On the northern side of the Bodrum Peninsula, tiny Göltürkbükü shamelessly panders to a super-rich and stylish clientele with a series of upscale restaurants and boutique hotels including the hyper-trendy Maki Hotel and the much more traditional Ada.
Surprisingly, the beach is nothing to write home about. Most people bathe and sunbathe on wooden boardwalks perched like piers above the water.
Buses drop visitors just inland. The thin strip of shingley sand is only seconds away.
When you reach the shore turn right for the most upmarket hotels and restaurants of old Göltürk and left for the slightly more reasonable hotels, restaurants and shops of old Türkbükü with the original fishing harbour at the furthest end of the strip.
I’ve got to be honest and admit that I don’t see the appeal. The views are fine but not a patch on those at Fethiye, Antalya or even Marmaris. There are no buildings of any historic interest and nothing to do if you don’t want to lie on a sunbed waiting to be snapped by the paparazzi before adjourning to a restaurant to spend a small fortune.
Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a tiny place without much space for the hoi polloi to intrude themselves. For most people there will be much more interesting places than this to visit.
Eating
Bodrum Mantı & CafeThere’s an inviting branch of the İstanbul-based Bodrum Mantı & Cafe on the Göltürk side of things; in the Arnavutköy branch the fried mantı (dumplings) are especially delicious. On the Türkbükü side Gato’s looks equally good but I haven’t actually eaten in either. The long-lived Ship Ahoy which once resembled a British pub has become much flashier.
Sleeping
Ada Hotel
Tepecik Cad. No 128, Tel: 0252-377 5915
Divan Hotel
Maki Hotel
Kelesharimi Mevkii, Tel: 0252-377 6105
Transport info
Regular buses run from Bodrum’s town-centre otogar to Göltürkbükü passing the Torba junction. Fewer buses link the resort with Gündögan over the hills to the east.
