A stretch of Turkey’s southern coast is said to be one of the most Instagrammable places in the country, thanks to its dazzling turquoise water and breathtaking scenery.
Found in the holiday town of Ölüdeniz in Fethiye, the ‘Blue Lagoon’ is home to a large cove that lies against a picturesque setting of dramatic rocks and verdantwoodland.
Until the early 80s, it was considered a (fairly) hidden gem.
And there is no doubt that it is beautiful. The problem is, everyone knows it.
When I visited Fethiye in April, like everyone else, I traipsed to the Lagoon to see what the fuss was about.
Having paid 100 Lira (around £2) to get in, I followed a short path that ended at a lovely spot — crammed with tourists. The sand was smattered with sunbathers and families, all with the same idea. And this was before holiday season had hit.
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Of course, I waded into the water (note to visitors: take flip flops or water shoes, it’s stony) and got my obligatory picture. But there was no way of doing it without capturing a load bodies in the background.
Online, this place is portrayed as an unspoiled paradise, but it’s definitely not the deserted scene we see on social media.
It was time to get out of there, in search of truly undiscovered gem. This is everything I found, and everywhere that’s worth your time, along Turkey’s magnificent Turquoise Coast.
Look up
Never mind where the influencers film — I realised that stunning scenery had been staring me in the face all along.
While there’s no doubt the Blue Lagoon is gorgeous, Fethiye is also home to the Taurus mountains, which form a spectacular backdrop as far as the eye can see.
No amount of pictures can capture the majesty, which is probably why it hasn’t gone viral on TikTok. You really have to see it to soak it all in.
Covered in Red Pines and Cedars, the most prominent mountain in the region is Babadağ, aka Father Mountain.
It towers nearly 2,000 metres high, and you can actually get pretty close to the top via cable car.
It takes about 15 minutes and there are two stops: one at 1,200 metres and another at 1,700 metres, where you’ll also find the Babadag 1700 Grill & Bar, which offers incredible views of the Fethiye coastline while you eat.
I didn’t have time to check it out, but it gets good reviews on TripAdvisor. A Babadag Sunset Dinner costs around £25 for adults and £13 for kids under 12.
Step back in time
In the district of Fethiye you’ll also find Kayaköy, a ‘ghost town’ where hundreds of derelict stone buildings embroider the hillsides.
Once home to Greek Orthodox Christians, the town was abandoned after the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Today, the crumbling houses and churches offer visitors a haunting glimpse into the past.
The area is still home to just under 1,000 people, and it was here that I discovered a small, friendly restaurant called Kahvaltıcı Mahmut which serves delicious Turkish breakfasts.
Forget your full English, this was serious grub, with plate after plate of dips — my favourite was tahini with grape molasses.
We’re talking a variety of cheese and fresh fruit and veg, alongsideomelettes, börek (filo pastry with savoury filling), meat with mushroom, lokma (like donuts and very popular with my teenage son) as well as unlimited hot flatbread and Turkish tea. It costs 750 Lira per person (around £14) but children under 7 eat free.
Later, I took a walk around the dusty streets and discovered the tree-shaded Kuyubaşı cafe, which I was told is a popular local haunt that does a good cup of authentic Turkish coffee.
Served in a tiny cup, the finely ground coffee beans have been slowly boiled in a pot called a cezve, until the liquid foams.
You’re offered water as well, which I soon learned is an essential palate cleanser as the coffee is so strong. While it was too much for me – give me a milky latte any day – my husband was hooked straight away.
See the sea somewhere else
Because the Aegean and Mediterranean meet in the region, the Blue Lagoon is not the only spot with jaw-dropping scenery. Just a couple of kilometres away, in fact, is Kidrak Beach.
It’s another one you have to pay to enter, but has an out-of-the way feel as it doesn’t have crowded beach bars or family facilities.
Definitely one if you’re looking for a beautiful but bare basics beach haven.
Alternatively, if you’re desperately seeking that Insta shot, take a water taxi from from Çalış Beach to Şövalye island, another chilled beach with sea hammocks in the water.
Eat local and explore the Old Town
On most days we took a taxi to explore the city of Fethiye, which took about 15 mins and cost £7.
The city is a popular cruise port – the most-visited on the Turquoise Coast – where the harbour is lined with boats, some lavish, others cheap, cheerful and ready to take holidaymakers on day trips.
In the Old Town are rows of covered walkways, where local shops sit next door to stores selling knock-off football shirts and designer gear. If you like a good browse, you can spend hours weaving your way around the streets.
For those who prefer to wile away time eating and drinking there are plenty of bars and restaurants with seafront views. However, I was told by our villa owner there was one area we had to head to for food — it did not disappoint.
At the fish market, you can choose what you want and have it cooked in front of you by one of the restaurants that surround it. The choices are amazing — crab, prawn, octopus, monkfish, bream… the list is endless and changes day by day, depending on what has been caught.
Everything is kept fresh on mounds of ice and the atmosphere is lively as reps from each restaurant ramp up the banter to reel you in to their tables.
Armed with local advice, we had a great time and didn’t end up spending a fortune.
I’d been given the tip that the price quoted at the counter is only for the seafood you’re getting, it costs extra to cook and then of course you also pay for the sides. Another pointer was don’t buy a bottle of wine as it’s expensive — go by the glass as servings are generous, but much more purse-friendly.
The next day, we also headed to a food festival in Gocek, a town about an hour away.
There, we tried popular local dishes and over the course of a couple of hours, only interrupted by a traditional Turkish dance routine.
The ones that stayed with me were ashure, a sweet soup-like pudding rammed with fruits, nuts, seeds and chickpeas, and Turkish stuffed meatballs, icli kofte.
And, of course, we finished it all off with baklava, layered filo pastry filled with nuts and lashings of honey. I have a sweet-tooth, and I’ve never tasted anything quite so sugary in my life.
Where to stay
Our home for the week was Villa Murat on the outskirts of Fethiye. A four-bedroom luxury house which came with a pool and a cold water jacuzzi, it was just a five minute walk from the nearest supermarket and restaurants, and just 10 minutes from the more busy part of town, which is lined with local shops bars and restaurants.
It was the perfect location and a great place to relax when you wanted a day of from sightseeing. Plus, if you have water-mad kids it is literally a two minute walk away from the Orca World Water Park. Sadly we visited before it opened on may 1, but according to reviews it’s definitely worth a visit.
2025 rates at Villa Murat start from £1,129 based on a 7 night stay for 8 guests. To book please visit www.oliverstravels.com or phone 03338880205.
Getting there
Fethiye is about an hour’s drive from Dalaman airport, which we flew into from Stansted. We travelled with very family friendly Jet2 and the flight took around 4.5hours.
Flights start at are £54 per person*, one-way including taxes departing 11th May. For more information, please visit www.jet2.com or call 0800 408 5599
*Prices are correct as at 29/04/2025
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