Turkish beach bonanza -- the best places to go for a suntan

Patara

A half-hour dolmuş ride from Kalkan on the south coast, Patara is the Turkish beach par excellence, with 20 kilometers of glorious soft sand reaching in an arc around some wonderfully romantic Lycian and Greco-Roman ruins. By some miracle, development has been kept at bay, which means that the hotels and pensions are two kilometers inland, but at this time of year regular transport links them to the sands. The remoter stretches of the beach are backed with beautiful dunes dotted with mimosa and eucalyptuses. There's little shade actually on the beach, so be sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection.

Kızkalesi

The lovely soft sands at this small resort west of Mersin are made all the more appealing by the fact that you can gaze out from your sun lounger on the picture-perfect Maiden's Castle after which it is named floating just off-shore. Kızkalesi came relatively late to tourism, which means, unfortunately, that the small resort ringing the beach is completely devoid of architectural charm. It's a good place to unwind for a few days, though, and there are plenty of ruins to explore in the hinterland if you ever tire of doing nothing.

Ölüdeniz

“Dead Sea,” the bizarrely named resort 15 kilometers east of Fethiye, offers a two-for-the-price-of-one beach experience with a long public beach fronting the serried ranks of hotels at Belcekiz and a slightly less busy beach ringing a lagoon to the north. The setting, backed by mountains, is absolutely exquisite, but this is a real package-holiday playground with paragliders descending in a never-ending stream from Baba Dağı (Mount Baba). To make the most of Ölüdeniz, camp at the lagoon, stay in one of the cabins there. For something a little less crowded, head out on a water dolmuş from Ölüdeniz to Butterfly Valley, where a wide strip of sand is hemmed in between two soaring cliff faces, or take the dolmuş from Fethiye to Faralya, then follow a cliff path down to sleepy Kabak, where relaxing is the only thing to do.

Bozcaada

One of only two inhabited Aegean islands that belong to Turkey, Bozcaada makes the perfect place for a holiday, with lots of beguiling boutique hotels in the picturesque streets that run back from a harbor full of fish restaurants, and wonderful sandy beaches with not too many people on them at Ayazma, a short dolmuş ride away to the south of the island. Hemmed in by dunes, they're blissfully free of development, although a few small restaurants offer shelter and sustenance if you're making a day of it. If you really want to avoid company, there are also smaller bays to the east and west of Ayazma.

Altınkum, near Çeşme

Like many of Turkey's big resorts, Çeşme itself is surprisingly lacking on the sand side. However, there are several very pleasant beaches in the immediate vicinity, most particularly at Altınkum (“Golden Sands”), less than 10 kilometers away. Like the beaches on Bozcaada, the sand here is wild and duney, although not quite as remote and isolated as it once was. Better known is the beach near Alaçatı, even closer to Çeşme, which is renowned more for its windsurfing possibilities than its beauty.

Olympos-Çıralı

Set in the Beydağları Sahil National Park, Olympos and Çıralı are linked by a beach that mixes sand with pebble but could not otherwise be more different. Olympos is the old hippy-hangout turned free-for-all settlement of tree houses and bungalows set amid woodland behind the evocative ruins of Ancient Olympos while Çıralı is its more upscale cousin, consisting of a long line of hotels, pensions and the odd restaurant, and not much else. This summer the beach was barely big enough to accommodate all those wanting to frequent it, although the situation should ease off within the next few weeks. Too busy for you? Then make your way to Adrasan to the west, where the beach is less alluring but the paucity of public transport means fewer people crowding onto it.

Cleopatra's Beach, near Marmaris

There are not many places in the world where the actual sand on a beach is a protected commodity but it is on Cleopatra's Beach on Sedir Adası, whose sand is said to have been brought here from Egypt by Mark Anthony as a gift for his beloved Cleopatra. Once you've walked on its powdery fineness, you'll understand why visitors are made to take a shower to ensure they leave every grain where it belongs. The water here has the texture of a warm bath smoothed and softened with oil. The snag? You can only really get here on a cruise out of Marmaris.

İztuzu Beach, Dalyan

Visitors have turtle-lovers to thank for the fact that this wonderful four-and-a-half-kilometer-long stretch of sand has been saved from development after they launched an international campaign to keep hotels away from the beach. Loggerhead turtles make their nests in the sand during the summer, which means that there are lines on the beach marking no-go zones for sunbathing. The most pleasant way to get to the beach is by boat from nearby Dalyan, although if you take the dolmuş you'll be dropped a little further away from the crowds. There are a few snack bars here, but not much shade, so come well prepared.

Enez

Not many people would think of Thrace for a beach holiday, but Enez, right up against the Greek border, has a glorious swathe of sandy beach that is relatively little known to foreigners. Turks, however, have long been in on the secret, which means that for much of its length the beach is backed with charmless holiday-home developments. There are a couple of hotels, but they're unexceptional and overpriced. An alternative to Kilyos if you want to escape İstanbul for the day?

Yumurtalık

For those who like to be ahead of the crowd, this newly emerging resort just south of Adana boasts a small but pleasant sandy beach with water safe for swimming in sight of a castle that is a little like a flattened-out version of Kızkalesi's Maiden's Castle. A pleasant little fishing harbor boasts a couple of unflashy fish restaurants, and there are a handful of hotels and pensions to suit a variety of budgets. Expect more in the years to come.

Sarımsaklı, near Ayvalık

Ayvalık on the northern Aegean is a delightful small resort with some particularly laidback boutique pensions and a cluster of fish restaurants. Connected to the picturesque island of Cunda by a causeway, it doesn't immediately appear to have a beach, but if you hop on the dolmuş south to Sarımsaklı (“Garlicky”), you will find a long strip of sand concealed behind a line of high-rise hotels and apartment blocks. Doesn't sound too appealing? Well, just keep on walking until the development runs out and you'll probably have the sands to yourself.

Karakum, near Sinop