Food, Glorious Food – and Wine!

This is a convenient parking spot to access Kusadasi fortress and town.

Situated on Pidgeon Island and accessed by a man-made causeway, this nicely renovated fortress was built during the Byzantine era as a look-out post. It’s worth poking your head inside to check out the huge whale skeleton that was washed up on Kusadasi beach but, otherwise, the main fun to be had in visiting this fortress is walking around the island’s fortifications for some fantastic coastal views. Considering that there’s no entry fee, it’s really well-maintained and the interpretation boards (in English and Turkish) are worth a read.

There are Turkish baths (hammams) all over the city, many of them built in the traditional style, but this is the oldest in Kusadasi, and one of the oldest in all of Türkiye. Built in 1494 during the Ottoman empire, most of the structure is original which makes it a really cool place for a hammam experience. If you’re a hammam newbie, this is a totally ‘must-do’! And I guarantee it won’t be the last one you try. It’s addictive.
Essentially, the experience involves sitting around in a steamy room until your pores open. You then lie on a marble slab where you’ll get scrubbed from top to toe with a soapy glove until you’re so clean that you squeak before being rinsed off and swathed in towels. You can opt to have a massage afterwards or just relax in the chillout room with a hot apple tea.
At one time, every village had a hammam. It was a public bathhouse where you went to get clean, but it is also served a social function. Like pubs, everyone would gather here to chat about what was going on in their families and in the broader world. Its not uncommon to see groups of near-naked men and women (in separate areas) sitting around in hammams today although, in tourist resorts like Kusadasi, you’re likely to get more privacy.
Book an appointment online.

Return to the car.

If you had to design a perfect traditional Turkish village it should look like Sirince. Built into the gentle slopes of a small hill and surrounded by lush, green vegetation, the narrow, cobbled streets with their tall, whitewashed houses are beautiful to wander around. Traffic is also banned from the centre (the village has ‘protected’ status) so the only pollution on the streets comes from the donkeys!
The town is surrounded by fertile fields and many of the houses have gardens filled with apples, peach and fig trees. It’s no surprise then that the village specialises in producing fruit wines. There are probably more ‘wine bars’ in this small village than in most British towns. There are at least 10 different flavours to try, ranging from blueberry to plum and any of the shops will let you try before you buy. They’re very sweet though and are meant as a dessert wine rather than something to drink with your meal.

Tucked in among the wine bars is this lovely restaurant that serves some of my favourite dishes – stuffed vegetables. Turkish chefs are great at stuffing vegetables with all kind of savoury flavours and here you can get stuffed aubergines, artichokes and peppers, as well as the wonderful stuffed courgette flowers. Some fillings are spicy lamb, others are cheese and spinach. And they’ve got a good selection of vegetable side dishes too including chopped salads, ochra and green beans.
As this is a ‘fruity’ village, they’ve also got a range of fruit juices including mulberry and pomegranate.

This might not be the prettiest of hotels but it’s clean and comfortable and has a fantastic location on the seafront and near to the city’s bars, restaurants and other attractions. There’s also parking next door – another bonus.

Izmir is famous for many Turkish dishes and this is one of the most unusual. You’ll see signs for ‘Sogus’ everywhere you walk but this is the ultimate place to try this street food. It looks like a salad pitta, and it tastes like a pitta with a creamy pate. Maybe I should just leave it at that…
Underneath the crunchy onion, tomatoes and fresh herbs and spices is the secret ingredient – offal. Layers of boiled and thinly sliced brain, intestines and tongue are what gives the ‘sandwich’ that rich and creamy flavour. Buy one, taste it, and don’t think about the ingredients.

Izmir is a noisy, bustling, and friendly city and nowhere is this more apparent than in its huge semi-covered market. Here, you buy almost everything you ever wanted, as well as a bunch of stuff you never realized you needed. People have been shopping here since ancient Greek times, almost 2,500 years ago, and there’s almost 200 traders squashed into these narrow streets.
It’s fun to just walk around and soak up the sights and smells but, if you’ve got a sweet tooth, it’s a good place to try some traditional sweets. Look out for large trays of sticky Turkish delight in all colors of the rainbow, as well as slabs of halva – a kind of fudge made with sesame seed paste and sweetened with honey and dates. You might also see the ‘candyman’ who swirls strings of liquid, coloured, sugar from a large vat onto a stick to make lollipops. Sickly, but quite moorish. There are also plenty of stalls selling ‘chai’ and other soft drinks if you fancy sitting down and doing some people watching.
Note the market is open daily, except Sundays, and closes at 7pm.

This is one of the city’s most important squares, home to City Hall and the colourful tiled Yali Mosque. You can get a photograph here of this pretty, traditional mosque with an enormous apartment block in the background. A great ancient meets modern photo! The very elaborate clock tower that sits in the centre of the square is also very photogenic, particularly at night when it’s lit up.

If you fancy a change from Turkish food, and you aren’t too full of brains and candy, this hip and stylish restaurant does fantastic burgers (try the one with dill and yoghurt), pastas and salads, served with a nice range of craft beers, and local and imported wines.

Return to the hotel.