Start of the Button Houses Population: 3,500
High in the hills above Manavgat, Akseki is blessed with a beautiful location, its buildings lined up in tiers overlooking the plain below. That said, most of the buildings are of the standard concrete variety, so the town itself is not especially pretty. It does retain, however, some of the Düğmeli Evleri (Button Houses) for which this area is known – the higher you climb, the more of them you’ll find.
The houses take their name from the way in which layers of wood have been allowed to jut out from the sides so that, from a distance, they look like studs.
***In 2021 wildfires ravaged the area around Akseki. I have not been back since then to check on the damage.***
Eating
Akseki does not aspire to Michelin stars but I enjoyed my dinner and breakfast at the cheerful Aşiyan Restaurant (Tel: 0242-678 1552) next to the Star Hotel.
Sleeping
Akeski has two small hotels: the long-standing Duruk Hotel (Tel: 0242-678 2186) and the newer Star Hotel (Tel: 0242-678 2433). Neither has any pretensions to grandeur but I slept well in the Star, which was quiet and cool after the noise and heat of Side.
Transport info
There are half a dozen daily dolmuşes from the Doğu Garaj in Manavgat to Akseki. Most start from Antalya and can arrive already full. Returning, you may be better off buying a ticket to Manavgat and changing there to a bigger bus to Antalya which may deliver you direct to the otogar. Otherwise you risk going round the houses while the dolmuş drops everyone off on their doorstep. 
From Akseki there are several daily dolmuşes to and from nearby İbradı. They continue to Ormana and Ürünlü Köyü.
