Ölüdeniz
Ölüdeniz is a beach resort in Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, famous for its "Blue Lagoon". It was a tiny place until the 1990s, then Turkish tourism was boosted by direct flights from Europe, and the upgrade of Dalaman Airport put this stretch of coast within a one hour coach transfer. It was relentlessly marketed, and the Dead Sea - Ölüdeniz - of the flat calm lagoon was re-branded as "blue lagoon", and came to mean the entire resort strip. This has sprawled inland from the beach village of Belceğiz through Hisarönü and Ovacık, and in 2022 the combined resident population was 6132.
This population burgeons during the Mediterranean hot, dry summers. Winters are mild with occasional heavy rainstorms (see Lycia climate chart) and many businesses close up.
Get in
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For long-distance travel see Fethiye. International visitors usually fly into Dalaman on package holidays and are bussed straight to their hotels.
Fethiye is 17 km north of Ölüdeniz by a good-enough road. Dolmuş minibuses take 30 min, running every 5 minutes at peak times. Look for them outside Carrefour supermarket on Ölüdeniz Cd, east flank of Fethiye bus station.
Dolmuşes also run from Faralya (for Butterfly Valley), Uzunyurt and Kabak to the south. That road is slow and lumpy, and dead-ends at Kabak beach.
Ölüdeniz is not a Port of Entry into Turkey, so if you arrive in your own boat from Greek waters, you need to clear immigration and customs in Fethiye.
Get around
[edit]Dolmuşes from Fethiye run through Ovacık, Ölüdeniz main village, Hisarönü, and Belceğiz beachfront at the start of Blue Lagoon peninsula.
Belceğiz beachfront is a pedestrianised mall.
See
[edit]- 1 Blue Lagoon is the one in all the brochures - usually photographed from a parachute, since frankly it looks better from a distance. It's the "Ölü deniz" - dead sea - that gives the resort its name, for its flat calm waters, which in the right light are turquoise and ultramarine, but indeed dead if skies are overcast. The lagoon is a nature reserve, with public access 07:00-18:00 to the 1 km peninsula separating it from the open sea. They no longer charge a park admission fee, but expect to pay again and again for parking, beach entrance, beach chair, parasol, and very overpriced food and drink. The peninsula beach and underwater are gravel and rocks, so you need beach shoes. Since this is a nature reserve Turkish-style there's lots of strewn trash, and a cluster of hotels on the north shore. These have small artificial sand beaches but are reserved for their own guests.
- 2 Kayaköy: see separate page for this "ghost village".
- 3 Gemiler island: see also Kayaköy for this islet with Byzantine ruins.
Do
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- 1 Babadağ is a limestone mountain of 1969 m / 6460 ft rising sharply from sea level. A cable-car ascends from 500 m south of the village. A sealed but narrow lane hairpins up the east flank from Ölüdeniz, a lung-busting ascent for cyclists. The hiking trail up the west flank starts from near Kidrak beach.
- Paragliders launch from the cable-car top station of Mt Babadağ. The parachute is already open on launch, and an experienced pilot can soar along the mountain updraughts for hours before landing on the beach. Beginners take a tandem-ride, strapped in front of an instructor, for a one hour flight - you need proper trainers, not flipflops or barefoot. Operators may pick up from hotels here and in Fethiye. They include Fly Liberty, Rota Fethiye, Sky Fethiye, Fly Infinity[dead link], Hanuman Travel, Fethiye Tours and a dozen more.
- Belceğiz beach is sandy and the best area for kiddy-bathing, unlike the gravel peninsula of the lagoon. Paragliders also prefer to land here.
- Boat trips putter along the coast west towards Gemiler island or south to Faralya. You'll find half a dozen operators touting along the beach.
- Scuba diving: Bubbles and Lykia World are the two diving centres. Blue World has closed down.
- Hiking: the Lycian Way is a 540-km marked hiking trail. Its western terminus is Fethiye, with the first stage 9 km to the ghost village of Kayaköy then a further 5 km into Ölüdeniz. The trail continues east to Faralya (allow 5 hours) and Kabak (another 5 hours), and eventually to Antalya. The views of the sea, the mountains and the beaches are great, but there is little shade, so try to avoid the noon heat, and bring enough sunscreen and water. The sections near Ölüdeniz can easily be done by hiking one way and taking a dolmuş back, or vice versa.
Buy
[edit]- Lots and lots of little stores, open late daily. Ölüdeniz Shopping opposite Club Hotel Meri is open 24 hours.
- If you're passing through Fethiye, Carrefour is next to the bus station.
Eat
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The two main eating strips are along Belceğiz beachfront, and through Ölüdeniz / Hisarönü. Lots and lots of places, no standout, offering trad fare: typical Turkish / East Med, pizza, and "Full English All-Day Breakfast" and pub fare like a sunny version of Blackpool.
Other cuisines are harder to come by, but there's Saffron[dead link] Indian plus a handful of Chinese in Hisarönü.
Drink
[edit]Cafes and restaurants serve alcohol. There are free-standing bars along the beach and in Hisarönü, where Paddy's Irish Pub (daily 09:00-04:00) completes the resemblance to Blackpool.
Sleep
[edit]Ölüdeniz and Ovacık are cluttered with hotels, most of which have an online presence and can be found through various hotel-booking websites.
Budget
[edit]- 1 Aydede Camping, Aşağı Yaşdam Cd 1/2, ☏ +90 532 580 8552. Clean well-run site with restaurant above Ölüdeniz Cd.
- 2 Ölüdeniz Doğa Kamp, Aşağı Yaşdam Cd 1/2, ☏ +90 535 644 9662. Secluded forest campsite up a narrow lane west of village.
Mid-range
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- 3 Ölüdeniz Resort by Z'Hotels, Kıdırak Cd 20, ☏ +90 252 424 0386. Comfy beachfront hotel, friendly service, small rooms could do with refurbishment. B&B double 3000 TL.
- Mavruka Hotel, 228th Sk 1 (100 m back from beach), ☏ +90 252 617 0035. Small hotel near beach, very mixed reviews for welcome and service. B&B double 2000 TL.
- 4 Sundia by Liberty, 226th Sk 10, ☏ +90 252 530 0055. Smart central hotel near the beach, disco noise at night. B&B double 3500 TL.
- Türk Hotel, 226th Sk 10 (50 m west of Sundia), ☏ +90 252 617 0264. Friendly clean hotel near the beach. B&B double 1500 TL.
- Beldeniz Otel, 232nd Sk 1 (block east of Club Hotel Meri), ☏ +90 252 617 0022. Clean central small hotel. B&B double 1500 TL.
- Belcehan Hotel, Kıdırak Cd 4 (two blocks east of Club Hotel Meri), ☏ +90 252 617 0133. Value for money central hotel, food offerings samey. B&B double 1500 TL.
- Hotel Karbel Sun, Kıdırak Cd (opposite Belcehan), ☏ +90 252 241 1560. Relaxing hotel on a quiet street, some rooms pokey. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 5 Club Hotel Meri, Ölüdeniz Cd 48 (corner with Kıdırak Cd), ☏ +90 533 567 5001. Simple hotel, clean and good location. B&B double 2000 TL.
- Ata Lagoon Beach Hotel, Belceğiz Cd (100 m south of Club Hotel Meri), ☏ +90 252 617 0421. Friendly small hotel, a short walk to beach. B&B double 2000 TL.
- 6 Alize Hotel, Kıdırak Cd 5. Great service, comfort and entertainment here. B&B double 2000 TL.
- 7 Tower Hotel, 236th Sk 4, off Ölüdeniz Cd, ☏ +90 252 617 0038. Welcoming clean small hotel. B&B double 1500 TL.
- 8 Hotel Flamingo, 236th Sk 3, ☏ +90 252 617 0361. Peaceful hotel north end of Ölüdeniz village. B&B double 2000 TL.
- 9 Hisar Holiday Club, Cumhuriyet Cd, Hisaronu, ☏ +90 252 616 6699. Pleasant small hotel in Hisaronu village. B&B double 1800 TL.
- 10 Saray Hotel, Stad Cd, Hisaronu, ☏ +90 252 970 0345. Friendly place in village, rooms small but clean. B&B double 1500 TL.
- 11 Ocean Blue, Ata Cd 6, Hisaronu, ☏ +90 252 616 7646. Smart place in Hisaronu village, good service and catering, but it's not a beach hotel as the name might suggest. B&B double 2500 TL.
- 12 Pine Valley, Likya Cd 3, Hisaronu, ☏ +90 252 616 7813. Quiet welcoming village hotel, many steps to negotiate. B&B double 1500 TL.
- 13 Green Forest Holiday Village, Cumhuriyet Cd 74, Hisaronu, ☏ +90 252 616 7001. Family-oriented hotel a short walk to village. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 14 Nicholas Park Hotel, Bağtepesi Cd 12, Hisaronu, ☏ +90 252 452 0831. Great service and comfort, but a steep walk from village. B&B double 2000 TL.
- 15 Orka Club Hotel, Atatürk Cd 86, Ovacik, ☏ +90 252 211 4110. Plush self-catering resort complex. Double (room only) 3000 TL.
- 16 Monta Verde Hotel, Atatürk Cd 74, Ovacik, ☏ +90 252 616 8006. Simple hotel, needs refurbishment and overpriced for its quality. B&B double 3000 TL.
- 17 Görkem Hotel, Incircik Cd, Ovacik, ☏ +90 252 616 6717. Clean welcoming small place in Ovacik village. B&B double 1200 TL.
- 18 Sahra Su Holiday Village, Ocakköy Mevkii, Ovacik, ☏ +90 252 616 8092. Inclusive resort hotel north above Ovacik village.
Splurge
[edit]- 19 Liberty Lykia, Kidrak Sk 6, ☏ +90 252 617 0200. Great reviews for this adults-only resort hotel 3 km south of town. Minimum stay 3 nights. B&B double 5000 TL.
Connect
[edit]Ölüdeniz and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of June 2023, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Go next
[edit]- Fethiye has Lycian rock tombs gazing down upon town.
- Kayaköy is a ghost village. Its Greek population was deported in 1923, and unlike others it was not re-settled by Turks deported from Greek territory.
- Faralya to the south is at the foot of Butterfly Valley, a scenic canyon. Kabak is further south but its canyon is easier to access.
| Routes through Ölüdeniz |
| Fethiye ← Kayaköy ← | W  E |
→ Kirme → Faralya → Antalya |