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The Local Area |
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The area around Akbuk bay is approx. 8km long. It offers a number of quiet beach areas and parks, 8 or so restaurants on the seafront, a small harbour, a small centre with some shops, a large market held every Friday and there is just one nightclub named 'Jokers' which is open in peak season only. There is also a smaller 'Tuesday' market which is located just 10 minutes from the villa and runs throughout the main holiday season, where you buy buy some wonderfully fresh (and cheap!!) fruits and vegetables as well as many other items.
Within walking distance of our villa is a large turkish supermarket named Tansas, a smaller local supermarket, a small cafe, the Tuesday market and the local beaches.
Akbuk is a very peaceful area and is an excellent place where you can really get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It offers many areas which you can explore, either on foot, bicycle or by car. Akbuk is surrounded by lush pine forests and mountains and is a great base for any adventure enthusiasts amongst you.
Didim is a large town, some 20 minutes away from Akbuk offering all sorts of shopping opportunites with many modern shops and markets to explore. In addition, the huge Temple of Apollo is a world famous landmark , it is well worth a visit having been well excavated and partially restored. It is probably most impressive at sunset, striking in its sheer scale. The great snake adorned head of Medusa, unfortunately now cracked after falling to the ground, possibly from an earthquake several centuries ago, but does provide wonderful photo opportunities.
Altinkum is also 20 minutes or so from Akbuk and is a beachlovers paradise, with very shallow waters making it very safe for young children. The town is very lively in the evening offering countless bars, restaurants, nightclubs along the main seafront promenade. It can get quite noisy here after dark when the holiday spirit is in full swing.
Closeby are the small villages of Yesilkent, Kazikli, Bozbuk and Denizkoy which are relatively small in size but definetly worth exploring. Around the area lagoon area at Yesilkent, Lizards, pelicans and flamingo's can be observed.
Although a car is not essential here as you can achieve a fair bit by using the local buses which are very cheap. However, even just hiring a car for a couple of days will let you venture further afield and explore some of the above villages, or find your own small 'virgin' beach or cove, which are generally off the bus routes and virtually unvisited by the local tourists.
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In and Around Akbuk |
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Akbuk Picture Gallery (hover over to thumbnail pictures to display in Main Window)
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Akbuk, originally a small fishing village is very much an undiscovered gem on the Aegean coastline between the well known resorts of Bodrum and Kusadasi. It is primarily a resort frequented by local turkish tourists and holidaymakers. However, being so close to the popular resort of Altinkum has led to many English people discovering Akbuk and in some cases, choosing to buy a holiday or retirement home there.
Akbuk is very peaceful and offers beautiful scenery with a beautiful bay, luscious green mountains behind with still large area's forested with pine tree's. The whole bay's sea-front is lined with tree's and offers wonderful views of the bodrum penisular in the distance. Watching the sun-set over the penisular is fantastic viewing, especially over a bottle of Turkish Red wine!!
And for those lazy days, the centre of Akbuk offers a number of bars and restaurants to just sit, relax, and chill out where to enjoy the wonderful sun sets.
Every friday, all year round, there is a large local market where holiday makers from all round visit. Also, there is another market just minutes from our villa which is open every Tuesday throughout the main holiday season. There is also a small harbour where the local fishermen bring in the catches (sea-bream, sea-bass,etc) early morning.
Didim Picture Gallery (hover over to thumbnail pictures to display in Main Window)
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Didim is now a large town that sits between Akbuk and the resort of Altinkum. It has become a commercial centre that supports both the local population and the increasing number of predominately English tourists that have bought both holiday and retirement homes in Altinkum.
There is a good choice of shops, supermarkets and restaurants in and around the town. Didim is known around the world as the home of the Temple of Apollo.
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Altinkum |
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Altinmum Picture Gallery (hover over to thumbnail pictures to display in Main Window)
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Fastly becoming one of Turkey's premier resorts on the Aegean coastline, Altinkum, literally meaning 'Golden-Sands', offers 3 miles of fantastic beaches with shallow turquoise waters and is a bustling resort with a wide choice of restaurants, bars, clubs and entertainment.
Altinkum is approx. a 20 minute drive from the villa and will take approx 30 minutes with the local bus (or 'dolmus' as they are locally known).
Around Altinkum, there are many things to keep you busy, from a new waterpark which opened in 2005, many local boat tours, including both the local 5 island tour and also day trips over to bodrum which gives you 5 or 6 hours there to either soak up the sun on some of the beaches there, or do some serious shopping!! or perhaps do some sightseeing, one place of particular interest being the impressive Bodrum castle.
There are many other places of interest within a hour or two's drive of the villa. Please see places to go for some ideas for day trip's from the villa.
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