Hiring a Car to Reach the Most Paradisiacal Spots in Turkey

The moment you step off the plane and into Turkey’s Mediterranean heat, you can get a sense for how desert-like Dalaman can be…but only if you have some wheels to get about the regioncan you reach its surrounding oases.

Dalaman Airport can be an experience in itself (make sure you hand a £10 note over to the Visa desk with your passport) but once you collect the hire car waiting patiently for you in the parking area, you’re all set to explore Turkey.

Heads up: You can get 15% off Dalaman Airport car hire if you book with Holiday Autos before November 30^th (see end of post for more info).

Aside from the heads up on cheap car hire, this blog is basically a mini-guide on some favoured spots for the more chilled out traveller, beginning with a food-orientated road trip to Oludeniz Beach:

Brunch at Toscana

Before you arrive at the beach, the drive from Dalaman Airport (takes about one hour, 20 minutes) brings you through the town of Fethiye.  Use the ‘Fethiye – Oludeniz Yolu’ to reach the Oludeniz Main Street, where you’ll find Toscana Ristorante – the ideal place for brunch in this part of southern Turkey:

The guys who run the place are very welcoming and love to get to know your travelling story…but don’t worry, they leave you alone once your dish comes out and their food does the talking from there.

Escaping from Oludeniz Beach

From its secluded lagoon in the west to its paragliding mountaintops in the east, this sandy stretch is the one of the most popular beaches on the Mediterranean side of Turkey.  Its size means you can always find your own private spot along the bay but if you’relooking for the best way to get away from the crowds? Hire a boat – sail out into the Med and really get that sense of escape you booked the holiday for.

Dinner on Cloud 9

Watch the paragliders land on the greens in front of you andas the sun goes down behind them you can tuck intosome proper Turkish food.  There really is nowhere else like this eatery in the whole of Turkey; sunsets, shish kebabs and sky-gliders – perfect.  It’s just a minute away from the beach and is the ideal end to your first adventure in the country.

Coastal Drive to Paradise

By all means stay in Oludeniz as long as you like but if you want to experience the clearest waters inthe Mediterranean Sea, get the most out of your hire car and take the D400 westbound to Datça.  The drive itself takes about four hours so one thing to make sure of is that your rental car comes with air conditioning – other than that, this journey is refreshingly different from the holiday norm and your reward is out of this world:

Cliff diving into the purest of seawaters is without doubt, the best thing you can do after the long drive to get here.  Just looking around at the cloud-less skies, the huge burning sun and the rocky lagoons in Datça, is enough to make you want to come back again next year.

Car Hire Discount

Renting a car is the best way to get around to all of these places and if you’re quick enough to book one before the end of November, you can get 15% off the rates.  Go to the Holiday Autos car hire offers page for all the discount codes that they’re running across European bookings at the minute.

Also, if you book specifically on November 17^th you’re eligible for up to 25% off, using this code: HASALE17.