I was in Marmaris for the very first time in 2005, just for a few hours, and I must admit I did not like it at all. It was in the summer, with a temperature of almost 40 degrees in the shade, and I found the town completely uninteresting and full of drab high-rise apartment blocks and pushy shopkeepers. That unfavourable first sight kept me off from Marmaris for several years and limits my visit to the seaside resort town to infrequent transit stops en route to/from Rhodes.
This attitude of indifference towards Marmaris continues until this year, when I was obliged to spend a few days in Marmaris en route to some lesser known places not far away from the town. As it was still low season, most hotels in the surrounding countryside were still closed and the only possibility to find decent and affordable accommodation was in the town of Marmaris itself.
To my surprise, this time round, the town of Marmaris appears much more congenial and agreeable. Granted, it would never be the place where I would consider settling down or something, but the town does not look too bad at all in the winter months. The weather was beginning to get better and better day by day, most of the pushy shopkeepers are still away, and the pebble beach along the seafront is not crowded at all. When the sun is shining and the sky is blue, the views of the bays and the sea from the shore are actually very picturesque.
Although Marmaris has long been a popular destination amongst European holidaymakers for their summer beach breaks, the town remains fairly unknown outside of Europe and Turkey. Most non-European visitors to Turkey simply regard the town little more than a mere first-transit stop en route from Greece to internationally renown sights of Pamukkale and Ephesus. Few bothers to stop and spend a few days in this town and explore the scenic hidden bays and coves that can be found less than an hour's drive from Marmaris.
Although the modern town centre of Marmaris has nothing interesting to write home about, the town does have a pleasant marina and a small castle dated from well before the Hellenistic era. As a matter of fact, Marmaris is a very old town, which was already mentioned by Herodotus and in existence since the 6th century BC. The castle of Marmaris played an important role in the history of Ottoman expansion in southern and eastern Mediterranean, serving as the base of the Ottoman Navy during the siege of Rhodes in the first half of the 16th century.
Encircled by a series of bays and rolling hills, Marmaris has one of the most scenic natural deep-water harbours on Turkey's Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts. In the summer months, the town is a popular point of departure for the fabled Blue Voyage, and the population of Marmaris and the surrounding resorts of Icmeler and Turunc swells to well over half a million during the high seasons.
Encircled by a series of bays and rolling hills, Marmaris has one of the most scenic natural deep-water harbours on Turkey's Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts. In the summer months, the town is a popular point of departure for the fabled Blue Voyage, and the population of Marmaris and the surrounding resorts of Icmeler and Turunc swells to well over half a million during the high seasons.
The town's marina has undergone extensive restoration over the last few years. Nowadays it is lined with al fresco restaurants, pubs and bars and is a popular place for tourists to hang out in the evenings. A short walk behind the marina promenade is the Marmaris Castle, and the old quarters of Marmaris with its winding narrow streets, white houses and more bars and cafes.
To be fair to the town, Marmaris has a much more beautiful natural setting than both Fethiye or Kusadasi. Its hinterland has some of the most stunning coves in the whole of the Mediterranean that can only be reached by boats. And prices of hotel accommodations are in general cheaper than those in Fethiye and Kusadasi. Had the town planners paid more attention to the art of aesthetics back in the 1980s when the town began to take off as a major tourist resort, Marmaris would certainly be so much more pleasing and attractive to those seeking out an exclusive lifestyle on Turkey's Aegean coast.
During the summer months, daily ferries sail from Marmaris to Rhodes and vice versa. The town is also well served by bus to most cities throughout Turkey, including direct bus connections to major cities in Southeast Anatolia. The nearest airport is located some 70km away in Dalaman, but it is also possible to get to Marmaris by flying to nearby airports such as Bodrum-Milas, Izmir or even Rhodes, and catch a ferry to Marmaris from Rhodes Port.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
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