The one-hour travel test: Dalaman in Turkey

You can fly to Dalaman from no less than 22 airports in the UK, an indication of just how significant a transport hub the airport has become as Turkey’s tourism market has opened up. Dalaman serves a string of attractive resorts on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast: Datça, Marmaris, Göcek, Dalyan, Sar?germe, Fethiye, Ölüdeniz, Kalkan and Ka?. For some, the transfer is considerably more than an hour, but there’s still a very attractive coastline that passes the 60-minute test.

Sarigerme
Just 12km from the airport, Sarigerme is a small resort with a beach and a Hilton hotel with golf course – the village is set back from the sea. It’s not particularly upmarket and attracts package holidays, but is pretty good value as a property buy. For €63,000 you could buy a two-bedroom apartment from Romance of Turkey, in a small development of eight units with communal pool.

Dalyan
Some 50 minutes west of the airport is Dalyan, a resort that’s not on the coast at all, but a few miles inland on a river that joins the Koycegiz lake to the sea. The river with its extensive reed beds is a wildlife sanctuary, and the rock tombs of the ancient city of Caunos also draw visitors. And where the river meets the sea is Ituzu beach, one of Turkey’s best and home to the loggerhead turtles. The location suits those who don’t want to be right on the seafront and the compensation is having more elbow room and natural surroundings. Gascoignes is selling this three-bed, two-bathroom villa with private pool, balconies and mountain views for £129,000.

Gocek
For the sailing fraternity, Göcek is the place to be, as it has six marinas, and is the main centre for yachts setting off to cruise the Turquoise Coast. The town doesn’t have a beach as such, but it is situated in a large bay with 12 islands, so if you have a boat – or want to use the water-taxis – there are plenty of beaches and coves to discover. This is one of the most expensive places on Turkey’s southern coast to buy, with a number of villas above the €1m mark. This four-bedroom villa from Spot Blue is just under the €1m mark and is ideal for yacht owners as it is directly on a canal giving access to the marina.

Fethiye
There are few holiday houses available in the older part of Fethiye, which has a small marina, but neighbouring Calis has been a focus for medium scale development and offers many properties right behind the beach. Calis has a big British expat community and you get a lot for your money with apartments starting at £30,000 to £40,000.  A two-bed, one-bathroom apartment at this newly-completed 14-unit development with communal pool near the beach would set you back £54,450.