Rental Villas Direct
Luxury Private Holiday Accommodation in Turkey
Self-Catering Villas, Apartments & Cottages
All areas from the Aegean Coast to the Mediterranean Coast, also know as the Turquoise Riviera
Including Self-Catering Holidays in other popular destinations.
Self-Catering Villas, Apartments & Cottages
All areas from the Aegean Coast to the Mediterranean Coast, also know as the Turquoise Riviera
Including Self-Catering Holidays in other popular destinations.
Property Owners - Free Advertising on this website, contact us for further detals.
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Kelebekler Vadisi (Butterfly Valley)
One of the most striking places in the Fethiye region is Butterfly Valley, on the 8th of February 1995, the site was declared a first degree natural protected area and any type of construction has been prohibited. The valley is rocky and pine covered and is a bit hard to climb but gives you an astonishing feeling to see millions of butteries covering the trees and rocks like a soft colourful scarf, at first, you do not notice them at all and you think it is the natural colour look of the place. However, with one sound or movement the butterflies take off, covering the sky and casting a shadow over the valley. By renting or using one of the shared boats that work like water Taxis, you can go from Oludeniz to Butterfly Valley beach, this is also known as Koturumsu Cove, in this half an hour’s trip, you can also stop at the Mavi Magara (the Blue Cave). You can give yourself to the green and blue waters of the cave, there are two paths that lead to Butterfly Valley and to the foot of the 2000 metres high Babadag, one of them goes through a waterfall and the other through the village of Faralya.
If you have no trekking or natural sports experience you should not try to climb to the higher parts of the valley and just be satisfied by getting to the first waterfall, those with self confidence and who cannot turn away from the extraordinary call of the valley should continue the trip up and will come across the stunning now we will now describe. But wearing professional trekking clothes and shoes and carrying professional equipments is highly advised. The path that leads up to the village is really steep and there are a couple of points where you need to climb up in the path, do not take this if you don’t have mountaineering experience, however, the view from the village is really wonderful.
Following the signpost that say “George’s House” where you might get very nice food with your ayran. There are also accommodation facilities at the Butterfly Valley beach, you can set up a tent, rent a tent, or stay in makeshift bush and leaf covered wooden-shelters, or in wooden huts. There is one restaurant set up on the beach in summertime; the owners will help you, showing the paths to follow.
Saklikent (the Hidden City)
If one day you get tired of the heat and want to do something different, go to a very narrow and high canyon that cannot get the sunlight and walk through ice cold water, then go to Saklikent. Take the Fethiye-Antalya road towards Kemer, after driving for 25 kilometres take the turn to Saklikent and once past the sign for Tlos, drive another 10 kilometres to Saklikent. On the way to Saklikent you will see lots of restaurants on both sides of the road where you get a gozleme and ayran. After you get to the village of Kayadibi you leave your car at the canyon entrance and pay your entrance fee. The Esen Stream bursts forth 100 metres inside the canyon; it flows so crazily in summer and winter that it makes it almost impossible to progress against the current. You walk on the wooden footpath attached to the canyon walls, you form a one person line and go to the location where the stream erupts, when you watch the picturesque view of the furiously and loudly flowing stream you can if you wish to do so cross the freezing water and progress towards the deeper part of the canyon. Do not neglect to take a pair of cloth or plastic shoes, however, if you do not have them tourism is at your service, you can buy or rent them in the “Plastic Shoes Sales Shop” at the entrance of the canyon. The canyon is quite long, with the path at times being rough, if you try to walk it all, the joy may turn into a burden, it is best to go for a few hundred metres and then turn back.
Tlos and Yakapark
The ancient city of Tlos is 40 kilometres from Fethiye, after travelling for 22 kilometres on the Fethiye-Antalya road, take the road signposted as Tlos and Saklikent and travel another 10 kilometres. The Tlos historical site is eight kilometres from Saklikent and right next to the village Yaka, the city is hidden behind an Ottoman castle and the ancient acropolis on the top of a hill, while climbing up to the castle the Lycian rock tombs will grab your attention. The most impressive is the Tomb of Bellerephon, with a five bas-relief of Pegasus the winged horse fighting against the three-headed monster the Chimera, at the entrance of the tomb that attracts lots of attention there are columns and a three-section wall, in the middle there is a motif of a door carved which leads to the grave. In the flat area below the castle you find the remains of the Lycian walls nine metres thick, the agora (market) that still has six arched doors standing and to the south you have Roman walls. The remains that are in best condition are the theatres, however, the Lycian rock tombs, baths, paleastra and gymnasium are also impressive, Tlos is one of the oldest settlements in the Lycian region. In the Lycian inscription the city name is written as Tlawa and in the Hittites writings from the 14th century BC the areas are referred to as Dlawa in the Lukka region.
One tip is to start your visit after having a very foamy ayran in the tea garden right next to the entrance of the historical site. Since you have travelled to the village of Yaka, Yakapark just a kilometre from the village is worth visiting for a break. This is a stopping point for the jeep safaris from Kas, Kalkan and Fethiye and is wonderful with its century old trees, terraces, pool, water channels, hammocks and stone tables placed by the management, as the women cook gozleme, chickens and rooster pass your feet making the place interesting. The meat gets cooked on the barbeque set in the centre of the garden and trout dipped in corn flour is fried, those in the tourism business have to be creative, here you will see an example of that. There is the Balikli Bar, which has an animation that you would see nowhere else other than Yakapark, the bar is made of stone and on one side of it there is a small channel where the cold water flows, inside this channel swim trout, which act like they are used to human beings, they love being touched, caressed and they do not swim away. Meanwhile the providing of beer, cola and ayran goes on.
Pinara
After going 45 kilometres on the Fethiye-Esen road, you turn right leading to the village of Minare (Minaret), the people of Minare, as well as pointing out the dusty path leading to the archaeological site of Pinara can also take you to the ancient city by tractor. Pinara which meant “round” in the Lycian language, in some inscription is written as Pinale. The city was one of the important ones of the Lycian Union and had the right to three votes alongside the other major cities of Xanthos, Tlos, Patara, Myra and Olympus. The city was renowned for its relations under the satrap Piksodaros and gets a mention in campaign of Alexander the Great in 334-333 BC. The high rock area in the western part must have been the first settlement. In the Roman era the village moved down to the lower ground and was situated between the rocks and the hill sloping down, the theatre was built out of town to the north east of the settlement.
Xanthos
Seventeen kilometres along the Fethiye-Kalkan road there is a road that leads through Kinik following the bank of the Esen Stream, leading to the ancient city of Xanthos? It is believed that the history of Xanthos, the capital of Lycian Union goes as far back as 1200 BC. It is written that in those times the Lycians fought in the Trojan War, under the command of an officer from Xanthos, it is said that the people from Xanthos were courageous and great worriers.
The historian Herodotus, in reference to war in 545 BC against invading Persians, wrote “When the Persian army came onto the Xanthos plain under the rule of their commander, although they were very few in numbers against the unending large numbers of Persians, the people of Xanthos kept fighting. They gained a reputation for their heroism but they did lose the war against them, they placed all the women, children, treasures and slaves into the castle, then they set it on fire. Such was the fire that it destroyed everything; it was after that they took a binding oath and began fighting the enemy, all died in the fighting.
Although, Xanthos was frequently destroyed by fires or wars, every time it was rebuilt, the city was destroyed completely in the Roman era by Brutus and was reconstructed by another Roman commander, Marc Antonius. In the Byzantine era Xanthos was a centre of a bishopric, though it was finally abandoned after a series of Arab attacks.
If you go to Xanthos through Kinik the first remains you encounter is a part of the Hellenistic gate on your right, to the left of the road there is an arch dedicated to the Roman emperor Vespasian, a gift in thanks for his great contributions to the city. The ruins you will see a bit further up on your right are what is left of the magnificent Nereids Monument, the most impressive pieces of which were taken to England by ship in 1841-1842. Today these pieces have been restored and the monument is on display in the 7th hall of the British Museum. If you head to the left towards the acropolis past the walls you come to the theatre, after this you will see the Lycian tombs that have become the symbol of Xanthos and the Harpies Monument above the tombs. Since the statues of the monument were taken to England, what you see today are plaster copies of the originals. The original Harpies Monument is also on exhibition in the British Museum.
At the Lycian acropolis there are also the remains of the agora and a Byzantine basilica, once you get to the acropolis take in the view. The hill that overlooks the plain is the site of the ruins of the ancient Lycian palace. On the right of the road in Xanthos and opposite the acropolis there is a Roman acropolis, where you can see a Byzantine, basilica rock tomb, the Pillar Monument and the ruins of a tomb with lion reliefs.
Patara
On the Fethiye-Kalkan road just ten kilometres before Kalkan, you take the turn for Patara-Gelemis, driving for another six kilometres to get to the ancient city of Patara, with the Patara beach another kilometre further along. The ancient city is four kilometres from the entrance of the village Gelemis, however the ruins of Patara begin long before you get to the village. Among the ruins, which are believed to be from the necropolis, there are Lycian type tombs and Roman tomb monuments. Gelemis is now a popular tourism village. The villagers, who used to be interested in agriculture, are now mostly running pensions, restaurants and shops that sell souvenirs and so forth. Patara was one of the six cities of the Lycian Union, possibly one of the most important of them, and had the right to three votes. In history books it is written that most of the meetings of the Lycian Union were held in Patara. The ancient city was called Pttara in the Lycian language and was known to exist in the 5th century BC. It was among the cities that Alexander the Great laid siege to. According to the legend the city of Patara was founded by the water nymph Lycia and the God Apollon’s son Patarus. Under Roman rule Patara was also one of the region’s most significant cities. The port of Patara played a major role in the storing and transporting of wheat, the city continued to develop in the Byzantine era and became an important centre for Christianity. It is also believed that Saint Nicholas, modernised Santa Claus or Father Christmas, was born in Patara. With the silting up of the port, boats had difficulty in entering and Patara lost its importance. The sand that was shifted by the winds not only affected the port but also covered the city, some of the ruins still peak out from the sand as you pass. Two kilometres after Gelemis you will come across the most impressive of the remains of the city, a Roman triumphal arch, built at the end of the 1st century AD. Among the other ruins you will see towards the hill are the baths, a Byzantine basilica and a Corinthian style temple. The theatre is on the other side of the hill and most of it is covered by sand, on the hill top there is a Temple of Athena, the former port is now a wet land. In order to prevent the sand shifting inland from Patara Beach barriers have been set up, Patara beach is the longest and most impressive of the beaches in the area. It is 18 kilometres long and up to 300 metres wide, it has fine white sand, the sea is shallow for a long way out and the wind almost never stops, making it great for windsurfing.
Patara Beach has been listed as a natural protected area since sea turtles lay their eggs here. There are two restaurants at the entrance area where the parking lot is located, as the sun burns down here and there is no shade around, do not forget to rent an umbrella at the entrance before lying on the beach. Horse riding on the Patara Beach is also available; the tours include the channel area, the green valley, sand hills and the seaside. Throughout the trip you get to ride through ancient ruins, forests and valleys, generally the early hours of the morning is the best time to go riding, even if you might never ridden a horse before, do not worry all necessary instructions are given at the horse farm before the tour starts. On the back of an educated and docile horse you become a master equestrian in a short time.
One of the most striking places in the Fethiye region is Butterfly Valley, on the 8th of February 1995, the site was declared a first degree natural protected area and any type of construction has been prohibited. The valley is rocky and pine covered and is a bit hard to climb but gives you an astonishing feeling to see millions of butteries covering the trees and rocks like a soft colourful scarf, at first, you do not notice them at all and you think it is the natural colour look of the place. However, with one sound or movement the butterflies take off, covering the sky and casting a shadow over the valley. By renting or using one of the shared boats that work like water Taxis, you can go from Oludeniz to Butterfly Valley beach, this is also known as Koturumsu Cove, in this half an hour’s trip, you can also stop at the Mavi Magara (the Blue Cave). You can give yourself to the green and blue waters of the cave, there are two paths that lead to Butterfly Valley and to the foot of the 2000 metres high Babadag, one of them goes through a waterfall and the other through the village of Faralya.
If you have no trekking or natural sports experience you should not try to climb to the higher parts of the valley and just be satisfied by getting to the first waterfall, those with self confidence and who cannot turn away from the extraordinary call of the valley should continue the trip up and will come across the stunning now we will now describe. But wearing professional trekking clothes and shoes and carrying professional equipments is highly advised. The path that leads up to the village is really steep and there are a couple of points where you need to climb up in the path, do not take this if you don’t have mountaineering experience, however, the view from the village is really wonderful.
Following the signpost that say “George’s House” where you might get very nice food with your ayran. There are also accommodation facilities at the Butterfly Valley beach, you can set up a tent, rent a tent, or stay in makeshift bush and leaf covered wooden-shelters, or in wooden huts. There is one restaurant set up on the beach in summertime; the owners will help you, showing the paths to follow.
Saklikent (the Hidden City)
If one day you get tired of the heat and want to do something different, go to a very narrow and high canyon that cannot get the sunlight and walk through ice cold water, then go to Saklikent. Take the Fethiye-Antalya road towards Kemer, after driving for 25 kilometres take the turn to Saklikent and once past the sign for Tlos, drive another 10 kilometres to Saklikent. On the way to Saklikent you will see lots of restaurants on both sides of the road where you get a gozleme and ayran. After you get to the village of Kayadibi you leave your car at the canyon entrance and pay your entrance fee. The Esen Stream bursts forth 100 metres inside the canyon; it flows so crazily in summer and winter that it makes it almost impossible to progress against the current. You walk on the wooden footpath attached to the canyon walls, you form a one person line and go to the location where the stream erupts, when you watch the picturesque view of the furiously and loudly flowing stream you can if you wish to do so cross the freezing water and progress towards the deeper part of the canyon. Do not neglect to take a pair of cloth or plastic shoes, however, if you do not have them tourism is at your service, you can buy or rent them in the “Plastic Shoes Sales Shop” at the entrance of the canyon. The canyon is quite long, with the path at times being rough, if you try to walk it all, the joy may turn into a burden, it is best to go for a few hundred metres and then turn back.
Tlos and Yakapark
The ancient city of Tlos is 40 kilometres from Fethiye, after travelling for 22 kilometres on the Fethiye-Antalya road, take the road signposted as Tlos and Saklikent and travel another 10 kilometres. The Tlos historical site is eight kilometres from Saklikent and right next to the village Yaka, the city is hidden behind an Ottoman castle and the ancient acropolis on the top of a hill, while climbing up to the castle the Lycian rock tombs will grab your attention. The most impressive is the Tomb of Bellerephon, with a five bas-relief of Pegasus the winged horse fighting against the three-headed monster the Chimera, at the entrance of the tomb that attracts lots of attention there are columns and a three-section wall, in the middle there is a motif of a door carved which leads to the grave. In the flat area below the castle you find the remains of the Lycian walls nine metres thick, the agora (market) that still has six arched doors standing and to the south you have Roman walls. The remains that are in best condition are the theatres, however, the Lycian rock tombs, baths, paleastra and gymnasium are also impressive, Tlos is one of the oldest settlements in the Lycian region. In the Lycian inscription the city name is written as Tlawa and in the Hittites writings from the 14th century BC the areas are referred to as Dlawa in the Lukka region.
One tip is to start your visit after having a very foamy ayran in the tea garden right next to the entrance of the historical site. Since you have travelled to the village of Yaka, Yakapark just a kilometre from the village is worth visiting for a break. This is a stopping point for the jeep safaris from Kas, Kalkan and Fethiye and is wonderful with its century old trees, terraces, pool, water channels, hammocks and stone tables placed by the management, as the women cook gozleme, chickens and rooster pass your feet making the place interesting. The meat gets cooked on the barbeque set in the centre of the garden and trout dipped in corn flour is fried, those in the tourism business have to be creative, here you will see an example of that. There is the Balikli Bar, which has an animation that you would see nowhere else other than Yakapark, the bar is made of stone and on one side of it there is a small channel where the cold water flows, inside this channel swim trout, which act like they are used to human beings, they love being touched, caressed and they do not swim away. Meanwhile the providing of beer, cola and ayran goes on.
Pinara
After going 45 kilometres on the Fethiye-Esen road, you turn right leading to the village of Minare (Minaret), the people of Minare, as well as pointing out the dusty path leading to the archaeological site of Pinara can also take you to the ancient city by tractor. Pinara which meant “round” in the Lycian language, in some inscription is written as Pinale. The city was one of the important ones of the Lycian Union and had the right to three votes alongside the other major cities of Xanthos, Tlos, Patara, Myra and Olympus. The city was renowned for its relations under the satrap Piksodaros and gets a mention in campaign of Alexander the Great in 334-333 BC. The high rock area in the western part must have been the first settlement. In the Roman era the village moved down to the lower ground and was situated between the rocks and the hill sloping down, the theatre was built out of town to the north east of the settlement.
Xanthos
Seventeen kilometres along the Fethiye-Kalkan road there is a road that leads through Kinik following the bank of the Esen Stream, leading to the ancient city of Xanthos? It is believed that the history of Xanthos, the capital of Lycian Union goes as far back as 1200 BC. It is written that in those times the Lycians fought in the Trojan War, under the command of an officer from Xanthos, it is said that the people from Xanthos were courageous and great worriers.
The historian Herodotus, in reference to war in 545 BC against invading Persians, wrote “When the Persian army came onto the Xanthos plain under the rule of their commander, although they were very few in numbers against the unending large numbers of Persians, the people of Xanthos kept fighting. They gained a reputation for their heroism but they did lose the war against them, they placed all the women, children, treasures and slaves into the castle, then they set it on fire. Such was the fire that it destroyed everything; it was after that they took a binding oath and began fighting the enemy, all died in the fighting.
Although, Xanthos was frequently destroyed by fires or wars, every time it was rebuilt, the city was destroyed completely in the Roman era by Brutus and was reconstructed by another Roman commander, Marc Antonius. In the Byzantine era Xanthos was a centre of a bishopric, though it was finally abandoned after a series of Arab attacks.
If you go to Xanthos through Kinik the first remains you encounter is a part of the Hellenistic gate on your right, to the left of the road there is an arch dedicated to the Roman emperor Vespasian, a gift in thanks for his great contributions to the city. The ruins you will see a bit further up on your right are what is left of the magnificent Nereids Monument, the most impressive pieces of which were taken to England by ship in 1841-1842. Today these pieces have been restored and the monument is on display in the 7th hall of the British Museum. If you head to the left towards the acropolis past the walls you come to the theatre, after this you will see the Lycian tombs that have become the symbol of Xanthos and the Harpies Monument above the tombs. Since the statues of the monument were taken to England, what you see today are plaster copies of the originals. The original Harpies Monument is also on exhibition in the British Museum.
At the Lycian acropolis there are also the remains of the agora and a Byzantine basilica, once you get to the acropolis take in the view. The hill that overlooks the plain is the site of the ruins of the ancient Lycian palace. On the right of the road in Xanthos and opposite the acropolis there is a Roman acropolis, where you can see a Byzantine, basilica rock tomb, the Pillar Monument and the ruins of a tomb with lion reliefs.
Patara
On the Fethiye-Kalkan road just ten kilometres before Kalkan, you take the turn for Patara-Gelemis, driving for another six kilometres to get to the ancient city of Patara, with the Patara beach another kilometre further along. The ancient city is four kilometres from the entrance of the village Gelemis, however the ruins of Patara begin long before you get to the village. Among the ruins, which are believed to be from the necropolis, there are Lycian type tombs and Roman tomb monuments. Gelemis is now a popular tourism village. The villagers, who used to be interested in agriculture, are now mostly running pensions, restaurants and shops that sell souvenirs and so forth. Patara was one of the six cities of the Lycian Union, possibly one of the most important of them, and had the right to three votes. In history books it is written that most of the meetings of the Lycian Union were held in Patara. The ancient city was called Pttara in the Lycian language and was known to exist in the 5th century BC. It was among the cities that Alexander the Great laid siege to. According to the legend the city of Patara was founded by the water nymph Lycia and the God Apollon’s son Patarus. Under Roman rule Patara was also one of the region’s most significant cities. The port of Patara played a major role in the storing and transporting of wheat, the city continued to develop in the Byzantine era and became an important centre for Christianity. It is also believed that Saint Nicholas, modernised Santa Claus or Father Christmas, was born in Patara. With the silting up of the port, boats had difficulty in entering and Patara lost its importance. The sand that was shifted by the winds not only affected the port but also covered the city, some of the ruins still peak out from the sand as you pass. Two kilometres after Gelemis you will come across the most impressive of the remains of the city, a Roman triumphal arch, built at the end of the 1st century AD. Among the other ruins you will see towards the hill are the baths, a Byzantine basilica and a Corinthian style temple. The theatre is on the other side of the hill and most of it is covered by sand, on the hill top there is a Temple of Athena, the former port is now a wet land. In order to prevent the sand shifting inland from Patara Beach barriers have been set up, Patara beach is the longest and most impressive of the beaches in the area. It is 18 kilometres long and up to 300 metres wide, it has fine white sand, the sea is shallow for a long way out and the wind almost never stops, making it great for windsurfing.
Patara Beach has been listed as a natural protected area since sea turtles lay their eggs here. There are two restaurants at the entrance area where the parking lot is located, as the sun burns down here and there is no shade around, do not forget to rent an umbrella at the entrance before lying on the beach. Horse riding on the Patara Beach is also available; the tours include the channel area, the green valley, sand hills and the seaside. Throughout the trip you get to ride through ancient ruins, forests and valleys, generally the early hours of the morning is the best time to go riding, even if you might never ridden a horse before, do not worry all necessary instructions are given at the horse farm before the tour starts. On the back of an educated and docile horse you become a master equestrian in a short time.