bluefishbard

Hi.

I'd like to go on a ONE-DAY gulet cruise out of Bodrum and then would also like to do a ONE-DAY gulet cruise out of Antalya in early April.

Can anyone suggest good boats/captains/tour guides?

thanks so much!

otherchelebi

Do you want to hire a gulet by yourself? Otherwise, you just go to the pier and get on the first one leaving (or the second or third one if you are superstitious. But i strongly doubt that you will find many excursions taking off in early April. the season starts beginning to mid May.

A one day gulet cruise from antalya will not take you to many interesting places. The Duden waterfalls and the caves are to the East, and Phaeselis is to the West of Antalya. Also early April in the open sea may not be much fun.

the aegean has much more protection and interesting sites as well as coves, peninsulas etc. to the south of Bodrum, although for a one day trip, i would prefer to take it from gocek or Fethiye, rather than Bodrum, especially in early April.

bluefishbard

Thanks, O.

My mom and I are totally fine jumping on a gulet with a few other folks. I've seen some tours that charge about $50/person which sounds good to us.

We are JUST starting to plan our trip. Here are the only definites so far...we arrive in Istanbul on March 26, we leave out of Istanbul on April 8.

We're really big into nature, the outdoors, the water/coasts. We would like to tour Ephesus. We will not be renting a car. Aside from staying at Istanbul, we'd like to pick two other great jumping off points that would give us great access for day trips.

Our budget tops out at $4,000 - this does not include the airline tickets to and from Turkey we just purchased.

Any suggestions - places to go, hotels, tours to do, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

best,
Dave

otherchelebi

I am aso following your other fodors forum thread and your TA thread.

sarikanarya on TA is a very nice person and will have some good ideas for you.

i took your original post as you had definitely decided on Bodrum and Antalya.

Now with more information, we can (with Sarikanarya) come up with something that will be acceptable and fun for both of you. I am an active 65 myself and i drag my wife who is 50 everywhere.

your main limitation is your adamant insistence of not wanting to rent a car.

Sari's recommendation of going to Cappadocia is something you should definitely consider. But do not take an overnight bus anywhere, no matter how comfortable the buses are.

Because of the early cooler season, you may actually forget about the gulet cruise. You really do not have much time anyway.

Antalya region and especially the warmer Side area is more suitable in terms of the weather but the sea will still be too cold for swimming and/or water sports.

The more standard Istanbul-Cappadocia-Selcuk with maybe an adventurous night in heraklia and a 'spoil yourself' night at Bodrum will be better in terms of your limited time and the number of places you can visit and things you can do without a rental car. (although i would still recommend a rental car in the Selcuk-Bodrum portion of your trip)

Whichever combination you do, i am sure it will be memorable for your mother. I have two daughters who still expect me to do things for them and i am very touched that you are doing this for your mom.

good luck and do not hesitate to ask here or at TA for anything else.

bluefishbard

Hi, O.

Thanks for the responses!

We weren't planning on renting a car, but it sounds like you'd recommend we do so. How easy is it to drive in Turkey? I had a tough time driving in Ireland. What are the key reasons you'd suggest we rent a car? and which parts of our trip would you recommend we drive? We're trying to go as hassle-free as possible.

We really want to be on the water, but don't need to be in it. I'm not opposed to being on the water when it's chilly out there. I'm used to fishing in 40 degrees (F). Where would you suggest we do single-day boat cruises? We don't need to go swimming/diving/snorkeling. We just want to get out on the water and see Turkey's coast from a neat vantage point.

What are Fethiye and Side like? Would you highly recommend we go to one or both? And what outdoorsy/nature-y activities can we do in both locations?

Thanks so much for all your help!

best,
Dave

otherchelebi

In view of your interest in the water and the exceptional coast, i recommend that you forget Side, and maybe even Bodrum, this time because of the timing.

Fethiye is a very local thriving mid-size town, with a lovely port, a market area and the possibility of a number of different day cruises. It is also more likely that you will find these tours operating in Fethiye than in anywhere else.

Please post on the Fethiye or Olu Deniz forums for detailed information from the Destination experts like 'Fethiye Fraser'

fethiye also has trips to canyons, antique sites, jeep safaris, and the very interesting abandoned Greek village which was the subject of a successful novel, as well as the famous lagoon.

I believe that staying at Fethiye proper will be a better idea instead of one of the satellites like Ovacik, olu Deniz, Hisaronu, Kayakoy, calis, etc. There you will not need a car, and can arrange your trips on the basis of the recommendations by the DEs.

On the other hand, I strongly recommend a car in Ephesus area.
The locations i wrote on other posts are not worth paying for a guide, except for Ephesus where the licensed guides at the entrances are quite good. This is a good area to enjoy your freedom and flexibility.

The roads are very easy with light traffic. Sign posts are good. the paving is good. there are many lovely roadside restaurants and cafes at scenic locations. there are no roundabouts as in ireland, and possibly the roads are wider in Turkey.

the closest airport to fethiye is Dalaman, but there probably are no flights from izmir to dalaman.

i suggest that you rent the car at izmir airport,
visit Selcuk/Ephesus region in two days and drive about 6 hours to fethiye. If you take the Milas route it is very scenic. The Aydin route is shorter and quicker but not as scenic.

i am expecting you to have a map of Turkey by now and checking these locations and the routes.