Day 9 – Bodrum to Ölüdeniz

While I had decided to spend 3 days in Bodrum, there isn’t much to see around in the city unless you are taking a ferry to Rhodes or Kos in Greece. Another option is to take the ferry to Datça and visit Marmaris for one day. But I decided to leave a day early to Ölüdeniz and spend that additional day taking a boat cruise on the Blue Lagoon.

Buses leave Bodrum Otogar (bus station) every hour for Fethiye, costs TL 30, and you can take the local bus to Ölüdeniz. Fethiye is about 240km and takes less than 4 hours from Bodrum, stopping at Milas, Muğla and Köyceğiz on the way. I had pre-booked on the 10am bus by Fethiye Sehayat company. Having inquired at Pamukkale, Kamil Koç and Suha bus companies, they all directed me to Fethiye Sehayat.

Bodrum Backpackers hostel is about 10 minutes walk from the bus station.

The ride to Fethiye was pleasant and on time. The bus operated by Fethiye Sehayat is essentially state-owned bus service which are dolmuş-sized rather than a fully-equipped coach, with no facilities or snack service on board. But the frequent stops at the three towns help relieve yourself at the toilets.

Dolmuş from Fethiye to Ölüdeniz don’t stop exactly at the otogar, but you have to walk a few meters behind the bust station on the street curb-side (sidewalk) and wait there for the next dolmuş to arrive (they run every 10 minutes). Just hail when you see a dolmuş that says “Fethiye-Ölüdeniz”. All dolmuş take about 30 minutes to reach Ölüdeniz, going via Hisarönü/Ovacık villages.

I had booked for two nights at Sugar Beach hotel, which was shut down when I reached Ölüdeniz, so having searched for reviews on other hotels with the same price tag I found Oba Motel to be comfortable and having great reviews.

The drivers of the local buses speak English and know almost every hotel in the town so just tell them where you are heading to and they will let you off as close to the hotel as possible. I got out on the main road leading to the beach and Oba Motel was a few meters from the main street.

Checked-in to the hotel and found that my “room” (Ocean Villa) exceeded my expectations. It was a huge cottage with a big bathroom, two beds (one queen-size and one single), a baby crib and a mini-kitchen. It also had a patio (not so good views though) right in front of the main dining area.

Oba Motel Value Location Cleanliness Rooms Service Breakfast included: No. Website: www.obamotel.com.tr Good location, good service, and rooms are cottages All the rooms in this motel are cottages which makes them huge and convenient to live in. Facilitated with coffee-maker and safety box, the rooms are huge, clean and very comfortable. Bathrooms are clean good sized as well. Breakfast is not included in the price, but the hotel has a great restaurant that serves meals all day.

 

A quick nap after I headed out to the only place everyone goes to in Ölüdeniz – the beach side. It was almost sunset and I went for a dip in the warm, blue water. Headed to Sky Sports office to book my boat trip the next day and called it a day after having dinner in-house at Oba Motel.

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult. The exchange rate at the time of publishing is assumed to be USD 1 = TRY 1.80.
 

What	Cost	Notes
Bus from Bodrum to Fethiye	TL 30 or $16.70	Turkish breakfast
Bus from Fethiye to Ölüdeniz	TL 5 or $2.80	One way in local bus
Oba Motel, Ölüdeniz	TL 300 or $166.70	‘Ocean Villa’ cottage for 3 nights. TL 100 per night, includes breakfast
Dinner at Oba Motel	TL 20 or $11.10
Snacks & water along the way	TL 15 or $8.30	çay, chips, water, etc.
Toilets	TL 3 or $1.70
Total Costs	$207.30	Per person
Overall Costs	$1,135.10	Per person