Planning to spend a few days on the Aegean/Mediterranean coast of Turkey in early November. Only definite stop on itinerary is Ephesus. Any suggestions for a base of operations? A town not too touristy but not too dead at that time of year? Will have a car for exploring.

I just arrived back from Turkey. (It's 3:33am and I can't sleep due to jet lag.)<BR><BR>If you have just a few days, then stay in Kusadasi to see Ephesus. A friend told me you can rent mopeds to Ephesus from there, but we lacked the time and opted for an expensive taxi. We also walked the south end of the bay to view the ruins at the point. Just below this is an outdoor restaurant with the best view of Kusadasi. All this can be done with one nights stay there.<BR><BR>My next stop would be Bodrum and the adjoining town to the immediate East of it. There are hoards of boats waiting to give various cruises, but we passed on that. The town next door is a great place to relax. I was amused that I could float in the ocean here, because of the high salt content.<BR><BR>We relied heavily on our Turkey guide book through Turkey (We wen't to Instanbul and Antalya too.), but started to trust ourselves toward the end of the trip. It was easy to find good hotels for $70 and excellent ones for $120 and up anywhere we stayed.<BR><BR>If you are driving yourself, I wouldn't make a single reservation and simply plan on spending half an hour driving around to the hotels of your liking to pick one for you. You will have no problem certainly in November.<BR><BR>We read the drivers in Turkey are aggressive...I found them no more so than in California where I live.<BR><BR>The biggest treasure you will enjoy is the warmth of the Turkish people! We enjoyed them all, but be a bit wary of the carpet salesman and the "cousins" of carpet salesmen, although they are friendly too.<BR><BR>Prior to my trip, I was concerned about our security in Turkey. Now, I could almost live there!<BR><BR>Your trip will be a treasure.<BR><BR>Feel free to Email me if you have questions.<BR><BR>Mike<BR>

Bodrum and Marmaris(Aegean Coast) won't be boring during this time.Antalya(Med Coast) is a big city anyway.<BR>Hope it doesn't rain...

Stay at the Kismet Hotel in Kusadasi. It is older but beautifully maintained and run. Bodrum and Marmaris are also beautiful coastal cities but Kusadasi wa our favorite.

Hi. I stayed in the Hotel Efes when in Kusadasi a couple of years ago. It's a small hotel where every room has a view of the sea - it's right on the waterfront, and has a nice view to the little island with its fort. The rooms were very nice, with balconies. Also from there I took a ferry across to the Greek Island of SAmos, for the day. The Hotel Efes may have a web site - do a search.

While you are in Ephesus, I recommend to visit the village Sirince, 8 kms. out of Selcuk itself where the ruins are. You can even stay exclusively in a mansion not expensive. However distances between cities and towns are about 2 to 3 hours if we talk about Kusadas&yacute; ( 20 min from Selcuk ), Marmaris, Bodrum.<BR><BR>If you plan to go further to Mediterranean, Dalyan, Fethiye, Kalkan and Kas are nice places to stay and also explore ruins & sites near by.<BR><BR>November is one of the best months to be in these areas.<BR><BR>Have a great time in Turkey