Gundogan Holidays

Triple helping of beaches

Watersports and winding down are the two major pastimes on Gundogan’s beaches. They’re spread out around a U-shaped inlet, so the water’s calm enough for paddling and powerboating alike. There are three stretches of sand that come with Blue Flag ticks beside their name, plus a steady supply of local snacks and drinks from the accompanying watering holes. The town’s name comes from the Turkish word for ‘sunrise’ – get down to the shoreline early enough and you’ll see exactly why.

Rural setting

This place is a photographer’s dream, with backdrops that do all the hard work for you. Olive, pine and citrus trees crowd together at the foot of the surrounding hills, which turn craggy as they stretch towards the sky. Whitewashed apartments and villas clamber up either side of the book-end-style bay, and hiking trails peel away into the sprawling countryside.

Easy-to-do daytrips

You’ll feel like a kid in a sweet shop when it comes to deciding on days out here. Beach-brushed towns rear up all around the peninsula, each offering their own take on top-drawer tanning conditions. Akyarlar and Altinkum are a couple of little-known big-hitters, while Gumbet takes the tempo up a notch when evening rolls around. The boat trip game’s pretty strong, too, with tucked-away bays and scuba diving on the to-do list. And you can have your own walking on water moment at Rabbit Island, where a sunken causeway connects the blob of land to the resort of Gumusluk.