ince approx. 15 years, mass tourism has settled on the Turkish south coast.

Alanya, with its wide sandy beaches, has resort hotels on the coast with watersports and other facilities with western standards.In the centre there are some smaller hotels, pensions and appartment complexes. The centre has a vivid night life.

Belek, an examplary resort, has a sandy beach with 4 and 5 star hotels. It is an ideal place for sportvacations in winter, spring and summertime. There are several golfcourses and soccerfields to UEFA standards. Amateur and professional soccerclubs hold their training camps here.

Antalya's old city, the touristy centre on the south coast, is especially authentic and features several very beautiful pensions and hotels, situated in historical buildings. Some of the bigger hotels can handle big groups. Antalya's two beaches offer a wide range of possibilities, from pensions to 5 star hotels.

The shoreline from Beldibi to Tekirova, with Kemer as touristic centre, is covered by big resort hotels that blend into the green surroundings.

Çirali, in Olimpos' bay, features pensions and treehouses and forms an alternstive for the tourist who doesn't like seaside resorts.The south coasts mountainous hinterland offers countless possibilities for hiking, bicycling and more adventurous activities. Hotels and pensions are scarce, so you often have to spend the night in village houses or farms.

Several beautiful smaller pensions can be found in Kale Köyu near Demre.

The coasts of Kalkan, Kas and Fethiye are rocky with breathtaking bays. Hotels are scarcer and smaller than in other regions.

Ölüdeniz near Fethiye, has hotels with a maximum of three stories and they are all within walking distance of the beach. Ovacik, lying near the same bay, is somewhat quieter.

In Patara and Dalyan, who both have beautiful sandy beaches, have a lower hotel capacity and have no high-rise buildings. 

Marmaris has grown to a big size town with 3 parts:

Marmaris' green peninsula offers a wide range of hotels and pensions, often beautifully situated. The mountainslope above Gökkova bay has some smaller, typical 'Mugla' accommodations.

Pensions on the peninsula are especially suited for nature and water enthusiasts.

Entirely white with blue doors and window frames, the hotels and pensions in Bodrum are situated on hills above the bay. In the Bitez and Gümbet bays, the hotels are on the beach. Bodrum is the place to be for watersports and nightlife fans.

In Bafa natural park near the Bafa lake you can find simple but beautiful accommodations.

Kusadasi, the popular bayside resort, offers a wide range of hotels, form major resort hotels to small pensions. Kusadasi's centre is famous for its nightlife. Near Kusadasi lies Ephesos. The small town of Selcuk has several small pensions, several situated in historical buildings. Selcuk is popular among backpackers.

The big city of Izmir has countless hotelfacilities, ranging from 5 star hotels to small pensions. Tourists probably prefer the bayside north of the city.

Çesme, Foça and Ayvalik are the most beautiful of the bayside resorts on the Aegean sea north of Izmir.Çesme and Foça have a wide range of accommodations, while Ayvalik, which used to be inhabited by Greeks, has several pensions.

Bursa lies on the base of Mt. Uludag, which is the most popular skiing resort in Turkey. The thermal baths in the Çekirge district where known to the Romans. Some of Bursa;s hotels apply this thermal water and are spa hotels.

In the bigger cities such as Erzurum, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir and SanliUrfa have big hotels and pensions. In the smaller towns you can find non-internationally oriented pensions. Erzurum is an important skiing resort and has several 5 star hotels.

Turkey is a developing destination. It is not uncommon to experience powercuts, water shortages or loose electric wiring. Although Turkish hospitality always tries to make your holiday as pleasant as possible, a difference in standards can make you irritated. If that happens, try to look at it from the Turk's position!