Where to go after Kusadasi -- 3 nights
 

My wife and I have a trip planned to Turkey and we need help with the last leg. We will be in Kusadasi with 3-4 nights left before we return to Istanbul. We will have already gone to Ephesus, Any suggestions on where to go for these days? We especially enjoy thermal waters so if that's an option it would be a bonus.

Thanks,

Jeffrey707

There are thermal waters and a spa hotel just about 30 miles South of Kusadasi at a place called Davutlar near the North entrance to Dilek National Park. There are also good hiking and biking routes in Dilek park but some are for the younger generation.

If you do not mind driving, and like other archeological, architectural and historic sites, you can visit Sardis, Bozdag, Golcuk and Birgi, staying the night at Cinaralti Pansiyon at Birgi, continueing to Bafa and Kapikiri/Herakleia for a second overnight.

Or, you can drive up to Kutahya after Sardis, staying at Gural Ilica (Harlek) thermal hotel, visiting Aizanoi, spending also possibly a night at Iznik/Nicea before driving to a ferry at Yalova for Istanbul.

By the way, Bursa and Yalova also have excellent thermal baths and spa hotels.

Thank you so much otherchelebei. Most helpful. Those thermal hotels are particularly intriguing.

We've decided to stay 2 nights in late May at the Natur-Med hotel spa in Davutlar. Will post on how we like it when we return.

My wife and I recently returned from our visit to the Natur Med thermal waters health resort in Davutlar, Turkey.

For those looking for excellent hot thermal waters in a lovely location, I would highly recommend Natur Med. After a 13 day tour spending long hours on bus rides and the like, a soak in their magical waters was the perfect elixir. After our first dip, we fell into a blissful, deep well of sleep that left us refreshed.

Natur Med combines a relaxing atmosphere with an emphasis on health conscious low-calorie vegetarian (almost vegan) food. We came to realize that many there were on a weight-loss program and for this they provide a healthy program that includes yoga, pilates, hikes and other physical activities.

Our room was clean, comfortable and had a view overlooking the town with the Agean Sea (an hour's hike away) in the background.

Many there were from middle-eastern countries, Germany, and some Turks as well. Not many, and few of the staff, spoke English so it was a bit challenging for me at times to understand the protocols for using the facilities. There are several hot water pools outside and one cold pool, as well as a beautiful large square-shaped indoor pool. (With a women-only hour in the morning and evening.)

The grounds are park-like and peaceful (occasionally punctuated by the amplified calls to prayer from the nearby mosque).

We were only there for a couple of days and would have better appreciated the facilities over a longer stay.

If you find yourself in Kusadasi, it's only a 20-30 minute drive to Davutlar.

Here are a couple of links describing the hotel.

http://natur-med.com.tr/defaultEN.aspx


http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details....d=403274&rooms[0].numberOfAdults=2&roomno=1&validate=false&previous Dateful=false&reviewOrder=date_newest_first#descri ption

wow-- i just began posting about our trip tonight.... and we also went to natur-med for the last part of our month in turkey. haven't gotten to that part of the trip report yet... (only just got through the first thermal spa at the amazing 'limak thermal hotel' across the marmara from istanbul.)

we also just loved natur-med. we had a hard time getting good information/reviews about it, so it was a huge question mark for us. what a pleasant surprise! how much did you love the tea they served after meals???

i laughed at your mention of the deep sleep on the first day--- this exact thing happened to both my husband and me. we arrived, ate, took a dip, and went into comas for the afternoon. (in a good way.) beautiful grounds. great walks to be taken. i dream of returning for 2 weeks to lose a few of the pounds i packed on during our vacation.

we try to make thermal water a focus of all of our trips... any other strong recommendations from your travels??
enjoyed your post -- kawh, sebastopol, ca