Samanlik Bay

Samanlik Bay sits on the Fethiye peninsula in Turkey's Mugla province, only a short sail from the town's harbour along the Turquoise Coast. The name commonly covers two adjoining coves, Büyük Samanlık and Küçük Samanlık, separated by a low headland and backed by pine-covered slopes that run down almost to the waterline. Sheltered from the prevailing wind, the bay holds calm, clear water over a mixed pebble-and-sand seabed, and it is one of the anchorages you'll visit on a private gulet charter from Fethiye touring the wider gulf.

Küçük Samanlık, the smaller of the two coves, faces toward Fethiye town and the wooded slopes of nearby Şövalye Island, giving boats at anchor a scenic view back across the water. The sea here is generally at its warmest in August, though both coves stay swimmable for much of the season, and their proximity to town keeps the crossing short on cruises that also call at other bays around the gulf. Snorkellers can expect a mix of rock and pebble underfoot, so many visitors prefer sea shoes when wading in from the boat.