Tranquil Turkey
Bodrum to Bodrum. A relaxed 10-day cruise between boat-only bays.
Bodrum to Bodrum. A relaxed 10-day cruise between boat-only bays.
Bodrum and the nearby Datca Peninsula were custom-made for tranquil cruising. The coastline is riddled with boat-only coves. Searching for adrenaline? UNESCO sites? A print copy of the FT? Then sail on - in the opposite direction. Our 10-day itinerary is so chilled it could replace the ice in your watermelon mojito. Tarmac roads only reached these shores in the 1990s. Instead of art galleries, expect Van Gogh sunsets. Instead of paparazzi, expect shepherds. This itinerary’s answer to Bora Bora is Kameriye Island. It has turquoise seas, but with wild goats and an abandoned monastery. That’s the magic of this laid-back cruise. It distills a coastline for dreamers, readers, naturalists and swimmers. Plus guests who enjoy dozing on a lounger with crushed pomegranate smoothies on demand. Drink it in.
Bodrum
1
Embark in Bodrum. Enjoy welcome cocktails on the cruise to Datça, an 80km peninsula studded with deserted bays. This evening’s anchorage is Knidos. It’s an ancient Greek city abandoned 1,000 years ago. Sing in its amphitheatre. Snorkel its sunken ruins. Tranquil? You’ll be the only explorer here.
Datça Armutlu Su Bay
2
Only a handful of yachts can position inside Armutlu Su Bay. Make sure one of them is yours. Wish to celebrate? Leap into sandy-bottom shallows tinted cornflower blue. Sheer inaccessibility keeps Armutlu Su Bay pristine. You're more likely to bump into a sea turtle than another swimmer.
Bencik
3
Rise at dawn in Bencik. Grab a coffee and a kayak. Then paddle up a saltwater creek where eagles swoop and dolphins leap. A Turkish breakfast feast has been prepared for your return. Fresh figs. Olive bread. Mountain honey. Feta cheese. An afternoon breeze means windsurfs, kitesurfs and lazy reads on deck. Dinner? Any dish, any time. Your superyacht, your schedule.
D Maris Bay
4
Wake up in D Maris Bay. And swim through Jacuzzi-warm waters to heaven made real. D Maris Resort welcomes Y.CO guests with shaded cabanas and ayurvedic spas. Hungry? Try black cod gyoza at Zuma, which has an alfresco terrace overlooking your Y.CO yacht. Require a more exclusive reservation? Reposition into one million square miles of Mediterranean Sea.
Hurmali Bay
5
Today is one big adventure. Kickstart your day with Italian coffee, Turkish cay or green tea. D Maris Bay serves as the mirror-calm venue for inflatable slides and towable heroics. Finding Nemo? Your crew will pack snorkels and lead you to Hurmali Bay. Film trumpetfish and red mullet with GoPros. You can stream the footage on your yacht’s screen later.
Selimiye
6
This morning, tender back in time to Selimiye. Sip fresh pressed orange juice on a vine-shaded terrace. And find a line of scooters arranged by your Y.CO Charter Specialist parked out front. Rev your engine. Then zigzag through forests of amber trees. Once-in-a-lifetime sights? Absolutely zero. Selimiye’s natural attractions include waterfalls, honey hives and windmills spinning in the breeze.
Dirsek Bükü
7
Wake up in yachting heaven. Dirsek Bükü is an Instagram-perfect cove, which curves like the letter ‘C’ around an aquamarine sea. A single beach shack serves grilled squid and Turkish tea. Electricity and asphalt roads still haven’t arrived. Still too modern? Your yacht will position between Koca Island and Kameriye Island. Here there are only wild goats, blue sea and an abandoned monastery.
Oğlan Boğuldu Bay
8
In Oğlan Boğuldu Bay there’s absolutely nothing to do. Unless you count cliff diving, dolphin spotting and dozing on a sunpad with smoothies on tap. It’s a bay for charter guests who prefer the 19th century to the 21st. Need an adrenaline shot? Reposition to Sogut Island. Your crew will host a round-the-island paddleboard race. A support RIB will ensure no one cheats.
Bozburun
9
Today you’ll wake up in Bozruburn, Turkey’s most elegant bay. Sip fresh pressed juice in a hammock, while Bob Dylan shuffles on Spotify. Refreshed? Dive headlong into the Bozburun Bay. A 10-minute swim brings you to Yesil Ada; an uninhabited islet where your crew are serving shrimp summer rolls under parasols.
Datca Kargi Bay
10
Another day. Another blue bay. Three things that make Kargi Bay magic? The wide sweep of calm water for kitesurfs. The stream that bubbles under tea-and-backgammon cafés. And the dirt track behind the bay. Take a jeep-safari to 1,000m-high mountains inland. Lunch in a Turkish village. Sample a local winery. Gaze at the Greek Islands, just a few kilometres beyond your anchored yacht.
Bodrum
11
Disembark in Bodrum. But before you leave, enjoy one final tranquil treat. Beyond the souks and street cafés sits a luxury spa with a marble steamroom. Take a Turkish bubble bath followed by a massage and scrub. You’ll arrive refreshed at Bodrum Airport, a 30-minute drive away by luxury SUV.
LET'S CHAT.
Get in touch with one of our teams around the world.
Where you'll find us
Monaco — MC
+377 93 50 12 12London — UK
+44 20 7584 1801Fort Lauderdale — US
+1 954 278 3970Auckland — NZ
+64 9 281 5133Contact us
[email protected]
