This post is sponsored by Jet2 Holidays.  As always, all opinions are my own.

Travelling is finally back on the table. We can easily hop on the plane and explore the world – and we’ve certainly missed that! I was recently invited to explore a country that I haven’t been to yet before – Türkiye.

I’ve heard a lot of amazing things about this place, but I’ve never had a chance to visit before. Time for that to change.

We booked our flights into Dalaman with Jet2, located on the southwestern coast of Türkiye. You can find flights and package holidays to Dalaman on their website, including luxury holidays and more.  

The flight from London takes around 4 hours. We were lucky as everything went quickly and smoothly. Our hotel was located in Gocek, a coastal paradise only 30 minutes from the airport. Already itching to escape yourself? You can book your experience at The Rixos Premium Gocek with Jet2HolidaysIf you prefer to read more before rushing off to Dalaman check out my review of The Rixos Premium Gocek here. 

The beauty of flying with Jet2holidays is that you can customise your package to the number of days you like – you’re not limited to a week or 10 days. I opted to spend three days exploring, and then the rest of my stay relaxing and soaking it all up.

Here’s what I got up to to inspire your travels to Dalaman too.

Day 1 – Day cruise to Butterfly Valley and dinner at D’Breeze 

We arrived at Oludeniz, which is where we would take to the water and embark on our day cruise. With two levels, one downstairs with a dining area and one upstairs with a sunbathing set-up, the boat was super comfortable. 

Our first destination was Butterfly Valley – a home for many butterflies at a nature reserve just like the name says. Unfortunately for us, we weren’t in luck with the butterflies, but the beach is very beautiful with turquoise waters.

Butterfly Valley

Next on the itinerary was the Blue Cave. The water around it had such a stunning colour and it was crystal clear – I could not stop admiring it. 

Blue Cave

Then, we headed to Akvaryum Koyu, which is a popular beach for swimming and snorkelling

Akvaryum Koyu

We finished the tour at St. Nicholas Island that has remains of a few churches built in 4th and 5th centuries.

It was a perfect few hours just cruising around and enjoying the stunning views, relaxing and swimming.

St. Nicholas Island

From there on we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, which was just a short ride from where we were staying. 

D’Breeze is located on a small pier at D-Marin Gocek Marina. It had the most beautiful sunset and such delicious food. We’ve tried some prawns, salmon, delicious desserts, beautiful cocktails and more! It was definitely a perfect place for a date night. 

D’Breeze at D-Marin Gocek Marina
D’Breeze at D-Marin Gocek Marina

Day 2 – Boat Tour through Gocek Bay, Kayakoy village and dinner at Unique Restaurant 

The next morning we started our adventure with a private tour around Gocek Bay. There were many beautiful spots for swimming and relaxing. We also had a little coffee break in a cute cafe and delicious lunch – fish cooked fresh on the boat.

Gocek
Gocek Bay
fish at Gocek Bay

The time flew by very quickly and after that we got back to our hotel. We spent some time by the pool and then we headed to explore Kayakoy – an abandoned village that currently has around 500 houses, including three churches. 

Built in 1700, it was inhabited by about 20,000 Greeks and as a result of resettlement, it was completely abandoned in 1923. The place has such an interesting story and it was so amazing to see this open air museum. 

Kayakoy
Kayakoy

After that we had a chance to see Paspatur – Fethiye Old Town, with little markets, stalls and a unique venue where you can buy your own fish and take it to a restaurant to have it cooked there and then for you.

Paspatur - Fethiye Old Town
Paspatur - Fethiye Old Town

We finished our day at Unique restaurant, where we enjoyed delicious sea bass, steak, prawns, desserts and cocktails.

Unique restaurant,
Unique restaurant
Unique restaurant

Day 3 – Breakfast at Kargicak Bay and boat tour along Dalyan

We started our last day at beautiful Kargicak Bay with breakfast with a view. This little bay is a very relaxing place where you can rent a sunbed and enjoy your day in a peaceful atmosphere. The food was really great too.

Kargicak Bay
Kargicak Bay

The next destination was the picturesque Dalyan River, which is now a National Park. The area around the river is a green maze overgrown with reeds that start from Köyceğiz Lake. As you glide through the water you’ll see all kinds of birds and if you’re lucky, turtles in the river too!

Dalyan River
Dalyan River

Our first stop was at the natural Mud Bath, which is a pool with mineral mud that rejuvenates and firms the body. The legends say it makes you look younger by 10 years. It was fun experience but also very stinky!

Mud Bath

After that we headed to Iztuzu Beach. This 6km long sandy beach is protected by UNESCO thanks to Caretta Caretta turtles that lay their eggs every year from May to July. We were able to see some turtles when we were still on the boat, but unfortunately they were hiding where we tried to spot them at the beach.

Iztuzu Beach
Iztuzu Beach

The final stop on our Dalyan river tour was Kaunos, city of ancient Caria and in Anatolia. In this open air museum you can see ruins of an amphitheatre, a chrysalism, a temple and baths.

Kaunos city
Kaunos city

What was most impressive were Lycian tombs carved into the rock just above the abyss that are the resting place of the Kings from the ancient city of Kaunos that date back to 400 BC.

Lycian tombs carved into the rock

Visit Dalaman

As you might see, there are so many beautiful places to see and so many things to do in that area of Türkiye. From stunning beaches to archaeological open air museums, mud baths, boat cruises and more. While there are a lot of great areas in Dalaman, make sure to check out the great deals in Gocek at Jet2holidays

3 Days in and Around Dalaman

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