Ayvalık, too, has been discovered by many… It was once a little village / town producing olives and its side products.
Having been discovered and established as one of the major summer holiday resorts of Turkey, Ayvalık has lost its prior untouched beauty. This does not make Ayvalık a trashy, tourist baren place. Ayvalık is still a cosy little town / city for those who know the right places to go.
Our recent interview on Ayvalık covered the niche gourmet opportunities in Ayvalık. As of today, with increased interest and curiosity on behalf of travelers and increased opportunities and tours on the supply side, oil harvests have turned into niche gourmet travel opportunities.
In today’s post, I would like to talk about the right beaches to go to…
Ayvalik can be considered as two distinct lands interconnected to each other via a tiny bridge. The premontory into the sea is the island of Cunda. This is mostly the more general resort for both local and international tourists. Arriving to Cunda with car, one can see the main beach extending from the tip of the bridge to the right. Lined up along the coast are various little hotels and motels. While, this area is not bad for short stays, there are nicer boutique hotels in the inside.
The inside of Cunda resembles a little Greek town with little streets and stone paved roads. There are a number of nice boutique hotels here, but no beach. There is still a remedy however. There are many beaches all around Cunda -some discovered, some yet to be discovered.
Ortunç, is a blue flag beach on the Cunda island. It is not comparable with distinct beaches of Bodrum or Çeşme, but is better than many of its European counterparts. Being a private beach club, Ortunç never gets too crowded. Entrance is by fee (25 TRY) and is prevented after a certain time to avoid overcrowding.
Patricia Beach on the north of Cunda is another beach. Public, yet very natural.
As for beaches in the town of Ayvalik, Sarımsaklı is the most wellknown and the most crowded beach. The sea is beautiful, but the crowd may create pick-pocket risks for unwary tourists.
20 kms away from Ayvalik, in the Karaagac distric, there is a major residential area known as Artur. It is said to be the 2nd largest European summer holiday neighbourhood. Artur has 3 private beaches -free for the residents only. Artur is also known for its nightlife and the everlasting friendship stories among its residents.
Final touch of advice on Ayvalik beaches is that, it is always better to get yourself a local guide and rent a tiny fisherman’s boat to take you out to the distant and yet unkown beaches of Ayvalık. Though yet unknown, some of these beach lands have already been purchased by major investors in Turkey for future purposes.
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
Tue, Sep 8, 2009
Weekend Getaways