“Willow Village” Population: negligible
Market day: Monday
Public transport is in short supply but it’s still just about possible to get all the way down the Hisarönü Peninsula to Söğüt, a straggley village – or rather collection of villages – set amid some very rocky landscape with a mixture of old and new buildings, and a tradition of ship-building.
The “beach” here barely warrants the name but there are loungers for hire beside the Octopus Restaurant and swimming is possible off the pier for mooring boats.
The wonderful Villa Julia sits right on the beach, tucked up against a cliff in splendid isolation. From the upstairs balconies you gaze out across bougainvillea on an unspoilt vision of turquoise sea and soaring mountains. It’s the sort of view brochure-makers would give their eye-teeth for.
If you’re lucky you may arrive to find the spectacular late 19th-century topsail schooner Rhea moored in front of it. This was bought and restored in the 2000s by Penny Lefeaux and David Ross, the owners of Villa Julia and is now available for private cruises. 
Restored topsail schooner “Rhea”
Söğüt’s other great asset is the Denizkızı (Mermaid) Restaurant (Tel: 0252-496 5032) in the Cumhuriyet Mahallesi which is most readily accessible by boat. What could be more romantic than being picked up from your hotel, ferried to a delightful fish restaurant, then dropped back again afterwards in the same way?
Failing that, there are a couple of more conventional restaurants, including the Octopus and the Captain’s Table, on the beach.
A bust of famous Turkish mapmaker Piri Reis (1465-1554) graces the scrappy foreshore, sadly disfigured with litter.
A long walk over the headland would eventually bring you to the remains of ancient Loryma. I haven’t done it myself.
Sleeping
Rüya Pansiyon Simple accommodation in standard concrete village house a few minutes’ walk from the shore. Tel: 0252-496 5648
Transport info
There are infrequent but timetabled buses from Marmaris to Söğüt. You can pick them up in Hisarönü and Orhaniye but not in Selimiye. There are no buses to Söğüt from Bozburun probably because the road is in poor shape (2011).
Day trip destinations
