Çeşme is a Turkish resort town west of Izmir, on the Aegean Sea. Overlooking the harbour is Çeşme Castle, a restored military fortress. It now houses the Çeşme Archaeology Museum, with displays of marble busts, metal coins and artifacts from nearby excavations. On the east side of the Çeşme peninsula is sandy Ilica Beach, with warm thermal sulphur springs. Around Çeşme are clear waters and accessible dive sites.
Cesme attracts all types of surfers from all over the world: wind surfers, kite surfers, surf surfers. If you can surf it, you’ll probably want to surf it in Cesme. This resort town on the Aegean Coast is all about the water. Even the 16th-century Cesme Castle is a stone’s throw from the sapphire sea. The beaches are golden, the ocean is warm, and the atmosphere is posh but friendly.
Unlike many resort towns in this region, Çeşme has retained a local population and flavour. Only 8km from the Greek island of Chios, the town has a long seafront perfect for promenading, a magnificent castle built by the Genoese and a bustling Merkez (commercial centre) with plenty of shops and great eateries. Popular with weekending İzmiris and with those who balk at the high prices and style overload at nearby Alaçatı, it’s an excellent base for exploring the region.
We hadn’t booked a hotel, instead we decided to just find something once we arrived, Ed had visited once as a child, on one of those long driving trips to Cyprus with the family. We looked up the same hotel he had stayed in. Back in the 70’s it was probably the best in the area. Now still fairly nice and clean with good views over the coast, however showing its age due to the lack of up-keep and general care. We checked in, we didn’t mind so much, it would only be for a few days, as we wanted to travel further south, were the weather reportedly would be a little warmer.
The atmosphere in Cesme is very relaxed and friendly and even though there are plenty of tourists, you don’t get the feeling they are overwhelming the place like many Turkish towns these days.
We really enjoyed walking along the promenade in Cesme and its fair to say I really liked the shops here. I have to confess I made a few little clothing purchases on our second evening, when we went out for a fish supper. 😉
Our first evening we spent in Alacati, just a 15-minute taxi ride away, driven expertly not by another trainee formular one would be racing driver. Red lights really must mean something else over here. ☹ We arrive alive and headed for the centre just a short walk along the pedestrianised road. A drink would be nice before we decide what to eat. We found a little outside table in a pretty looking bar and took a seat, before we knew it our drinks arrived, a cold beer for Ed a glass of rose for me. Happy Bunnies. 😊
Alacati is a charming old Greek town, very quaint, oldie worldy kind of place, old stone houses, with a winemaking tradition. It has a really special laid-back vibe and it’s easy to see why young & old like to visit. Its narrow, cobbled streets and traditional stone buildings, which house vintage boutiques, antique shops, cafés and restaurants, provide an enjoyable place in which to relax, unwind and people-watch.
Just opposite the bar a stage had been erected and it looked like there would be live music and musicians were beginning to arrive. The passing crowds were also slowing up as they walked by to see what was about to happen. Excitement in the air, the music began, we presumed it would be Turkish however it turned out to be Macedonian and old Bosnian. Although we didn’t understand the lyrics it was still great and after a couple of glasses it sounded even better. 😊
Time to move on and find a restaurant, just a stone’s throw away we found a traditional Turkish restaurant with a live singer bellowing out one of Ed’s favourite songs, decision made we were whisked swiftly upstairs by the waiter, with a view over the balcony to the entertainment below. Nice music & food we were happy. The evening coming to a close we strolled back towards the taxi rank passing by the still playing music concert, which by now had switched to a mixture of Greek/Turkish and not sure what, we went with the flow to get through the masses all now dancing and before we knew it, we had joined on the Zorba the Greek line all arms and legs to the ever faster beat. We really should stop drinking so much. 😊
Tomorrow Akyaka. 3 hours 30 mins drive (A peaceful little place apparently.)
