Dilek National Park: On our way south after visiting Efes area we stopped at Dilek National Park. We entered the park from Guzelcamli. Driving down from Kusadasi the park is really well signposted and difficult to miss.

Entrance to the park is 5TL, they provide a detailed map.

http://www.dilekyarimadasi.gov.tr/tr/? (in turkish)            +902566141079         kusadasi@ dilekyarimadasi.gov

Admission times: spring and summer 8am-7pm, autumn and winter 8am-5pm.

It was really nice. Fantastic half day. Very recommended mostly if you have a car. The park was quite empty. A pity we did not have time to explore further and hike. We visited 3 beaches: Içmeler (the only sandy one but also the most crowded), Aidinlik (almost empty, big pebbles but fantastic water, we had lunch at the small restaurant there and it was the beach we liked the most),  and Kalamaki (even emptier, another restaurant here). Short after Kalamaki there is a police point check and it is not possible to drive further as it is a protected area. You cannot drive past that point but that area of the park is reachable  using the hiking trails.

Herakleia: we continued driving down south and, following LP advice, we decided to spend the night in Herakleia. It was a great tip and we loved the village. Rural Turkey at its best with nice scattered ruins here and there by lake Bafa. Peaceful and charming.  Spent a couple of hours sightseeing next morning around the village, time enough to see all the remains.

Spent the night at

Agora Pansion , 48234 Kapkiri Koyu Milas, tlf 2525435445, info@herakleia.com, www.agora.pansiyon.de,

(recommended in the LP guide):  it was the best place around but definitely quite pricey. One night for 2 persons + Dinner + Breakfast was 150TL.

Still dinner was excellent, one of the best we had during the trip. Breakfast was also very good. A drink in their roof terrace looking at the stars and enjoying the sounds  of nature was an absolut plus. Owners were really nice and helpful. Mithat gave us tips for the places we had go later and also recommended us some hotels and pansiyons in our route.

Hisarönü peninsula: after Herakleia we continued driving south, skipping Bodrum and its Peninsula. In my personal opinion, the drive between Mugla (where you are on top of the mountain and start seeing the sea) and Selimiye, passing Marmaris was an absolute wonder. An absolute highlight of the trip.

The road by the stunning sea, the views, first from the top of the mountains and then crossing the coves, the transparent waters, lots of tress, not that developed (we were expecting something much much worse)…all that made the drive and our arrival to Selimiye one of the best moments of the trip. We did not see any other comparable coastline in Turkey.

In some guides is mentioned and praised, but still the comments don’t do all the justice it deserves. Marmaris and its bay was far too developed, despite how beautiful the place is, but Hisarönü peninsula was quite empty: almost no  tourists and we hardly saw a house or a flat. Problem is it is not so easy to reach unless you have a car…or a yacht.

Selimiye: we skipped Marmaris, passed through Orhaniye and finally stayed in Selimiye. It was beautiful, quiet, lovely…quite a few yachts.

We had lunch in one of the restaurants recommended by LP: Aurora Restaurant. The food was great, the very best calamari we had in the entire trip. The lady owner was sooo nice and helpful. A must if you come to Selimiye…although it was very expensive compared with other places in Turkey: a few starters (and not that much quantity) were 85TL.

We spent the night in a bungalow in front of Sardunya Restaurant and Bungalows (they were full and they took us there), price was 80TL, no breakfast, payment in cash. It was good, with a lovely terrace, nice owner, clean and with TV.

For dinner we went to a really good place in a back street called Özcan restaurant and café, Ali Demirci,  tlf +90 252 446 42 33.

Three fish dishes that were really tasty (great grilled octopuss) and plenty of drinks were just 50TL. In addition, we did not have enough cash at the moment and the owner insisted that we paid next day. Easy going person. Very much recommended.