Recommend to friends for a holiday in Turgutreis-Bodrum
Dear Ksyusha, you asked me how I had a rest last year (2016) in Bodrum at the La Blanche Resort&Spa
I chose this hotel for the third time La Blanche, the first time I stayed there in June and September 2013.
Hotel La Blanche is located in the center of Turgutreis, a small town 20 km from Bodrum. The hotel is normal 5 * for Bodrum, with a large swimming pool, a sandy clean beach, 4 a la carte restaurants, I liked Turkish and Italian, fish and Chinese not so much. Clean rooms, delicious food and fun active animation. View from the pier to the left side of the beach
View from the pier to the right side of the beach
And the pool
Animation
Bodrum (from Turkish it is a basement) is the former ancient Greek city of Halicarnassus, where one of the 7 wonders of the world was located - Halicarnassus Mausoleum
Turgutreis is named after in honor of the famous admiral Turgut Treis, who served under Sultan Suleiman I (Roksolana's husband)
If you leave the hotel, not from the main entrance, but from the second entrance to the embankment, this is near the footbridge in the hotel. Get out and turn left and walk along the embankment along the hotels and cafes, restaurants and private houses. On the left side are hotels and houses, on the right is the sea. To the central square of Turgutreis 10 minutes, in the center of the square there is a mosque (mosque in the English version mosk or jemma in Arabic)
Turgutreis cami - the Mosque of Turgutreis
, also on the left side. Concerts are often held on the central square and there is a yacht club and turgutreis marina nearby.
Turgutreis fish restaurants and cafes - I recommend visiting, they are the cheapest in Bodrum, fresh fish, they cook very well, it is better to pay in lira. There is a restaurant, next to the hotels 1 min walk, this is the terrace of the hotel Turiya Hotel, they cook the grill menu very well, in the photo this terrace AcjwgF5z63hbEGv3SCYuRZamS0xtTN3zKoMWge9A9BIgODoRAohe3Ncx2kZRvFVNYDyf0JSq33NWNggkHXc_wBZ-y6tibig0V-BeVm2oVXtITC4Aa8LvsuDqxITamf8lSa0CvPemwrkPGaGdsc1VTjDmFXVx-DKohQqJBZdTdQn3wPskp5DI82smNGeZXfifMv02Elgp926BcDEHLFCrMvSrDqTOBmdWQIGcyu5B8VHFn9gftR9HG9ocUc0obbHRbdVX3GQvbImlnWUmakNAWRcxFnVWS8N43yEzCCH1ySnCo733bK789LapZbSx80T7WN8knEvSp0iwd4osL-2CRxSiMhAJzmlVzzii4ID22sV6kHx9dN11BbNa_aGCrPo7gzXPV57ppRSBJdSrMVllZXAHnmG4xw4WQJ1lD_qCOPhIlounx5TDiQM1EQPpiqp-fE2AWo_bs18yYjfLD4CCEKCXM5AfT21qB5YPdXhFdhVxSdVPpDqUzpjGlienVx5rduPonp9zf-HIUSOPg = w1280-h767-no "/>
You can take a bike or hoverboard at the hotel and ride along the embankment.
Shopping - if you need to buy tea, sweets home or some urgently needed things, you can go to the MM Migros supermarket, it is located in the center, 3 minutes from the mosque.
Every Saturday in the Turgutreis area (behind the Migros supermarket) the big bazaar of Bodrum, all the locals and tourists who know come there. You can buy magnets, various souvenir ceramics, etc. cheaply. I buy bags there, in past years there were 3 bags for 75 liras ($ 26 last year 2016), sneakers, jeans, blouses, bed linen, tablecloths, and the godfather always asks to buy men's underwear . It is better to pay in lira and bargain for the price.
There is a permanent bazaar near the mosque, it is expensive there, sweets and teas, I do not recommend buying various tourist packages there.
Behind the MM Migros supermarket, 300 meters there is a station of minibuses (dolmush) and buses of TurgutreisOtogar, you can get to the center of Bodrum by dolmush (30-40min), last year 2016 it cost 7 lira. This year there was a municipal transport ticket from Turgutreis to the center of Bodrum costs 3.75 lira. This is what a municipal bus looks like
After reaching Bodrum by dolmush, from the final stop in Turgutreis to the final stop in the center of Bodrum, you will find yourself at the central station of buses and minibuses of Bodrum, you can ask how to get to Bodrum Marina or Bodrum Kalesi (St. Peter's Castle). Your route will be along a small busy street with shops, restaurants, banks, 10-15 min.
- visit Saint Peter's Castle, the fortress was built in XV century knights-Hospitallers with Rhodes, it's better to arrive at the opening of 8:30 ( does not work on Mondays and cost a ticket 30 lire) so that it is not very hot on top of the towers and there are no excursions, buy entrance tickets, and visit all the museums on the territory of the fortress and take pictures on all the towers of the Captain, French, German, Snake, Italian, Spanish tower, see the whole of Bodrum and the Greek islands from the tower
- after the fortress, visit one of the 7 wonders of the world Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, 10 minutes along the promenade, open every day, entrance 15 lira. This is all that remains of the wonder of the world
You will be offered this tour to buy from the operator, it will be more expensive and usually group tours start at 11:00 - it's very hot in the fortress and there are a lot of people
Bodrum is considered the capital of "nightlife" in Turkey. The most expensive club in Bodrum and one of the largest in Europe - Halikarnas, there were shows by DJ Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, Hardwell, David Guetta. drinks are expensive, usually the tour operator-guide sells this tour for $50 - includes a hotel-club-hotel transfer, an entrance ticket on the day of night shows that start at 12 at night and new shows every half an hour, and a ticket for 1 drink. The entrance ticket last year cost 50 lira, drinks in the club are expensive, a table costs 450 lira. Do not wear good shoes, at the end of the foam show, after which the shoes dry for 2 days
The tour operator-guide will offer you another club on the Catamaran ship, do not agree, it is dangerous for injury
Nightlife center of Bodrum district Gumbetwith many clubs, animators of your hotel will offer disco tours in Gumbet, disco tour includes hotel-club-hotel transfer and Gumbet clubs and 1 free drink
All clubs in Gumbet are free of charge
The 2 best clubs in Gumbet:
Club X Bar or simply X Bar , democratic prices 10 lira beer, 20 lira cocktails vodka red bull or vodka with juice, 35 lira whiskey, European club music, not Turkish. Buy all drinks in lira and at the bar, waiters usually leave a tip or do not bring change if they see that the tourist does not understand Turkish.
Pasha Club , not Ibiza of course, but a good club. Being next to Club X Bar, they even have a common wall and from the second floor of X Bar you can see the dance floor of Pasha Club. More expensive than X Bar, 35 lire red bull vodka or vodka with juice cocktails. Shows are often held with performances by famous Turkish DJs, stars are invited on major holidays, Pitbull, Inna, DJ Sash have performed at the Pasha Club. If the show, then the entrance is paid from 40 lir. Music 50/50 European + Turkish.
If you buy a disco tour from animators, then check exactly whether it is in Gumbet, if you didn’t like the club or it’s very expensive, then you can check with them when the transfer picks you up and where, and go to any club of your choice, all clubs in Gumbet with free entry.
Of all the excursions offered outside of Bodrum, the best 2 :
1. The ancient city of Ephesus with a visit to the house of the Holy Virgin Mary and another of the 7 wonders of the world Temple of Artemis in Ephesus - there is a city in Ephesus 100 km from Bodrum in the city of Kusadasi (bird island translated from Turkish). It’s not far to go, but in Ephesus it’s an open space, it’s very, hot, everything burns out, take a cap and a pareo for your shoulders and arms with you, a pareo is useful for visiting the house of the Virgin. Near the house of the Virgin there are 3 sources of holy water love-health-wealth, you need to take an empty bottle to get water and a handkerchief or any piece of fabric that you need to tie on the wall of desires. And one of the 7 wonders of the world Temple of Artemis in Ephesus - only one column and a little foundation remained.
The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman library in Ephesus
The second excursion Pamukalle (cotton castle from Turkish) snow-white mountains with thermal springs with cascades of thermal baths and Cleopatra's pool located on the ruins of ancient Greek baths is super salty and has a constant water temperature of 35-36 degrees - to go from Bodrum to Pamukalle is closer than from Antalya, but still tedious. Initially, you need to ask the representatives of the tour operator how many shops you will visit during this tour, if 3 shops are very tiring and making money as guides. If 1 store is ok. The main thing Water, take water and drinks that you will have in the refrigerator in your room with you so that you do not pay.
Pamukalle, Cleopatra's pool
A separate story about a trip to the Greek islands of Kos Symi Rhodes Kalymnos from Bodrum by ferry
