Discover the Hidden Secrets of Selimiye

In recent years, Turkey has been steadily increasing its appeal as a valid destination for a summertime fly-and-flop holiday. While the capital, Istanbul, provides the history and culture fix for tourists visiting the country, it is the idyllic beach resorts – particularly in the Dalaman and Marmaris regions – that have captured the imagination of foreigners, leading to a marked increased in tourist activity.

Even with this rise in interest for Turkey as a destination, however, many of its smaller locations have managed to maintain a remarkable amount of authenticity and personality – even those close to major holiday resorts. Tourists willing to go a little further out of the way when exploring Turkey will find a radically different country in the small villages and settlements, where locals still live as they always did and the tourist onslaught remains no more than a vague haze in the distance.

The Selimiye Example

A good example of the factor described above is the village of Selimiye. Despite being located at the heart of Marmaris – Turkey’s main holiday hub – and easily accessible through Dalaman airport transfers, this town is still very much a sleepy fishing village, where the main visible concession to the existence of tourists is the increasing number of upmarket restaurants built along the newly-renovated boardwalk. But while these may be attractive to foreigners passing through the region, most of the rest of the town will seem negligible to the typical holidaymaker looking for days in the sun and nights out in town.

And yet, for those who would rather have their Dalaman airport transfers take them somewhere a little more genuine and less crowded, a village like Selimiye may just about be the perfect destination. As noted, smaller and less explored destinations still retain the country’s authentic lifestyle, and this small fishing town is no exception. With most of its population still consisting of fishermen, and boats being used for obtaining subsistence rather than showing foreigners around, Selimiye can offer less touristy visitors an interesting slice of Turkish life they would not have found in Marmaris or even Istanbul.

For The Exclusive Traveller

It is sometimes said that looks can be deceiving, and this is certainly true of Selimiye. While above it was noted that this town’s main apparent concession to tourism were its seafood eateries, the truth is an increasing number of boutique hotel owners have slowly but surely been moving into the region. Travellers craving the exclusivity and understated nature of a boutique hotel in a secluded location will therefore find Selimiye and its accommodation options to perfectly fit their desires. In the future, the demand for Dalaman airport transfers to this small coastal town may indeed increase.

As it stands, this small fishing village in the Bozborun peninsula remains one of the best-kept secrets of the country's coastline. One must wonder for how long that will continue to be the case...

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you’re looking for Dalaman airport transfers, Shuttle Direct provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.