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A view over Kusadasi from Pigeon Island
Kusadasi is one of Turkey's principle holiday resorts, it is without doubt an
excellent environment for an unforgettable holiday. Situated on the west coast
of Turkey- 90 km south of Izmir, Kusadasi, is often described as the most
attractive city of the Aegean and, it is close to the important historical sites
including Ephesus, Didyma, Priene, Miletos-the principals of ancient times, and
ideal for sightseers.
Kusadasi has a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters,
providing a long tourism season. The city is bathed in sunshine for 300 days of
the year. Numerous powdery sandy beaches with warm & clear waters, providing a
peaceful atmosphere, allow a great variety of water and beach facilities.
Windsurfing, water skiing, sailing and beach volleyball are only a few choices
for the lovers of active life. After sunbathing restfully during the day, the
city awaits the superb sunset. As the sun sets, the attractive cafes and
restaurants through the palm-lined boulevard, get busier. It is a great delight
to watch the comings and goings of the yachts and ships accompanied by the
panoramic view of the sunset. The restaurants, serving a variety of fresh
seafood, fish and Aegean specialties, offer a delicious meal in Kusadasi.
Dancing and entertaining at a lively bar or a disco until dawn to end an ideal
day in Kusadasi.
Arriving in mid October (2003) was perfect weather wise for Janice and myself
together with my brother John and sister in law Barbara. The flight with Thomas
Cook from Manchester went very smoothly, landing at Adnan International Airport, Izmir, just after mid
day. The airport has a quirky bridge setup which entails a
rather awkward hike up and down the escalators and steps either side of the bridge. There
are plenty of porters who will provide you with a trolley and then they will wheel your
cases up and down the escalators for a couple of pounds. (you are not allowed to do this
yourself but have the option of carrying them) There were many purple faced holiday-makers who regretted not using
their services, believe me on a hot day it's well worth the money!! The transfer to our hotel took
about an hour and a
half on a rather old but comfortable air conditioned coach
which took us through some very pleasant countryside. Our hotel, the Korumar is
a 5 star rated accommodation about a mile North of the resort centre with fine
views of the town and harbour. The Hotel was comfortable and staffed by friendly
personnel who made us welcome in every way. This particular Hotel is a popular place to catch the wonderful
sunset as it falls behind Samos the nearby Greek island (Click the picture n the
left).
The Hotel became a slight handicap because every shopkeeper in the town asked you where you were staying and as soon as you mentioned the Korumar the price went up. The Korumar was one of the three 5 star hotels in the area so they automatically assumed you were well "wadded" to stay there the same went for visiting cruise line passengers. We soon learnt, and found a back street pension to "adopt" for the week saving us many pounds.
Getting into the town centre (Centrum) is very easy using the Dolmus.
The "Dolmus" is unique to Turkey - fortunately or unfortunately depending on
your experience. It's a little van with no air conditioning or any niceties at
all other than a badly tuned in radio. Top speed can't be over 40MPH and at that
speed it sounds like it's doing 100MPH. Quite often you travel for miles in
first gear. New buses with air conditioning are starting to appear but I think
they lack the character of the old ones.
The Dolmus operates on a set route like a bus, but it's really much worse. This
is because they pack as many people as possible on board and often won't leave a
stop until the van is completely full. They will also stop along the way to
encourage others to hop on. They will then honk at everyone they pass walking in
the same direction the Dolmus is travelling in. You have to picture all of this
occurring, often in well over 100 degree heat to appreciate the full effect.
When you get on the Dolmus, you tell the driver where you're going and the
driver tells you how much it's going to cost. You then take your seat and pass
your money up to the driver via the people sitting between him and you. He
somehow makes change - always with one hand while driving - and passes it back
through the crowd. It's a cheap way to get around, but you'd better not be in a
hurry. Cost is well under a US dollar or 40p UK.
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Kusadasi Market is held on a Friday and is a must visit experience. The top end is fruit, vegetable and spices and a wonderful sight to feast your eyes on. The smells of the spices drift through the air and they are very reasonably priced. Janice bought 1.5 kilo's of black pepper corns for £7.00, they will last a long time. I also bought saffron, apple tea and some rather hot spice which I couldn't pronounce. The rest of the Market was filled with hardware, clothes, shoes, leather goods and tourist tat. The baby clothes are not only top quality but very cheap, we bought some for our grand daughter on our previous visit to Turkey and were most impressed by the standard. One of my favourite pastimes is bartering with the stall holders, you start ridiculously low and they start unbelievably high and you somehow meet in the middle, at a price you are happy with and they have made a profit on. Remember if they are happy, then you have bid too high" |
Beaches in Kusadasi are nothing to write home about, the pick of a very ordinary bunch is Ladies Beach on the main promenade to the North of the Centrum. It is small and crowded and the sand is not the cleanest but the swimming is good and it is popular. The promenade is a really pleasant walk in the evening, Janice and I had a slow walk down as the day got cooler and called in at one of the restaurants to listen to some Turkish music and have a drink, very nice it was to.
Shopping in the Town was good with all the usual shops but, the jewellers were the hardest to get past. "Excuse me, where are you from, England? Please, let me show you my shop, you don't have to buy, please just look." Half an hour and a cup of apple tea later and you will still be trying to get out of the door. I have no money doesn't work, that's no problem they say, today I give it to you free. Of coarse they don't, but they are friendly and love to talk to you and show off their excellent English.
The restaurants are many and varied, fish, lamb and chicken served in many
ways. The prices in Turkey are creeping up so don't expect to eat for
nothing.
However food and drink are still very good value in the town. My own particular
favourite bar was the PANORAMA at 10 Sağlik
Cadesi.(check out the view from the Panorama by clicking the thumbnail picture
on the right).
Ahmet will make you welcome and give you excellent service for snacks and
drinks. While there take a look upstairs where Ahmet has installed a superb
aquarium, stocked with exotic fish. If you do call here for a drink Ahmet
collects pins (enamel badges) and Promo tee shirts, especially breweries
Must Do's in and around Kusadasi
This was our sixth visit to Turkey and yet again it didn't disappoint, my own priority was to revisit Ephesus and The Temple of Artimus (see my 7 Ancient Wonders pages). This we did on a lovely October day, allowing us to walk round the various sites in pleasant warm weather when they were not too crowded. The Temple of Artimus can be reached by entering Celçuk, then it is south of the Temple of St John the Apostle. There is no charge to enter this site which at last is under restoration. Remember this is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world so it would be folly to visit this area and not see it.
Turkey is without doubt my favourite country and I have still got so much to see, maybe soon I will visit again but to be sure, I can guarantee there will be many more diverse landscapes to experience and I can't wait......
A Typical Turkish Barman in Kusadasi
view from our Hotel Balcony
Pigeon Island - Kusadasi
click for larger version
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