Ölüdeniz and Fethiye: When to Go, Where to Stay

The area around Fethiye has one of the densest concentrations of rental villas in Türkiye. With so much choice, deciding gets harder. This article sets out what separates the four main areas.

Four areas, four different holidays

Ölüdeniz is known for its lagoon and for paragliding. Belcekız beach, where flights from Babadağ land, is right in the centre. Summer is lively and so are the evenings. If you want a villa within walking distance of the sea this is the place, but be ready for noise in July and August.

Hisarönü and Ovacık sit on the hillside, 5-10 minutes from Ölüdeniz. There are plenty of restaurants and shops, and prices are gentler than on the shore. A practical balance for family holidays.

Kayaköy is a different story altogether: villas set among fields and olive groves at the foot of a stone village abandoned in the early twentieth century. For those who want silence. The sea is a 10-15 minute drive.

Çalış is known for its long sandy beach and its sunsets, and is the closest shore to central Fethiye.

Choosing the right season

The water is warm enough for swimming from mid-June to early October. In our experience the most balanced month is September: the sea is at its warmest, the crowds thin out once schools go back, and the evenings cool down.

April and May are ideal for walking. The Fethiye-Faralya stretch of the Lycian Way is full of flowers in those months; the same path is punishing in high summer.

Distances

• Dalaman Airport to Fethiye: about 50 minutes.
• Central Fethiye to Ölüdeniz: 25 minutes.
• Central Fethiye to Kayaköy: 20 minutes.
• Ölüdeniz to Kabak Bay: 40 minutes on a winding road.

What not to miss

A boat from Ölüdeniz to Butterfly Valley, a cool morning in Saklıkent Gorge and the Tuesday market in Fethiye for local produce can form the backbone of a three-day plan.

When choosing a villa, take the gradient into account: in Hisarönü and Ovacık the view improves the higher you go, but every trip out means getting in the car.