Things To Do in Kemer

As locations go, this bar has nabbed a good one – the place is a little way from the main resort, in the shade of a pine wood and practically on the beach. It’s certainly a pretty good spot for a pre-dinner cocktail on the decked terrace. Make the most of it, though, as they’re only open during the afternoon and early evening.

Fireworks, folk concerts and dance shows – you can’t ask much more of a festival really. This one has been going for around a decade, so the locals really know what they’re doing. In fact, the whole event is such good fun, performers from all over the world come here to get in on the party.

Kemer comes alive at night. Most of the action is on the main street – Deniz Caddesi – where you’ve got everything from sports bars to places that put on Turkish folk bands. The resort is pretty big on clubs, too. Around here, many of them are open-air numbers where you can dance to international DJs under the stars.

If you fancy sampling some of the local Turkish food, you’ve got plenty of options. There are eateries on the main street, along the seafront and at the marina – which is where you’ll find the upscale restaurants. Here, there’s even a traditional Bedouin tent, decked out with kilim rugs. Wherever you’re dining, though, try the gozleme – a stuffed flatbread – and pides, a kind of Turkish pizza.

Whichever of Kemer’s two beaches you choose, both come with a raft of watersports. You can try diving and snorkelling, as well as jet-skiing, waterskiing, parasailing and banana boats. And talking of boats – if you’ve got the bug, you can take a charter trip out sea fishing, or hire one yourself to explore the secluded sandy bays along the coast.

Olympos National Park is carpeted with pines and cedars as far as the eye can see. You can get to it from Kemer in about 20 minutes. And if you make for the village of Beycik, you can take a cable car from here up to the top – a vertigo-inducing 2,365 metres above sea level. Not surprisingly, the view’s rather good.

This restaurant has a ring-side seat for people-watching – it’s set on the corner of a main pedestrian street. Food wise, the place serves up a mixed menu that takes in salads, pizzas and grills – though the steak in cream and mushroom sauce seems to be a particularly popular choice.