Icmeler

Once considered part of Marmaris, Icmeler has blossomed into one of the most cosmopolitan and well -planned rears in Turkey, offering a superb range for the holiday maker. The main focal point is the fantastic beach which contrasts sharply with dramatic backdrop of lush, green mountains rising behind the resort. The relaxing atmosphere soon takes over the visitors and days will be spent sunbathing, purring water sports ,exploring Marmaris or taking boat trips around the bays, seeking out deserted beaches.

For evenings out, you are spoilt for choice. Icmeler offers its own widw range od restaurants, bars and discos and there are many more in Marmaris where the nights are even livelier. A palm fringed promenade sets the scene in this Riviera style resort. All sizes of sailing craft bob at anchor in the bay or bask in their moorings at the modern marina and the harbor is busy with half day boat trips, visiting cruise liners, low lying hydrofoils and colorful gullets. Water sports fans that flock to the beach area rewarded with wide range of options. Sunbathers form an appreciative audience for windsurfers and water-skiers, fallowing the silent passage of paragliders overhead, unaware of the roar of jet skis on the water, deprived of the ish eye view which scuba divers are enjoying. Behind all this is a busy town with a cosmopolitan air, shops, bars and restaurants line the promenade and litter the narrow streets of Marmaris old town, where Turkish lokantas serve typical fare and there is plenty here for the shopaholic in the chic boutiques and bustling bazaar. Souvenirs range from cheap cotton T-shirts to sweet smelling, soft leather jackets and kaleidoscope carpets and kilims. History buffs are not forgotten, for all is overseen by an Ottoman fortress from the 14th century. If Marmaris is busy during the day, it positively bristles with life after dark. Innumerable bars take the nightshift away from he beach to Bar Street and the marina.

The name İçmeler derives from the Turkish verb “Içmek”, meaning to drink, and indeed everyone does just that because the area is surrounded by cool, clear, mineral water springs. Set at the foot of the pine-clad Palamut Hills, legendary for its breathtaking setting encircling its pale sandy bay, sits this lovely resort, the smaller and slightly more leisurely and laid-back resort to its sister, Marmaris. İçmeler offers its visitors a chance to take refuge from the hustle and bustle of Marmaris but offers the visitors the best of all worlds-a typical beach-style holiday with an excellent selection of shops, bars and restaurants, while a short stroll takes you to the Old village,where a traditional way of life still exists. Again, if you are attracted by the hustle and bustle of Marmaris,a short,cheap dolmus journey will take you there, or alternatively stroll along the newly widened promenade that runs all the way to the Netsel Marina at the other end of Marmaris. İçmeler has grown considerably over the years and is now a complete resort within its own right.All along the beachfront you will sea a parade of smart hotels,whilst behind this area is the more residential “apart”area with quieter streets all designed on a grid system. The further inland you go, towards the original village of içmeler,the quieter it gets. For a relaxing couple of hours why not take a stroll up to the village and have a drink at the local ‘khave’(coffe shop)and play ‘okay ‘or backgammon with the locals? From Turkish to Chinese, Italian to Indian, expensive fish to cheap ‘soup kitchens ‘the choice is yours. It is said that Marmaris now has approximately 4,000 restaurants!