590km (366 miles) to Antalya; 165km (102 miles) to Bodrum; 900km (558 miles) to Istanbul; 185km (115 miles) to Pamukkale; 120 km (74 miles) to Dalaman
After commissioning the construction of the castle on the hill as a preliminary to his siege on Rhodes, Süleyman the Magnificent returned from an expedition and exclaimed, " Mimar as! " (Hang the architect!). Locals use this story to explain how Marmaris got its name; and although this is another of those cute Turkish anecdotes, this one is particularly apt -- not for the castle, but for what this town has become. Urban blight has stricken "ocean drive," characterized by seedy-looking signage and fast-food stands advertising baked potatoes to a high concentration of low-budget English tourists lazing about on the bleak public beach.
The local economy obviously hinges on Netsel Marina, a state-of-the-art facility that's undeniably ground zero for the yachting set and the Blue Voyage industry. In fact, the marina, the nearby wharf, and the cobblestone streets surrounding the castle are the bright spots in an otherwise charmless seaside port. It's no wonder that tour operators provide transfers from Dalaman Airport directly to the boat.
That said, the pine-covered mountains surrounding Marmaris provide a breathtaking backdrop to the small bays, inlets, and coves of the Datça Peninsula, the land separation between the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, which is accessible via a handful of well-worn rough asphalt roads that wind slowly through exceptionally breathtaking mountain terrain. Closest to Marmaris is Içmeler, a smaller seaside resort at the base of a beautifully crested, pine-covered mountain range, and home to a number of luxury resort hotels. Farther west are the azure waters of the Gulf of Hisarönü, and the remote and magical villages of Selimiye, Turunç, and Gökova, if forced to name just a few.
About 81km (50 miles) west across a wilderness of pine-clad mountain ranges (a little over an hour by car from Marmaris) is the oft-overlooked seaside town of Datça, the old Greek inland village of Eski or Old Datça, and farther west along a slow-going road towards the tip of the peninsula, the ancient city of Knidos. The Datça Peninsula still remains somewhat underdeveloped, probably because most of its visitors sail in with their own accommodations. Although this is the preferred method of travel in these parts, it's just this lack of attention that has preserved the ruggedness of the terrain and charm of the more remote fishing villages. The road west from Marmaris is in neglect, and west of Datça town it's almost nonexistent. So, if traveling by land, you may want to tackle the region of Marmaris separately from the region around Datça town -- reached via ferryboat from Bodrum in under 2 hours. |
