Brits Abroad - More From Türkiye's Turquoise Coast

Halfway through our trip we caught a water taxi across the bay to the resort of Içmeler. Just before we disembarked the pilot & his son zipped themselves into puffa jackets and we soon understood why, it was really chilly out on the water. We'd been urged to book boat trips when we wandered along the harbour but if this is what it's like out at sea in May we were happy to stay beachside!

We were curious as to why there was a photo of Charlie Manson on the boat but good old Google Lens enlightened us when we got home, it was actually Barış Manço, a Turkish rock musician who was huge in the 1960s & 1970s.  

Clean & immaculate, Içmeler was a mini version of Marmaris minus the historical buildings. The crowd was slightly older but the touts trying to drag us into the seafront cafes seemed even more intense than those on the Marmaris bar strip. 

Much of the beach was taken over by sunbeds operated by the beach bars. Fortunately, there was a public area at the far end where we could lie in peace after we'd had lunch. 

Later that day we hit the Marmaris seafront posing for a customary sunset photo on the beach.

Roma became a favourite place for a pre-dinner beer a few times because the staff were as crazy about cats as we were.

We had dinner at Yeshill, which had only opened for the Summer season the previous day. The menu was traditionally Turkish - no burgers, no chicken nuggets and therefore no Brits! The food was exceptional (aubergine kebab for me, meat for Jon) although the heat of the roasted chillies nearly blew our heads off. The house wine was light and delicious and we were given complimentary dips and flatbread as well as a huge fruit platter. The bill was less than £25.

The next day was overcast so we walked down to the Grand Bazaar.

 Fake designer gear has always been a thing in Türkiye but back when I'd previously visited (in 1988 and 2001) it was all pretty low key, only available on market stalls in tourist enclaves, the main shops being gorgeous emporiums crammed with carpets, lanterns, tapestries, trinkets and tribal jewellery where you'd lounge around on cushions, drinking apple tea with the proprietor and indulging in some good natured haggling. These days, as I alluded to in my previous post, buying knock-off handbags, sportswear and watches is one of the main reasons British tourists visit Türkiye and almost every single one of the hundreds of shops in the labyrinthine bazaar sells fake sh*t.  

With no interest in purchasing a fake pair of trainers or a knock-off handbag, we waved away the stallholders touting for business and headed to the Turkish Delight shop, where the lovely man in charge offered us endless samples before we made our final decision...it was a tough choice!

 

Just when I was starting to think that the Turkish shopping experience that had enchanted me in the 1980s had gone forever, replaced by tacky fakes and Fat Bastard Clothing (that really is the name of the shop), I stumbled across Le Shop, a traditional arts and crafts emporium which had my name written all over it. 

I'm sure you don't need to ask if I bought anything! 

This area, just outside the Grand Bazaar is called Bar Street. I imagine it's hell on earth during peak tourist season but its an atmospheric place for a stroll at 10am on a Wednesday morning.

I'm not sure how authentically these rugs were (I've seen that "Antiqued" blue one on the Wayfair website) but they are gorgeous to look at.

It's very picturesque down by the harbour.

I'd seen lots of Turks eating this so I ordered it for lunch...Turkish eggs, similar to shakshuka and just as tasty. Jon ordered something called a fun plate which turned out to be a huge bowl of chips with mini sausages.

Despite the clouds it was a hot day and we were able to spend the rest of it on the beach but the lifeguards were flying the red flag which meant swimming was dangerous.  It's so frustrating to gaze out at the sea and not be able to get in it! 

Cats really do get everywhere!

 

We were constantly stopped and told what a nice looking couple we were and how we didn't look English (yay!) Jon was very much in minority in that he always wore a shirt as opposed to wandering the streets topless or dressed in a nylon football shirt. This Joe Brown's shirt, charity shopped a couple of weeks previously, got loads of attention, at one point he was offered £50 for it!

We returned to Felix, where we were treated like old friends by the staff. We shared beetroot and honey salad, flatbreads, warm hummus and a plate of cheese, olives and salad as well as complimentary bowls of Turkish nuts and a fruit platter.

Normally we avoid "entertainment" like the plague with the neighbouring bars on the strip offering everything from Oasis and Robbie Williams tribute acts to English R'n'B nights, Blackpool Drag acts and karaoke. Felix is a lot classier and more low key and the house band were wonderful. One of our favourite charity shop managers, Anthony, is the world's biggest Prince fan so I recorded this just for him.

We were delighted by the sunny skies that greeted us for our final day, the clouds of the previous day a dim and distant memory and anxious to make the most of the sunshine on our final day we were on the beach before 10am (but sadly swimming was still prohibited). 

Lunch was again eaten at Bono's. Jon loved his chicken salad and my courgette fritters with purslane (considered a weed in the UK), strawberries, toasted nuts and pomegranate vinegar was the stuff of dreams! 

The restaurant manager told us that the house cat gets fresh fish and chicken every day but still mithers the diners for their dinners! 

One of the rules posted at the entrance to the public beach is "No nuts to be brought here" presumably to deter the pigeons which doesn't seem to stop them!

It was our last night in Marmaris! The staff found it hilarious that despite there being a lift we insisted on climbing the six flights of stairs to our room morning, noon and night. No Pavarotti sized clothes for us, thank you very much! 

We returned to Yeshill for dinner and again we were spoilt with complimentary starters and a fruit platter.

We ate pide which is a hollowed out loaf with a tasty filling, mine was roasted aubergine with cheese and Jon's minced lamb and sundried tomatoes.

Cheers, Marmaris, thanks for having us!!!

I know a lot of readers get travel inspiration from my blog so here's my thoughts on Marmaris for anyone tempted to follow in our footsteps. Whilst its undeniably gorgeous, the people are warm and friendly and there's no shortage of excellent restaurants serving authentic Turkish food, be aware that this is package tourist central with thousands of British tourists only coming here for the knock off goods, cheap tobacco and the Turkey teeth and it is very hard to avoid them. 

 PS For the packing fans - here's my Marmaris wardrobe. I wore the cowboy boots, velvet bodice maxi dress and orange sari wrap top to travel in and the rest fitted into my carry-on bag (which weighed 7kg).

Thanks for reading, see you soon!