Considering a holiday in Turkey? At Villa Vali our services go much further than being a hotel holiday complex: we aim to ensure that you have every opportunity to explore Akyaka, the local area and the region.
Even though Akyaka is a wonderful place to just sit and do nothing, on occasions the urge may hit you to go explore further afield. .The personnel at Villa Vali will help you discover the hidden Akyaka and the magic of the Mugla region. Consider day trips found on :
The Dalyan Delta and Kaunos
Villa Vali is a small family run holiday complex in the small Turkish village of Akyaka. The holiday complex consists of five properties and a choice of two, three and four bedroom villas, apartments and studios that share two swimming poolsand communal gardens and “al fresco” dining . The holiday homes offered by Villa Vali are fully furnished, spacious and well equipped.
The Villa Vali holiday homes are set in beautiful relaxing gardens and embrace views of the the sea, the magnificent Sakar Mountain plus citrus and olive groves. Villa Vali is ideally situated and is just a ten minute walk from a sandy beach, the quaint village of Akyaka and a selection of riverside restaurants.
Check out what Villa Vali has to offer:
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Akyaka is an lovely beach resort at the head of the Gulf of Gökova, nestling in deep pine forests and eucalyptus woods. Akyaka has a backdrop to the north of the Sakar Tepe mountain which rises to almost 1,000m and is bordered to the south by the wetlands of the Gökova plain ("heaven's plain"). With it's multitude of species, particularly water birds, it's easy to see why this tranquil Turkish village captivates so many visitors.
A quiet fishing village until the 1970s, Akyaka was then "discovered" by Turkish people seeking an escape from the big cities. One of those who came to the region in those years, with his wife Halet Çambel was Nail Çakırhan - poet, journalist and architect. Çakırhan bought half an acre of land and built his dream house. Combining traditional Muğla architecture with modern detail, the Çakırhan House was highly acclaimed for its extraordinary aesthetics and was awarded one of the period’s most respected architecture prizes, the Agha Khan International Architecture Award, in 1983. Providing a role model for newcomers, it rapidly spawned similar houses in the region and has emerged today as authentic Akyaka architecture. Çakırhan died in 2008 but his legacy is preserved at the Nail Çakırhan and Halet Çambel Culture and Art House in Akyaka. Opened in 1998 the building, which was completely built by Çakırhan according to his famous Muğla architecture, features a particularly spectacular ceiling. It was given by Çakırhan to the Friends of Gökova-Akyaka Society. The exhibition house whose walls are mostly composed of windows, is open to light from everywhere and is built in the garden of the original Aga Khan-prized house.
Akyaka has two main areas - upper and lower village. Between the two you can walk down the cobbled streets or take the path through the woods. The village centre is at the top of town with shops stocking all daily necessities, ATM cash machines, Ataturk square, bus stop, cafes, a few restaurants, post office, daily fruit & veg market and weekly general market on a Wednesday. At the lower part of town there is the beach, harbour, forestry commission area, conservation beach, shops, restaurants, bars, bus station, council park, and the river.
The long sandy beach of Akyaka is in a sheltered bay with shallow waters and is ideal for children. At the end of the beach, there are watersports available such as kayaking, kite surfing, windsurfing, also bicycle hire. Beyond the beach you enter Gökova Park. There are plenty of restaurants on the seafront promenade and a couple of relaxed bars. Past the waterside cafes and restaurants, you can go up into the woods, with woodland walks, picnic areas and bathing platforms.
If you feel inclined, you can take a boat trip to explore the crystal-clear waters and many untouched bays and islands on this beautiful stretch of coast. Daily trips from the boat co-operative on the quayside, depart around 10 a.m. back about 5 pm., lunch is often included and there will be plenty of stops for swimming. Sedir (Cleopatra's) Island is a very popular destination for the boat trips, there are some ancient ruins and an amphitheatre (admission to the island is extra).
Away from the coast, the crystal clear Kadın Azmak ('Woman river`) meanders through the verdant countryside of fields and woodlands. Daily River Boat trips operate from the harbour, down the Azmak river and back - these take about 30 mins. To experience this unique natural setting at its best, visit one of the traditional fish restaurants set on the river, just outside Akyaka, where trout is served, freshly caught from the river, along with traditional Turkish delicacies, in an idyllic setting.
As you drive out of Akyaka towards Gökova, there are the castle ruins, C16th water cistern, Inisdibi mosque, and the ancient Lycian rock tombs, which were uncovered by chance when the road to bypass the village was being built. They are virtually all that remain of the ancient city of Idyma and date from the Carian period of 330-30 BC. From Inisdibi (between Gökova & Akyaka) you can walk across the plains, and down the one mile long avenue of Eucalyptus trees, to the village of Akçapınar, where in spring you can see storks nesting.
If you are travelling from Akyaka independently, by car - do stop off for breakfast at the delightful little village of Akçapınar. It's on the right-hand side of the road about 1Km from the main Gökova junction of the Dalaman-Muğla highway. Our favourite is the Bodur café - frothy ayran (yogurt drink), pide (Turkish pizza), menemen (eggs poached in tomatoes, peppers and onion), served with succulent tomatoes.They also have a small shop selling amongst other things local honey and olives.
Getting Around
There are many places within relatively easy reach of Akyaka, of architectural, historical, and geological interest. The articles in this section are certainly not a complete list, but cover many of the most famous and stunning sites that are within a maximum of 3 hours drive from Akyaka – many are much closer, the approximate journey time and directions are given against each.
They are not intended as an architectural guide, they are more of an amateur’s impression, each section where possible points you to the relevant website, where you can get more information, and details on opening times, admission prices, etc. Though it is worth noting that with the exception of Bodrum Castle (closed Mondays), virtually everywhere else is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, during the hours of daylight. And the admission is never excessive, at the smaller sites it is nominal, and kids almost always get in for free.
Whilst there are a few photos illustrating these pieces, there are planned to be many more in the Akyaka.com gallery – filed in albums with the same name as the site. Amphitheatres are generally excluded from here on the ‘seen on seen them all’ principle – although some of them are truly stunning.
Getting There
The two obvious ways to get around are to join an organised trip, or to hire a car.
Organised Trips
There are a number of companies in Akyaka that run these, (see elsewhere on this site) or your hotel / villa owner etc will be happy to help. This is probably the cheapest method of getting around, and also takes the stress out of the journey. Against this, most of (certainly the longer) trips leave very early in the morning, some are even overnight, and they may insist on taking in other places on the journey that may not be to your liking.
Hiring a Car
Hiring a car in Turkey is not as cheap as in many other Mediterranean resorts, and you may be shocked to find that petrol is even more expensive than in England (it is one of the main ways that the Turkish Government raise tax revenues). However, hiring a car for at least some of your holiday is well worthwhile, and enables you to do far more exploring, both locally and at greater distances, than you would otherwise manage – as well as allowing you to choose your routes and timings to suit you. (See elsewhere on Akyaka.com, or other web sites, or ask around when you arrive).
Driving in Turkey is not as horrific as some guidebooks would have you believe. The roads are relatively traffic free, and there is nearly always an overtaking lane to use (depending on which lane is travelling uphill at the time!) Most road signs are fairly obvious, and even the extensive road improvement schemes rarely cause any significant delay. Do though be aware that because of the amount of up and down and around bits (other than along the coast road, most of the sites are inland and hence ‘over the mountains’) most journeys will take longer than you anticipate based solely on distance. You probably won’t average much more than about 75km per hour.
There are many roadside services, ranging from European style petrol stations, (most of which take credit cards) through to little ‘shacks’ that sell most of the usual refreshments, obviously cash only.
And of course look out for the stuffed sheep sellers – lay bys full of stuffed sheep, which no one ever seems to buy, and which no Turk has ever been able to explain!
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