Think of Turkey these days and you're likely to think of politics, turbulence and somewhere you should avoid.
However, when I think of Turkey I think of a beautiful country steeped in history, blessed with a stunning landscape, amazing coastline, mouthwatering cuisine and without doubt the friendliest and most hospitable people you could meet.
There was a time when I wouldn't have considered Turkey for a holiday at all because my impressions were of a destination dotted with big, ugly package resorts where you have zero interaction with the local culture.
Whilst these resorts can still be found up and down the coast and no doubt they will suit some travellers they are definitely not for me and my family.
We prefer to stay somewhere that offers a glimpse of the real Turkey and if you're brave enough to break free of the package holiday resorts then you will find a Turkey that is more upmarket, intimate and a whole lot more enjoyable.
I have holidayed in Turkey three times now, the first time was a long weekend in Istanbul with my wife. Then two years ago we escaped to the seaside village of Turunc on the Lycian coast with our two young sons in a self catering pool villa in the beautiful mountains overlooking the Bay.
This year we headed to the coast once again but to the popular riverside town of Dalyan, only 30 minutes from Dalaman Airport. Our home for the week was the Aydos Club, a small family run hotel on the banks of the Dalyan river where we were one of only 3 groups of guests in a 20 room hotel, due to the unfortunate slump in demand for travel to Turkey this year. On the positive side it meant that we had free run of the kids pool for the entire week.
 |
| Club Aydos - compact and full of character |
As our eldest is prone to car sickness we chose Dalyan as it's only a short drive from the airport without any of the twisting mountain roads. We booked with Simpson Travel who offer a choice of boutique hotels or self catering villas, I have already got my eyes set on one of their Dalyan Villas for our next trip!
We flew from Manchester on Monarch and were met at Dalaman by Jess, the lovely Simpson Travel representative who has called Dalaman home for the last 12 years. Whilst other holiday makers piled onto hot stuffy coaches we had a private transfer and were quickly whisked away to our hotel. Simpson Travel are more pricey than other holiday operators but they do offer a more personal service which we had no complaints with and we'd happily book with them again in the future. An example of this is when we told Jess that the kids had watched the DVDs that we brought with us several times, she offered to drop off more from her own kids collection and the next day there were a dozen or so Disney DVDs laid out on our bed after we came back from a day trip. Jess also offered lots of tips on what to see and do including where to find some of the best waffles in town!
As for Dalyan itself, tourism is the backbone of the town and us Brits are the main visitors. The river is the lifeline of the town, on one side you have Koycegiz Lake and downstream the river flows through Dalyan Harbour past the magnificent Lycian Rock Tombs carved into the mountains before reaching the magnificent Iztuzu Beach on the shores of the Mediterranean.
It is quite easy and therapeutic to switch off, sit by the riverside and watch the boats ply up and down the river, but be warned you will come across the odd party boat full of twenty-somethings blaring out trashy dance music off on an excursion. This is only a momentary distraction and they are gone just as quick as they appear leaving you to switch off once more.
 |
| Meal with a view at Club Aydos |
 |
| Boat watching can be quite therapeutic! |
 |
| The bustling harbour of Dalyan |
We were fortunate in that the Aydos club had its own boat and a beautifully ornate one at that decorated in Ottoman stye, which turned heads whenever we were on the river. We took a private BBQ dinner cruise on our penultimate night in Dalyan and it was made all the more beautiful by being on this boat.
 |
| The Aydos has its own distinctive boat which is a head turner |
 |
| Sunset dinner cruise aboard the Aydos boat |
Overlooking the harbour is the simple but beautiful Cami or Mosque built in the traditional Ottoman style, which is typical in Turkey. The main square can be found here and off of this are the numerous restaurants, cafes and, if you're self catering, the local Migros supermarket where you can stock up on all the essentials.
 |
| Dalyan Cami - the centre of the town |
One thing to bear in mind is that owing to the large number of tourists from the UK, quite a few of the restaurants do serve pork and openly advertise this. That said, as we walked about a lot of restauranteurs approached us to stress that they didn't serve pork in order to get our business.
 |
| A collection of some of the beautiful cuisine |
If you want a taste of authentic Turkish food, in other words, food that the locals eat then head to a Lokanta or Turkish canteen. The added bonus is that most Lokantas don't serve pork or alcohol, we found a great place called Pasha's right on the harbour front. The set up in a Lokanta is simple enough, there is no menu, instead you are shown all of the dishes that have been prepared that day and you select what you want, whilst there isn't a huge choice on offer the quality of what is offered is excellent. Truth be told, we had the best and cheapest meal at a Lokanta.
 |
| The delicious selection on offer at Pasha's |
After your main meal you obviously have to go for dessert, you are on holiday after all! We found two great cafes serving delicious freshly made waffles!
Gerda's Le Cafe is run by a German lady, called Gerda funnily enough, and is round the corner from the local post office.
 |
| A little taste of Germany in Dalyan |
 |
| Gerda's Waffles |
Then there is Cafe Dalyano, both serve home made waffles made to order which are served hot and topped with fresh ice cream. I am salivating as I type!
 |
| Cafe Dalyano's Waffles |
I've mentioned Iztuzu beach in passing but you can't come all the way to Dalyan and not visit this great unspoilt beach which is a nesting ground for the loggerhead turtle and thanks to the efforts of 93 year old British Environmentalist June Haimoff is protected from development. That doesn't mean to say that there aren't any facilities, there are and they're basic but perfectly acceptable.
You have two modes of transport to choose from, either a boat from the harbour or aboard a Dolmus (minibus) from the Mosque Square.
The beach is set out with sun loungers and parasols which you rent for a flat daily fee which was around TL10 for 2 loungers, a bargain. You simply sit on a lounger and wait for one of the ticket people to approach you and then just sit back and enjoy your day. There are showers, toilets, food stalls and importantly a medic on site at the beach. For me the latter proved very handy as I stood on a blue crab whilst wading in the water and got pinched on my foot .... ouch!
The Boat to Iztuzu Beach will give you uninterrupted views of the Lycian Rock Tombs along the way and will take around 30 minutes. It will drop you on one end of the beach where the Dalyan river meets the Mediterranean Sea.
 |
| The stunning Lycian Rock Tombs |
 |
| If taking a boat to the beach, you'll be part of a flotilla |
The Dolmus will take around 20 minutes and cost us TL3.5 per person, it will make its way to the beach taking the mountain roads and offer stunning views of the beach as you make the final descent from the hills. The Dolmus will drop you at the opposite end of the beach to the boat and is the option to take if you want to visit the Turtle hospital and cabin/museum of environmentalist June Haimoff or Kaptan (Captain) June as she is affectionately known over here.
 |
| Modern, cheap and frequent, the Dolmus is a great way to get to Iztuzu beach |
 |
| Iztuzu Beach from the Turtle Hospital |
It was back in the 80s when plans were revealed to build a huge 5 star resort on Iztuzu beach threatening the nesting grounds of the loggerhead turtle that prompted June Haimoff to mobilise a campaign to protect their home.
 |
| Kaptan June's Hut and VW Beetle! |
She won and has lived in Turkey since. She is a passionate environmentalist who has turned her original 80s beach cabin into a museum documenting her campaign. Supported by a team of volunteers the Kaptan has turned her focus to getting the boat owners of Dalyan to install propeller guards to protect the turtles from injury.
 |
| Propeller guard to protect the turtles from injury |
Despite the propeller guards being free for the boat owners, this has had limited success but is an area that tourists can help. Simply ask any boat owner if they have a propeller guard and only give your business to those that do, they will display a Kaptan June sticker on their boat if they have one.
 |
| Only rent a boat that carries the Kaptan's seal of approval |
Alongside Kaptan June's hut is the Turtle Hospital which cares for those unfortunate enough to have been injured by propellers back to health. It's open to everyone and allows you to see these magnificent creatures up close, it's free to visit although you should definitely give whatever spare change you have to help them in their efforts.
 |
| The turtle hospital and some of the magnificent creatures up close |
Turkey hasn't disappointed me so far and this trip was no exception. God willing, this won't be my last trip to Turkey as my wife, kids and I love the country as it ticks all the boxes for us, short flying distance from the UK, great weather, availability of Mosques, delicious food and lots of it, stunning scenery and the fantastic Turkish people. The negative news stories haven't discouraged us one bit.
Next time we'd like to explore a different part of the coast, possibly Kalkan or Islamlar.
