If you've ever been into a travel agents offering holidays to Turkey then you've probably seen pictures of Oludeniz. Second only to the Istanbul skyline, the lagoon features on a multitude of posters, postcards and brochure pages. It's not surprising as the characteristic shape of the coastline here has resulted in a unique bit of beach. It actually is gorgeous and the inevitable development of the little village (I think there was one here once) has been fairly restrained. A couple of years ago there were more building sites than sun loungers within 10km of the lagoon but everything seems to be settling down now and it's still a very nice place to be.

Here's a photo I took from the front seat of a tandem paraglider, more on that later. The colours don't look real and it gets even crazier when you're there. 'The gem of the Turquoise Coast'? It's as close to Turquoise as I've ever seen. Practicalities? A range of places to stay, drink and eat. Nothing really top end here, which doesn't do the place any harm. The usual crowd is a mix of independent travellers and package folk who've come for a good time. It has to be said that it's busy as hell in the summer. That's not necessarily a bad thing. A crowd can make for a good time and the beaches, both the free expanse in front of the town and the nearly free bit around the lagoon have a fairly high capacity. You can swim from May onwards with little hardship but take some thongs 'cos it's a little pebbly in places. You might find accommodation a little tricky during high season but if your packaging it, as most people here are, then you're sorted and there are enough low end rooms and camp sites to make it feasible to come through on a whim.
You wont find the opportunities for clubbing that are available in Bodrum and Marmaris but you can always do that at home.
This area of Turkey has loads of stuff to see and do and it's a shame not to get off the beach. The paraglide has to be one of the biggest pulls and it's a bit special.

To get to Oludeniz you'll need to get to Fethiye, that's fairly easy from most cities and towns in Turkey. If your travelling the south coast then you'll find services west from Kas and east from Marmaris and Dalyan. The bus station in Fethiye is served by Pamukkale, Metro and Kamil Koc, all reputable companies who'll probably get you there in one piece.

Once in Fethiye Oludeniz is no problem. If you walk out of the bus station through the entrance the bus used to get in you can flag down a Dolmus or minibus that will get you there for a minimal outlay, just make sure you pay what everybody else does. Not usually a problem and the tariff is displayed in each vehicle.

Planes
If you're flying into Dalaman without the aid of a tour rep to get you where you're going you'll need to get from the airport to the Dalaman bus station but from then on its a little bus all the way. No big hassles.

Oludeniz Links:

• Efteyta - Bestest boat trips from Oludeniz

• Fly-Inn Cafe - Paragliding hang out with good food.

• Activities Unlimited - Can help get you into the air