Hello!

Your question immediately brought to mind Bitez, a place I spent a summer at once a couple of years back, and I haven’t been able to forget since.

It’s mostly a holiday resort area, characteristic lime-washed stone buildings, minutes away from the beach which lies on the Aegean coast. It’s close to Bodrum, which is where all the nightlife and markets and museums and concerts etc are. But it’s still far enough away to feel more secluded and calm, and you can see some of the more natural fauna, old windmills, ancient ruins etc. Plus I really cannot say enough about the beaches, just so sparkling clear and soft and sandy. If I sound like an ad, it’s because it was a really great summer. The summer I stayed, it was also not too crowded at all, though it might have changed since then. In any case, it would definitely be better than staying right inside Bodrum.

You can check out:

http://www.bodrum4u.com/hotelinfo/bitez_hotels.html

The place where I stayed from that list was in Villa Sah, and the beach there was a quick walk away, and was literally the best beach I’ve ever spent time at in Turkey or anywhere else (and I have travelled around a bit.)

Then again, I’m sure there a lot of other such places that others can recommend. Good luck with it, and do write back if you have questions!

You could try the Black Sea coast, where very few foreign tourists go. Probably the most beautiful resort is Amasra, a collection of red-roofed houses on a tiny rocky peninsula, backed by steep green hills. It is not a big resort (the geography limits its size) and is only really popular with Turks from Ankara and Istanbul. There are no big hotels, just lots of small pansiyons which are family-run B&Bs.

There is a beach in town which isn’t bad, but a couple of kilometres along the coast is Bozkoy where there is a great white sand beach, almost deserted save for a couple of small beach cafes. There are minibuses (dolmus) from Amasra throughout the day in the summer.

Nearby, you can visit Safranbolu, which is a really beautiful town about an hour inland…hundreds of old Ottoman houses in a valley.

Maybe the reason why it is not popular with foreigners is that Amasra is not that easy to reach. The nearest airport is Istanbul, about 7-8 hours by bus…but then you have the excuse to spend a couple of days in that city!

Another reason is that the weather on the Black Sea coast isn’t as reliable as the other Turkish coasts…it rains a lot more, but summer weather is usually better.

A couple of links:
Pictures and info about Amasra:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/58549/#TL

Safranbolu:
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/3fbdb/1bdf14/

Might not be exactly what you’re looking for, but if you want a completely Turkish resort, Amasra is a good one :@P

Maikli

Butterfly Bay is right by Fethiye and 4 hours west of Olympos. Olympos is amazing because the camping is so cheap about 5 to 6 years ago it one night was equivalent to 10 Euro you can opt to stay in huts or tree houses, literally! I don’t know if you are looking for a resort or are planning on doing more backpacking, but this is a town that should not be missed!! The ocean is beautiful and while there are backpackers here and there nothing like a tourist’s city. This is a quaint little village ~you’ll have an amazing time!

When I was there with some friends from Turkey, we went to Ayvalik, a costal town across from the Greek Island of Lesvos/Lesbos. It was quite rual and beautiful and the location of a few summer homes for wealthier Turks. We ate fresh calimari caught right while we were eating.

Yeah, I’d highly recommend Olympos. Alternatively, Butterfly valley is recommended by many. There’s more to do in Olympos (including rock climbing and staying in tree houses), butterfly valley would be more low key. Both have some beautiful nature in the area.
Some photos from Turkey here:
http://flickr.com/photos/beautifulworld/sets/1816075/

I would recommend Datca and Kas…Small beach villages… For the top answers: Bitez is a part of Bodrum, has big hotels.. if that is what you are looking for.. Olympos on the other hand has only tree houses located in a small valley, it does not have buildings. It is very nice and targeted to young people and students. It is pretty cheap and fun, however don’t expect a hotel comfort.. Fethiye is very popular and nice but it is very crowded…

i’m actually really surprised at the accuracy of all the answers people have written. i would vouch for all of them except for the blacksea coast. it’s a very very beautiful area but because of the lack of foreign tourism it can be quite inconvenient for someone who doesn’t speak turkish.

bitez is a part of bodrum(the st tropez of turkey woohoo) and is still surprisingly very beautiful and untouched(bitez mind you, not the rest of bodrum)It looks a bit like sardinia. the beaches are nice and good for windsurfing as well. but it’s important to plan ahead and find a nice hotel or a little house to rent if you could. otherwise there’s a big chance you may end up getting caught in one of the many tourist traps of bodrum.

datca and kas are both very close to what you seem to want, very calm with nice beaches. olympos and butterfly valley are great too but they’re mostly for students who don’t mind the accomodations, so if you’re into the whole ‘smoke by the fire and meet new people’ kind of thing i would say go for it..

enjoy!