Baked Aubergine Parmigiana (£27).

Sait – a feast of fish from the Aegean and traditional appetisers such as dried tomatoes, haydari (yoghurt dip), fava, artichoke hearts, kippers, ezmeler (nut butter), atom (chilli dip) and kopoglu (salad made with courgettes and garlic). No prices on the online menu.

How much does it cost to eat out in Yalikavak?

It used to be very cheap to eat out but inflation has gone through the roof recently and prices can literally change on a daily basis. Yalikavak is frequented by the wealthier Turks from Istanbul, who spend their weekends there, so prices can be higher than a lot of other Turkish resorts. Expect to pay less in the charming old town, while food in the glitzy marina, with a view over the super yachts, will be considerably more.

What is there to do in Yalikavak?

Yalikavak is ideally placed between many other gorgeous resorts such as Bodrum with its magnificent castle and history, Gumusluk known for delicious fish restaurants on the water, Bitez with a very laid back beach vibe and Turkbuku with its wealthy, famous clientele. All of these resorts are about 20-30 mins drive away, depending on traffic.

It’s amazing to catch a boat trip and stop at various bays to swim and sunbathe and have wonderful, fresh food served on board. There’s a co-operative in Yalikavak that runs boat trips that vary from small wooden boats for up to 10 people to all singing, all dancing super yachts you can hire for the day or week. There is everything depending on your budget, but expect to pay around £45 per person, on average.

Beaches are sandy in Yalikavak. Xuma is an amazing beach club in Yalikvak that also hosts music festivals.

You can also take trips to visit the thermal pools of Pamukkale (four hours+ by coach) and the well-preserved ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus (approx three hours by coach).

We’re hearing more and more about tourists not being made to feel welcome in some holiday destinations. Is that something holiday makers might encounter in Yalikavak?

It’s not the case in Turkey. Turks love Brits, especially children, and everyone is made to feel so welcome.