Yalikavak

Two things define Yalikavak: the sponge divers who worked out of it for generations, and the superyacht marina that took over their harbour. The town occupies the north-western corner of the Bodrum Peninsula, between the bays of Gumusluk to the south-west and Gundogan to the east, looking out across the Aegean towards the Dodecanese. What is left of the old village sits directly behind the marina, which makes the contrast hard to miss.

From Sponge Diving to Superyachts

The old harbour worked as a base for sponge divers well into the twentieth century, and Yalikavak's divers and their sponges were known far beyond the peninsula. Farming and fishing filled the rest of the year. The row of stone windmills on the hill above the town, built in the 18th century to grind grain, is the clearest surviving trace of that economy. They no longer turn, but the walk up is short and the view over the rooftops to the marina and the bay is the best in Yalikavak, particularly near sunset.

The hills behind town also hold Sandima, the settlement Yalikavak grew out of and now almost entirely abandoned. Around eighty old Bodrum-style houses — square, flat-roofed, built of stone packed with soil and finished in whitewash — stand along the slope. Families began moving down to the flat coastal land in the early republican years, and the last of them had gone by the 1970s, after the village school closed and the school in Yalikavak opened. It is roughly a 45-minute walk uphill from town, and a painter and a sculptor are the only people known to live there now.

Yalikavak Marina

The marina is why many people come. It was the first marina in Turkey to be awarded 5 Gold Anchor Platinum status by The Yacht Harbour Association, it has around 620 berths, it can take yachts of up to 140 metres, and it sees well over a hundred superyachts in a season.

The quayside is open to anyone, not only to berth-holders. It is lined with designer shops, restaurants and beach clubs, and through the summer it hosts concerts and parties. Even without a boat, the walk along the pontoons at dusk — yachts on one side, the bay and the hills on the other — is the standard evening outing.

The Old Town and the Markets

Behind the marina, the older streets keep the low white houses the peninsula is built from. Traditional restaurants sit among antique dealers and handicraft shops selling jewellery, kilims and carpets, generally at more reasonable prices than the marina boutiques.

The weekly market runs on two separate days. Tuesday is the produce market: seasonal fruit and vegetables, cheese, olives and other goods brought in by local growers. Thursday is the bigger one, given over to clothing, textiles and household goods, and it is the day most visitors are pointed towards.

Beaches and Anchorages

The coast on either side of town alternates between rocky headlands and small coves, with pine and scrub running down to the water. Between the marina berths and the open coves outside town, Yalikavak is a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Bodrum, and there is room to anchor off for boats that would rather stay on the hook.

Beach Avenue, near the town centre, is the main public stretch, a mix of sand and pebble with bars and loungers along it. Tilkicik Bay, a cove a short drive from the centre, is quieter and sits next to the Pirates Inn Cactus Aquapark, which makes it popular with families. Dodo Beach and Xuma Beach are private beach clubs charging day rates, with views back across the bay to the town.

The season runs from June to September, with daytime highs generally around 30°C (86°F). Several of the better coves along this coast have no road access at all and can only be reached by boat.

Nightlife

Yalikavak's nightlife divides into three areas. Around the harbour, GQ Bar Bodrum and Mandalin Yalikavak run live bands, and Bilbo Pub & Bistro is the place for cocktails and draught beer.

The promenade along Yalikavak beach is the second: restaurants here put on live music and dance shows through the evening, Buluntu Reggae Dub plays reggae, and Freya Cocktails works with fresh ingredients rather than mixers. The third is Iskele Street, known locally as Bar Street, a short walk from the marina and lined with bars and clubs including Yula Yalikavak, Mojitos Bar and Zorro Bar.

The marina venues sit at the expensive end of the range; Bar Street is where the volume and the crowds are.