Bodrum: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 56 - 170 Marina Vista Hotel
 Overlooking the Bodrum Marina, this hotel features rooms with French balconies that overlook a secluded garden with swimming pool. It also offers roof… MoreEUR 55 - 120 Marina 24 - The Lost Eden
 Just 25 metres from Bodrum´s Marina, The Lost Eden offers an outdoor pool and a lounge bar with snacks. Its air-conditioned suites have balconie… MoreEUR 25 - 65 Mars Hotel
 We offer you a warm welcome at our wonderful, small-scale Mars Hotel, in the bustling heart of Bodrum, where you can enjoy simple, elegant accommodati… MoreEUR 33 - 136 Mavi Hotel
 Enjoying a prime Bodrum Bay location, the Mavi Hotel boasts its own private beach and a sea-view swimming pool. It is located just a 10-minute walk fr… MoreEUR 48 - 110 Medisun Hotel
 Located 150 meters from the Aegean Sea in Ortakentyahsi, the Medisun is 5 km from central Bodrum. The hotel features an outdoor pool, a tennis court a… MoreEUR 39 - 368 Manastir Hotel
 Built on the site of an 18th-century monastery, this stylish hotel boasts a striking hilltop location overlooking Bodrum Bay. The original stone gate … MoreEUR 24 - 55 Kavala Studio Hotel
 Located in the vibrant resort of Bodrum, this hotel provides studio rooms with stunning views of the bay, and a spacious pool scene.
Kavala Studio i… MoreEUR 22 - 72 Hotel Gulec
 This family-run hotel offers rooms with free Wi-Fi and a tangerine garden fitted with comfortable rattan furniture. Located in Bodrum, the hotel has c… MoreEUR 22 - 74 Hotel Kalender
 Hotel Kalender offers air-conditioned rooms with a private balcony, just a 5-minute walk from Gümbet’s beaches. Facilities include an outdoor swimm… MoreEUR 20 - 75 Ilgin Pansiyon
 Located in the historic town of Bodrum, Ilgin Pansiyon offers simply-furnished rooms and free internet access. The hotel is centrally located, 800 met… MoreEUR 30 - 125 Istankoy Hotel
 Experience the bustling centre of Bodrum from this comfortable hotel, where you can have a fun break with your whole family.
For a truly pleasant and… MoreEUR 29 - 120 Merve Park Hotel
 This charming villa in Bodrum offers a terrace which overlooks St. Peters Castle and the Aegean Sea. It also has an outdoor swimming pool, free Wi-Fi … MoreEUR 25 - 36 Nil Hotel
 Located in Bodrum, this family-run hotel has affordable accommodation with free Wi-Fi and an outdoor swimming pool. It is less than 5 minutes’ drive… MoreEUR 70 - 140 Su Hotel
 Located near the marina, Su Hotel offers contemporary accommodation along with a large Mediterranean garden and outdoor swimming pool. It is a 5-minut… MoreEUR 45 - 110 Sole Boutique Hotel - Bodrum
 Sole Boutique Hotel is 5 minutes’ walk from the nearest beach and the Bodrum seafront. It features an outdoor pool, a large sun terrace and free Wi-… MoreEUR 24 - 68 Sunshine Hotel
 Situated on a hill between Bodrum and Gümbet, Sunshine Hotel is about 500 metres from the blue-flagged Bardakçi Bay. It offers a large outdoor pool … MoreEUR 50 - 210 Temenos Hotel
 This hotel in the peaceful Bodrum countryside offers rooms with a LCD TV and a restaurant with views of the Aegean Sea. Free Wi-Fi and free private pa… MoreEUR 99 - 700 The Marmara Bodrum
 The Marmara is a sophisticated boutique hotel with stunning views over Bodrum Bay from its outdoor pools, Jacuzzi and spa area. It features tennis and… MoreEUR 27 - 110 Sofabed Boutique Hotel
 Located among the tangerine trees and traditional white houses of Ortakent-Yahsi, the Sofabed Hotel offers rooms with private balconies, steps away fr… MoreEUR 150 - 420 Sedative Boutique Hotel & SPA
 With views over the Aegean coast of Torba Bay this stylish boutique hotel offers a spa with hammam and relaxing massages. It has a 24-hour fitness cen… MoreEUR 60 - 90 Royal Palm Area Hotel
 Royal Palm Area Hotel is a large resort complex in the heart of Bodrum. It offers 2 swimming pools and rooms with air conditioning and balconies.
The… MoreEUR 52 - 216 Salmakis Resort & Spa
 Situated right next to the beach, this Mediterranean-style resort offers a large pool complex with panoramic views over Bodrum Bay. Salamakis features… MoreEUR 35 - 90 Sariyaz Hotel
 The Sariyaz Hotel offers modern accommodation in a quiet part of Bodrum town. This is a lovely and peaceful place, ideal for a relaxing holiday close … MoreEUR 45 - 135 Seckin Konaklar
 This family owned hotel offers rooms and self-catering apartments on the quieter side of central Bodrum.
Seckin Konaklar is conveniently situated rig… MoreEUR 20 - 90 Hotel Gulbaba
 Hotel Gulbaba offers very affordable accommodation, a central location next to the seafront of Bodrum and a rooftop terrace with amazing views of the … More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bodrum: Guide
Bodrum is a village on the Aegean coast of Turkey, popular with tourists from all over the world.
Understand
Bodrum is the site of the ancient city of Halikarnassus, the location of the famous Mausoleum of Halikarnassus (built after 353 BCE) - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, the ancient monument was destroyed by earthquakes in the Middle Ages - some of the remnants can be seen in London|London's British Museum.
Modern Bodrum strangely seems to have two contrasting sides to it.
The east half of the town has a long thin but reasonable beach. Behind the beach lay all the bars restaurants and night clubs that are typical of Mediterranean resort towns. This means open fronted bars that do not come alive until 10pm when everybody goes out. As well as some nice beach fronted bars (e.g. cafe del mar being a reasonably chilled out and attractive bar, with attractive staff so that helps) it also has some terrible ones. Think the worst version of club 18-30s. It does have some reasonable clubs. Halikarnas being the obvious one as it is huge (4000 people). It also is mostly outdoors and hosts foam parties on regular occasions.
The other half of the town is the west side. This manly revolves around the harbour and yacht club. Here life is a little more sedate with shops catering mainly to those who have stepped of their boats. Expensive supermarkets with proper wine and olive oil as well as the obligatory Henley Hanson to be able to purchase your new jacket. There are a couple of nice restaurants if you look hard enough and some nice clothes shops.
History
According to Heredot, born B.C. 484 in Halikarnassus (ancient name for Bodrum), the city was founded by the Dor's. Megerans enlarged the city B.C. 650 and changed its name to Halikarnassus, and then Persians started to rule the city from B.C. 386
Halikarnassus had its glorious days, when it was the capital of the Karia B.C. 353. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum, was built by Artemisia for the memory of King Mausolos was built then.
After the Roman and Byzantium rule for ages, Ottomans have conqured the city in 1522, during the time of Suleyman, The Magnificent. The city was named as "Bodrum" after Turkish Repuclic was declared.
Mausoleum
Known as one of the Seven Wonders of The Ancient World, The Mauseloum was built by Artemisia, the sister and the wife of King Mausolos, B.C. 355.
This work of art, stood on a 21 stepped pyramid which was 46 metres high and carried a horse car symbolising victory on it, had 36 marble columns in Ionian style.
The mauseloum was destroyed in an earthquake; and the ruins were used in building of the Halikarnassus Castle. Many statues and reliefs from the mauseloum were carried to The British Museum by archeologist C. Newton, in 1856 and now lies there for public viewing.
All major cities in Turkey have direct bus lines to Bodrum. It's a 10 hours journey from Istanbul, while it takes almost 3-4 hours from Izmir.
The castle is quite pretty and the views are spectacular.
Bodrum Castle / the Castle of St Peter (Bodrum Kalesi) - built from 1402 by the Knights Hospitaller, the Castle is easily the most prominent landmark in the city. The castle now operates as a museum, with the focus on the Museum of Underwater Archaeology (see below). It is one of the world's best preserved monuments dating back to medieval times. The supervision of the construction of the castle was assigned to the German architect Heinrich Schlegelholt, so that the latest developments in castle design were included.
the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology , inside Bodrum Castle, tel +90 252 316 25 16, fax +90 252 313 76 46, open Tu-Su 9am-12pm, 2pm-7pm, closed Mondays - established in 1961, this great museum has won numerous awards, and displays amazing finds from underwater excavations along the Turkish coast. Includes the famous Uluburun Shipwreck, one of the earliest and richest wrecks yet discovered. Not to be missed.
Further a field there are the mud baths to visit. You go down the river on a rickety of chug-chug jump in bit baths of mud and roll around (The fun bit) and then clean off and go home. It’s also easy to go across to Kos or Rhodes for a day or two. When arriving there get a scooter (very dangerous but the best and easiest way to get around). There is of course loads of old architecture to visit around if you like that kind of thing.
Hamam — Bodrum has a fine Spas|hamam, also known as a Turkish Bath, located a few blocks inland from the harbour. Facilities are separated by gender with both sexes enjoying the same hours of operation.
Windsurfing — There are some good possibilities for windsurfing at nearby Vass. It has a bit of a hippy air to it with lots of hire stands for boards and sails. Some may find there are just tooooo many people around in high season for it to be much fun, especially when there are competitions running.
Gumbet seems to be the second choice for Brits to go out drinking in. There are more Brits and Aussies here than any where else in turkey. The bars generally ban the locals which can cause small grievances my generally don’t cause large problems.
Halikarnassus is also the name of the huge, outdoor night club (the largest in the world, they say). It is for the trendy, young euro crowd and is especially busy in the peak season.
Kuba is a resto-lounge restaurant with an upscale menu.
Around Bodrum are a number of small towns/villages dominated by western resorts (Mark Warner, ClubMed SunSail, and Neilson). These resorts are normally aimed at families of water sports people.
Gumbet has a great beach and recommended is hire of a private boat for your own trip around the bay. Make sure all passengers have and wear lifejackets and that there is an emergency oar and kit on board. Taking a mobile phone in a palstic bag is advisable. Try snorkelling (go for good quality glass based googles and kit available in most shops at around 20 Lira)
Gumbet club scene is mainly bars with open windows, music is based on current R&B and dance but is full of local men constantly chasing foreign ladies.
Try club x on corner of bar street (bouncers at door) which have more sophisticated clients and music is excellent mix of R&B, Dance, Funk and Turkish Pop.
Do not stay at hotel known as Club Bozak as this is run by unfriendly devious staff. You have to pay extra for air conditioning or a fan !!!
In Bodrum (avoiding bar st)there are some great clubs at which locals go to chill out and there are good places to eat.
From Bodrum, you can catch a bus to anywhere in Turkey.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Bodrum". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.Get in
By Bus
By Plane
Get around
See
Landmarks
Museums and Galleries
Do
Buy
Always haggle for a better (if not half price) deal ! and go for CLOTHING. Some great quality designer labelelled outfits, shoes and trousers (fake or not) are definately worth the lira being asked.Eat
the home of the doner kebap offers more tasty treats, try local delicatessens for flavoursome vegetable, pulses and meat dishes.Drink
Sleep
Get out
In the high season, there is direct boat service to:
Kalymnos, Greece
Kos, Greece
Simi, Greece
Rhodes, Greece