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Marmaris Waterfront

We arrived in Marmaris around lunchtime on a glorious, glorious day. The bus from Fethiye dropped us off a few blocks from the town's main harbor and Gerry set off to find us a hotel. He came back with several possibilities but one favorite. His favorite was the cheapest of his candidates, but it had the most expensive view. It had a window and teeny balcony that overlooked the harbor and seen in the photo above. How could we say no?

We had heard of Marmaris before. It was perhaps the only place in Turkey that we knew anything about. First, it was a place where Jan's brother Don and his wife Sandra ad sometimes spent their summer holidays, and second, our friend Jennifer Ovens, whom we met in Laos, lived part of the time in Marmaris and praised it very highly. At first sight we could see the attraction. Still enough remnants of the small fishing port it must once have been, but all the conveniences and services of a modern tourist resort.

Boarding the Boat Tour

View of Harbor from Boat Tour

We spent three days here, getting to know the place just before the main tourist assault started. We took one of the hundreds of tour boats that take you around the harbor to visit an island or two and in spite of the cold waters and the fresh breeze, went swimming off the boat. But mostly we just wandered around to see if one day we might come back for a longer stay.

Bicycle race on drive from Fethiye to Marmaris

Onward Transportation

Marmaris Marina

This lovely marina was a short walk from the main harbor, a walk that was lined with restaurants and souvenir shops. We wandered it a couple of times and ate a pleasant breakfast there one day.