Questions frequently asked by visitors and answers frequently given by locals:
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Q: How can I transfer from the airport to [Insert Hotel or District Name], should I take a Taxi?
A: From airport, taxi will cost an arm and a leg so unless money is not an issue or there is a necessity don’t take a taxi from the airport. There are paid busses that will take you first to the new bus station just outside the city and from there to the old station where you can take minibuses to every district on the peninsula, it’s the central hub for public transport. Same route applies for going to the airport but in reverse obviously.
There are also private transfer services, if you’re willing to spend money for transfer these are better than taxis, expensive yes but more reliable since you’ll know what you’re paying beforehand.
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Q: Any places to go shopping?
A: Avenue, Midtown, Oasis, Bodrum and Yalıkavak Marina; here, you'll find local and global brand stores, prefer these places if you want to avoid knockoff products.
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Q: Affordable beach clubs/bars/restaurants etc.?
A: There is no such thing as affordable in Bodrum. There are three levels of prices; 1- normalized expensiveness, 2-tourist traps, 3-venues that İstanbul socialites frequent.
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Q: Recommendations then?
A: 90% of the places are seasonal tourist traps and the rest are non-seasonal, they are open all year round. In general, global brands like McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks etc. are a safe bet, neither cheap nor great but at the very least they have a level of standard and won’t give you food poisoning or try to scam you.
Other than that, there are only a handful of places that the locals frequent that have reasonable prices with trustworthy management.
Some that comes to mind:
Restaurants – Körfez, Arka Pizza, Gemibaşı, Musto, Chinese Inn, Eski Köy
Bars – Kule Rock City, Körfez Bar, Mandalin, Eskici Black
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Q: How about beach clubs?
A: All of them are expensive, the ones in Türkbükü and Yalıkavak are İstanbul Socialite level expensive, try to stick to your hotels beach and if not available pubs/restaurants on the shores put down sunbeds in the morning, most of them are decent enough.
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Q: How to decide which pub/restaurant/bar to go in?
A: Doorman at the entrance trying to persuade you to come in is an immediate red light, try to avoid these, especially the insistent ones. Beside that, level of occupancy is generally a good indicator, if it’s mostly empty there is probably a good reason for it.
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Q: What's the best time of the year to visit Bodrum?
A: June-July-August is high season; it will be hot, expensive and crowded during summer months, prefer these months only if you want to experience the city while everything is in high gear and full throttle. If you want a more chill experience, from end of April to end of May and from September to mid October will be a better choice, weather is more mellow but still ok for swimming and city is not too crowded.
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Q: Is Bodrum and/or Türkiye safe?
A: Depends on the circumstances ^^ Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.
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I’ll keep adding to this as needed, recommendations are welcome.
