Help Beach

Help Beach and Yacht Club sits in Kucuk Boncuklu Koyu, a cove on the Fethiye peninsula about 4 km from the town centre. The Turkish name means "small beaded cove" — koy is a cove, not a village — and that is roughly what it looks like from the water: a shallow bite in the coast with pine woods running down both flanks and a jetty at one end.

Getting There

By car it is about ten minutes from the centre of Fethiye, out along the Karagozler and Tersane road, with a car park at the end. Dolmus minibuses run the same route. There is also a free shuttle boat from Ugur Mumcu Park in Fethiye, which takes roughly forty minutes and is the better way in if you are not in a hurry.

The Beach and the Water

The shore is mostly shingle with some sand, and the seabed is large pebble, so water shoes are worth packing. The bottom shelves slowly close in and then falls away, which keeps the shallows safe for children while leaving boats room a little further out. Two swings hang from a tree over the shallow water and there is a floating platform to swim out to.

Costs and Facilities

There is no gate charge for walking in. What you pay for is a sunbed and parasol, or one of the shaded cabanas, and rates change from season to season; in July and August it is worth booking ahead, because the cove is small and the loungers go early. Changing rooms, showers and toilets are free to use. The restaurant is open-air, with Turkish dishes alongside pizza, pasta and burgers, and there is a bar on the sand — press the button on the parasol and someone comes to the lounger.

Arriving by Boat

The seabed here is a mix of rock and sand and holds well, and the cove is protected from most directions except north and west. Crews anchor off and come in to the jetty by tender; a fair number of skippers will tell you the place is best reached during a Fethiye gulet cruise, if only because coming in from seaward skips the switchbacks and the car park entirely. The dock also runs parasailing, jet skis and speedboat trips.

When to Go

The season runs June to September. July and August bring daytime highs around 34-35 C (93-95 F) with the sea near 28 C (82 F); mornings are the quieter half of the day. In the evenings the club puts on DJ sets, and the music changes night to night rather than settling on one thing.