“Golden Channel” Population: 7,000
As you drive through it, Altınoluk on the Gulf of Edremit (Edremit Körfezi) may not look very exciting but just inland a steep hill rises to Köyiçi, the old village, which is centred on one of those superb tea gardens in which Turkey excels. Here, people gather to drink koruk suyu, a sweet cold drink made from early grapes, and to tuck into kapaktan kesme börek, big puffs of pastry with tiny morsels of white cheese hidden inside them.
That alone should be enticement enough to get you up here, but above the tea garden you’ll stumble upon some truly magnificent old Ottoman mansions, one of which, the Çeşmeli Konak, now houses one of the finest boutique hotels along the coast.
Nearby, the mid-18th-century Abdullah Efendi Konağı has been turned into a small museum. Its exhibits are not the most exciting, but if you can’t afford the Çeşmeli Konak’s prices, it does give you a chance to inspect the sort of fine wooden ceilings and decorative plasterwork that provided the backdrop for life in such homes.
The steep back streets shelter more fine houses, although the constant sound of building work makes it plain that the village has now been discovered as people rush to cash in on its stupendous views out over the glorious Gulf.
Sleeping
Transport info
Buses plough up and down this stretch of coast regularly although to get to the hotels without your own car will require a bit of walking or taking a taxi.
In summer there are flights to Edremit’s small airport. 
Day trip destinations
Mt İda (Kazdağı)
