Summer Holiday in Çeşme, Turkey
Since I last blogged about where to ‘Wine and Dine in Bodrum’ life has been a whirl of study and work, of course with the odd rooftop cocktail squeezed in. If you want a more up to date account of my food and travel adventures do check out my Instagram, I promise to keep the bathroom selfies to a minimum 😉
Marker Rooftop Bar Dublin @liakadatravel
Now back to Çeşme…
Çeşme is a costal town on the Aegean sea located 85km out of Izmir, Turkey’s 3rd largest city. Previously only frequented by Izmir city dwellers when they were in need of a beach break, Çeşme is now a very popular destination attracting a young international crowd… also wind and kite surfers, the conditions are ideal for it.
Accommodation wise you can choose to stay on the beach in one of the larger beach resort hotels or you can stay as we did in Alaçatı, a picturesque Mediterranean town a few minutes drive inland.
Streets of Alaçatı @liakadatravel
I loved Alaçatı’s narrow cobbled streets and white wash stone houses with their brightly painted window sills. This town was the perfect mix of quaint yet interesting and lively with multiple restaurants, cafes, and bars dotted around the streets.
Eating at Tuval in Alaçatı @liakadatravel
I personally was a big fan of the boutique stores such as Taka Los Angeles with their wonderful collection of silk clothing with bold and bright prints, perfect for summer!
We stayed at the Vintage Boutique Hotel which is located right in the midst of all the happenings. I found their rooms to feel clean and crisp with their mainly white decor, and I loved the funky twists they added especially the bath placed right in the middle of the room.
Bedroom at the Vintage Hotel @liakadatravel
The Vintage Hotel was great for personal touches, they served oysters and beers as you came in from a long day of beaching. It is worth bearing in mind though that it really is boutique so if swimming pools and plenty of facilities are more your thing then it may be better to book into one of the bigger beachside resorts.
Breakfast at the Vintage Hotel @liakadatravel
During the day Alaçatı is deserted as people flock to the beach clubs. There are public beaches in the area but the clubs win the crowds with their bean bags, DJ’s and cocktail happy hours.
Bar at Sole Mare @liakadatravel
The first place we checked out was Sole Mare as word on the street is that Sole Mare is the place to be, or to be seen if you are into that kind of thing…
Preparing for all the Beautiful People @ Sole Mare
When we pulled up to Sole Mare it was late in the afternoon and at first they refused to let us in! Coming from Kenya which is not exactly New York in terms of the party scene, being refused entrance was a novelty and I have to say I was rather unimpressed. Though after a small amount of convincing we were let in and headed straight to the bar to try out their much talked about cocktails. We asked the barman to make us something good which turned out to be a delicious fruity creation so all was forgiven.
Sole Mare truly lived up to its reputation, the music was good, the cocktails were better, and the scene was definitely happening… I had also never seen such elegant swimwear in my life.
I’m sexy and I know it @liakadatravel
After a fantastic time of dancing away at Sole Mare the next day we were in more of an active mood so we headed to Fun Beach, known for its wide selection of water sports.
Fun Beach
The place was packed and its about a 20-30 minute wait for any of the water sports but overall it was a fun experience. Note, if you want to kite or wind surf this is not the place to do it, it’s more of a jet ski / waterski place.
Basically how it went down
Once we had our excitement fill with jet skiing we headed to Propaganda Beach Club for their Chill Out Festival.
Chilled Out @liakadatravel
Propaganda is spread out over a huge section of beach with their bar and food area only occupying one central zone making it possible for you to find a quiet part of the beach if you so wished.
Propaganda Beach Club
Lonely Boat @liakadatravel
The festival got started in the evening with a packed line up of International and Turkish DJs playing some groovy “chilled out” house music.
One of the bars at Propaganda, obviously not open yet
The crowd was great and were not as in love with themselves as those at Sole Mare. I especially liked the Rasta aspiring hispters… you know the type with their long dishevelled hair and their witty slogan t-shirts topped off with the standard I don’t follow trends attitude but I will proudly wear Ray Bans … yeah that type, though in fairness you know a party is good when you see them.
The music goes on until dawn and although we didn’t make it that long it certainly seemed like many people were going to. If beach parties aren’t your scene the clubs and bars in Alaçatı are equally packed and are open until late making Çeşme an incredible party destination!
Night Scene in Alacati
Tuval Restaurant – Couldn’t finish a post without a picture of food!
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