Pamukkale and Bodrum
 

My sister and I are going to be in Turkey in the first half of September. We will be going from Bodrum to Cappadocia. Is it worth it to make an effort to go to Pamukkale or is it over-rated? Your answers may make the diffence between whether we fly or drive. Also, does anyone have experience with the Lavanta Hotel or the Maramara hotel in Bodrum, or Les Maisons de Cappadoce? Thanks for any information - we're very excited about our trip!<BR><BR>Kay

Merhaba:I visited about 10 years ago I enjoyed it. It is a bit touristed but so is the grand canyon and I would put this natural wonder somewhere in that neighborhood of wonder. Ok I have never been to Canyon but I did love pamukela.<BR><BR>There use to be a hotel a short distance that had a pool that was littered with Roman ruins, this was a fun one time experience also.

We swam in the above mentioned pool in 1997 and will always remember the experience. Here's some brief info from the web.<BR><BR>The Sacred Pool which coincidentally contains many ancient column pieces is located in the Pamukkale Motel and is not to be missed. This pool may well easily be the remains of the original pool of the antiquity near the Apollo Temple. As John Freely says, "There cannot be another hotel in the world that has a swimming pool like this."<BR><BR>Here's a link to see a photo of the pool.<BR><BR>http://www.turkishodyssey.com/gallery/images/s0093.jpg

We went in 1999 & flew from Ankara to Izmir--we stayed in Kusadasi for 5 nights & had a guide drive us to Pamukkale for the day with a stop in Aphrodisias. It was a long day but worth it. Pamukkale will not look like the sparkling white mound with clear blue pools like the brochures show, but it's still an awesome sight. By the way, the hotel & pool at the top is what ruined the pools on Pamukkale itself. There is an interesting amphetheatre & burial area behind Pamukkale as well. Aphrodisias was amazing--not too touristy like Ephesus (although that was amazing too). You will love Cappadocia. The natural wonders are not found anywhere else in the world. We stayed at the Esebelli Evi-one of the cave hotels & loved it. We did not go to Bodrum although I've heard great things about it. Have fun!

Alyssa how did the pool ruin Pamukkale? You just said you had a great time.

We did have a great time--and it's still a tremendous site. However, the hotel in creating its beautiful pool cyphoned much of the water that originally cascaded down Pamukkale, helping to cleanse its surface and maintain the warm mineral water pooling on its calcified shelves. Since the hotel redirected the water to its own pool, the water on Pamukkale has been reduced to a trickle. Our guide mentioned that there was talk of closing the hotel, but I don't know if that's gone anywhere.

ugh that is terrible how could they let a natural resource like that fall by the way side? I guess they had two treasures to protect and one was a paying treasure. So sad.

the hotel around the pool is no more there, they are cleaning the site but there is still work to do