Having just returned from a holiday in Yalikavak staying at the beautiful Yalikavak Holiday Gardens (formerly Hillview Gardens) I thought I would share some of my experiences of the town and especially the shopping tips as I do love to shop!
Yalikavak has undergone some changes since we visited last year but it is still full of wonderful character with traditional cafes and restaurants with an unspoilt ambiance. There are also still plenty small tourist shops selling the usual wares and you can often find something different amongst them to take home. A couple of clothes shop selling ‘ designer fakes’ and some original – you soon know by the price! Another little gem is the silver shops, they have some unusual and very pretty pieces of jewelry and it’s all priced by weight and it is good quality as it’s all registered to the Silversmiths of Turkey.
There is a new square known as ‘Ataturk Square’ where there was a car park last year now it’s a large car free area with seating to relax or you can or visit the fabulous bakery ‘Kofrez’ for Cay (tea) and cakes or pick up fresh bread, apple pies, baklava or other sweet cakes; everything they bake is delicious! There is also a traditional locanta on the square who makes fresh Turkish food daily and it’s very nice too!
If you want to buy some glasses the optician on the square is very reasonably prices compared to the UK for those designer glasses. I bought some prescription sunglasses which were ready in a day, the service was excellent. Eye tests can be done there or you can take your prescription along!
Market day is Thursday in Yalikavak and Tuesday in Bodrum great places for designer fakes. However, if like me you want to get to the ‘real shops’ you can see where I shopped below. I can assure you I was not disappointed with the market in Yalikavak, having bought clothing, linens, shoes, baby clothes and some household stuff amongst a load of other things that will come in handy or were simply just a bargain.
Packing to go home was fun although I knew I wanted to shop so I made allowance for this by packing light! Once I got home I was still delighted with my buys had no regrets as I felt the quality and price was good.
One major tip – TRY everything on as the sizes can vary drastically.
The new Palmarina is super for browsing around the shops then stop for coffee at the numerous cafes and restaurants. It’s a fabulous place to spend a couple of hours. Don’t forget to check out ‘Mudo’ they have some clothing and house wares all reasonably priced and there are some really unusual pieces that you wouldn’t find in the UK.
Going further afield to shop you need to head towards Bodrum. If you don’t have a car take the dolmus to Ortakent and you will find here a huge Kipa supermarket, then Midtown Shopping Mall where there is a huge Carrefour. The mall is new and a haven for electronics, clothing and shoes. Try Bimek for electronics; English House, Boyner, Aeropostle, Zara, Lc Waikiki, Mudo for clothing and shoes to name but a few and there is even a Marks and Spencer. Again all good quality stuff and lots of items just screaming out to be bought (which I had to do!)
Next stop is Konacik; if you are on a dolmus asked to be dropped off at LC Waikiki. There are 3 floors of clothing for men, women and children, all very good quality. Next to them is Fatih, Koton, Collierzone, Adidas and a couple of linen shops all of which are reasonably priced.
A new Mall called ‘Avenue Bodrum’ has just opened before Oasis Shapping Mall however I cannot give a review as I didn’t go into but it seems to be very similar to Midtown with possibly a few more designer ofeerings.
Last but not least is the open air Oasis Shopping Mall that has a huge number of shops such as Polo, Garage, Mavi, Aqua, Loft, LTB, Nike, Baby shops and a whole lot more. A fabulous food court split in two. Upstairs is fast food, downstairs you find hidden gems of Turkish cuisine and a Chinese restaurant! There is a cinema, which is slightly different to UK as they have a break in the film so you can go and have a snack and drinks, there is also an open-air concert area where there are shows during the summer evenings.
All the malls have ample parking and air conditioning to make shopping more relaxing and comfortable.
Bodrum is also great for shopping and you can find anything and everything in the town with its 100s of shops selling everything you can possible think of from shoes, handbags, clothing and leather shops.
View our selection of holiday homes on the Bodrum Peninsula and experience the fabulous shopping facilities on offer for yourself.
