A winter break in Turkey isn't everyone's cup of apple tea but Janice and myself always enjoy a break when the temperature is comfortable rather than baking. So I cranked up the old desk top computer and searched Ebay for something a little bit different. I found it in the shape of a rather large apartment at a very reasonable price (below £200.00). Checking with the owner for a suitable date I delved into the hit and miss world of cheap internet flights. I soon found good flights with Thomas Cook and to my amazement when it said what you see is what you pay, it meant exactly that. £110.00 each both ways with all taxes and meals was definitely a result and as an added bonus we had a nice airbus long haul jobbie with extra leg room and TV's in the seat backs, lovely.
I booked a hire car with Pandora Car Rentals of Dalaman and they were waiting as we emerged from the Airport and we quickly sorted the paperwork and I paid £78.00 for 8 days hire with full comprehensive insurance with no excess charges, another bargain.
I have to say that fuel in Turkey is no cheaper than in the UK and at £1.28 per litre you don't want to be returning your vehicle with a half full tank (empty when you start).
So the adventure started with an hours drive to Ovaçik which is about 10 minutes south east of Fethiye. About 7km into the journey you need to pay a toll of £1.50 (3TL) for the Tunnel on the D400, this saves you a fair bit of time on the journey. We arrived at the Acici apartments without too much fuss and unpacked before venturing out for our first meal at the Angel Restaurant. We are quite used to the friendliness of our Turkish hosts wherever we've visited in Turkey and after a very pleasant meal we were joined by the owner and a couple of staff for after dinner chat and a free glass or two of Apple Tea, very nice too.
Our apartment was superb with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, spacious sitting room complete with satalite TV and DVD, fully fitted kitchen/dining room, 3 balconies and a swimming pool in a four duplex setting with the magnificent Babadag mountain as a backdrop. Val Ray the owner in UK had been very helpful with the arrangements and was always available to help with any problems as was Trevor an expat who lived just around the corner. Trevor dropped in a couple of times just to make sure we were OK and recommended a few trips out and his favourite eateries. If you are interested in  booking the Acici Apartment which can accommodate up to 10 people, drop me an email and I'll put you in touch with Val.
When it came to eating out we found the restaurants to be all of a good standard and quite easy on the pocket. Prices ranged between £20 & £30 pounds for mainly 3 course meals and drinks. Our favourite was The Four Seasons situated opposite corner to  the Angel and only about a five minute walk from our apartment. The owner Muhammet Pallavus and his staff were unbelievably friendly to everyone who passed through their door. Muhammed in particular was hugely entertaining with his great sense of humour and attention to detail. The food was excellent and varied and presented so well by Zafer and the other waiters who all loved to have a chat and try out their English. Drop in and you will find free wireless internet, a host of games to play including Wii, books to borrow and very pleasant 60's style music. There is live entertainment on certain evenings so what more could you ask for.
There are many restaurants to choose from although  only about 20% are open at this time of the year including the excellent Chinese situated above the new AZDA store. The staff here including the chef's are all Turkish but the food is in my opinion is a notch up from our own supposedly authentic fayre in the UK.
There is much to see and admire in the surrounding areas and we were lucky to stumble on the place that  I most wanted to see on our visit which was Kayakoy the abandoned village. We just set out for a morning drive on our first day and after about 5km there it was in front of us. I met a guy from the Czech republic who was on a walking holiday, he showed me round the site and gave me a potted history of it. Basically it ranges from the 4th century BC to the first quarter of the 20th century. The village was vacated by the Greeks when the Turkish Republic was inaugurated and have remained mostly empty and run down ever since.
Following the road south from this site you eventually arrive 4 km via a narrow winding road to the coast and a beach called Gemiler. This is a beautiful spot with a restaurant on the beach. I believe in the summer you can get badly ripped off by the owner of this restaurant who offers free sun beds if you eat at his place. There are no menu's and you can expect to pay around £24.00 for two beers one water and two plates of chips, check out Turkish Living Forum. Personally I found the guy working on his boat when we arrived, we were the only other people there. I went over to him and asked if we could get a snack and drink and he was only too pleased to make us a a very tasty sandwich, a beer and fresh orange for around £6.00 (12TL). We spent a few hours there sitting in the warm afternoon sun totally relaxed reading our books.
Ovaçik runs into Hisarönü which doesn't have a beach but a short drive away you will find Olu Deniz which has a superb beach and many sea front bars, clubs and restaurants. Again we found the resort with only a few other people in it and enjoyed a quiet drink in the only bar open at the time. It seems strange that at this time of the year most resorts look quite shoddy and run down with few shops etc open. I am assured by the locals that in the next few weeks a flurry of action will have them all up and running and in fine fettle for the seasons opening in May. We did watch the Para gliders descending from the mountains down onto the beach, a quite  spectacular site. We enjoyed a breathtaking drive up the mountain on the south west side of Olu Deniz on the narrow winding coast road which leads to Kirme which is as far as it goes, around 8km I think. On the way you pass some wonderful coves and awesome views.
Of course the biggest town in the area is Fethiye which has a
 decent beach and a very large marina. There is also quite a lot more more to see here including a recently excavated amphitheatre close to the marina and we also found a small Sunday Market on the D400 to the North East side of Fethiye where we stocked up on Pepper corns and local honey at very reasonable prices.
Other places of interest within driving distance are The Ruins of Xanthos a settlement established before 500 BC. This is reached via the D400 heading south towards Antalya. Slightly further on the same route the resort and ancient ruins at Patara. About 15 minutes further south is the resort town of Kas once an unspoiled fishing village, now a relatively unspoiled tourist town on the southern bulge of Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Ruins of the ancient town of Antiphellus mix with modern buildings in Kas. Across the water to the south lies the Greek island of Megisti, you can go there easily for a day trip.
So a very relaxing eight days spent in this part of Turkey with lots of memories and a desire to return. I never tire of Turkey and as it gets ever more popular with UK visitors for their summer breaks Janice and I will probably restrict our visits to the Winter months - Quiet and warm, just like the people.
  
        

Things to do

• Hire a car 
• Visit Kayakoy
• Paraglide in Olu Deniz
• Visit the Sunday Market in Fethiye
• Check out the car boot on Sundays in Hisaronu
• go to Gemilar beach and order a cool Efes
   

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