Aspat Bay

Aspat Bay lies on the western edge of the Bodrum Peninsula, tucked between Bağla Bay to the east and Karaincir Bay to the west, near the village of Akyarlar. The bay sits below the slopes of Aspat Hill, a conical rise that shelters the cove from the prevailing winds and gives it a calmer feel than many of the more open bays further along this coast. Aspat has long been designated a protected natural area, which has kept its shoreline largely free of large-scale development.

The hill above the bay carries traces of a much older settlement. Ruins associated with the ancient city of Termera, one of the smaller communities that once dotted the Halicarnassus peninsula in antiquity, are still visible on the higher ground, alongside the remains of a later fortification known locally as Aspat Castle. Little survives above foundation level at either site, but it gives a sense of how long this stretch of coastline has been inhabited.

For sailors, Aspat's appeal is mostly about its water and its quiet. The bay is sheltered enough for a comfortable stop, and its position on the peninsula's southwestern coast means it is best reached during a Bodrum gulet cruise that already plans to work along this side of the coast, rather than as a standalone day trip.