Icmeler Holidays

This place slams a tick in all of the essential holiday boxes, but goes one better with its scenery. Cast an eye beyond the thatched parasols and hotels that huddle around Icmeler Beach, and the hilly backdrop’s a real eye-popper. Green-splashed slopes tuck together to form a big letter V on the horizon, and the island-speckled bay looks more like South-east Asia than Turkey.

Icmeler’s no stranger to a spoonful of summer sun-seekers, mostly thanks to its C-shaped stencil of golden sand. Watersports fans sidle across for a whirl on a banana boat or a jet-ski, while tanning types are happier on one of the popular resort’s family-friendly sweeps. At the end of the day, the nightlife strikes a crowd-pleasing balance between live music bars and chilled-out sunset spots.

Nearby Marmaris is like this place in a bigger font size. The historic sites come thicker and faster, with must-sees that include an Ottoman castle and Turkish hammams that date back nearly half a millennium. Trinkets and titbits are sold along the lively Grand Bazaar, and friendly bars side-step towards the sand-and-pebble shoreline.