The Flora Hotel , Koycegiz

Koycegiz is an important market town an administrative centre. The nearest airport is at Dalaman, about 35 km ( 22 miles ) away.

The Flora Hotel is a clean and welcoming family run hotel, situated on the edge of Lake Koycegiz , a large and beautiful fresh water lake. There are 16 rooms, largely double or twin but there are 2 family (3 bedded) rooms. All rooms have an en-suite facilities and a small balcony. Many have a view of the lake from the balcony. There is a small and friendly bar and a very pleasant, shaded terrace where you can eat, drink or just relax with a good book. The food is excellent, made from local produce – the breakfasts are delightful.

The town itself is situated in a large nature reserve, and a lake, ringed by mountains and hills has a magical, ever-changing beauty. Wild life abounds both in and on the lake and in the surrounding countryside. The native fresh water turtle is sometimes seen from the lakeside. It is protected species – the hotel owners are particularly keen protectors of the environment.

What is there to do?

Koycegiz is a quiet town. If you want noise, club 18 – 30 discos and loud music, do not come to Flora. However, Alp, the hotel manager, will organize trips for you, hire a local taxi or a boat and, should you wish, negotiate a self-drive hire car for a day, a week or longer. There is a small tourist information centre in the town which will advice you; among the things to do are:

- Swim in the lake. It is perfectly clean and safe for swimming. In addition, there is a water sports centre about 70 m ( 100 yards ) from the hotel.

- Visit the market. Every Monday the town is given over to an enormous selling cotton goods, bedspreads, tablecloths and ‘designer' clothes. Be prepared to haggle, particularly with the ‘sharper' stallholders.

- Visit the beach. There are two beaches to recommend: Ekincik and Itsuzu. Both are a car or dolmus ride from town.

- Swim in the calm and cool fresh water pools about 1 km out of town.

- Take a boat to Dalyan. Local operators run day trips to Dalyan, across the lake, visiting the Lycean tombs of Kaunos on the way.

- Hire your own boat and visit the Roman thermal baths at Sultanye. Here you can bathe in hot thermal waters, good for rheumatism and a variety of other ailments, buy a meal, a drink or snack and sunbathe overlooking the lake or take a mud bath. This is said to do wonders to your skin. If you hire a boat, you can decide on your own itinerary.

- Walk along the ‘Cordon', a broad foot way running along side the lake taking you to the liquid amber (frankincense) forest and a host of local wild life.

- Take a car up to the Agla Plateau and see even more of the local flora and fauna.

• Tours to Pamukkale en Efes can be organized on request.