Recommendations for stops along Turkish coast Antalya to Izmir?
 

Hi all - seeking your expert advice for a family trip with middle aged parents to see the very beautiful Turkish coast!

We have an itinerary mainly set, with Cappadocia at the beginning, and Istanbul at the end, and are renting a car to drive from Antalya to Izmir over several days.

Any recommendations for where to stay that offer a good mix of nice scenery, activities, food -- and maybe not a total party scene (I think, for my parents)?

Another thing I'm trying to optimize for is not to be lumped in with the clueless, overspending, just-there-for-the-beach/clubs/marina tourist crowd eating the set menu. A small charming town off the beaten path would be better -- but at this point we're getting constrained by dates and availability (end-Sep) and can't be too discriminating.

We're probably looking at 1 night in Kas to try to do a boat trip to Kekova Island. I looked at Bodrum and Marmaris, but I have the feeling those are party towns... We have 2 nights in Izmir to end the drive (as a base to explore around there).

What would you suggest, any recommendations for 2-3 nights in the middle?

Thanks!

When are you traveling? The travel month is important in your case.

Bodrum is interesting, but you want to stay away from the "party" areas, specifically there's a big nightclub at one end of the port that's notorious for noise and crowds. There are resort compounds out of town or a couple interesting smaller independent or boutique hotels in quiet neighborhoods above the port, but within (energetic) walking distance of the port and downtown areas.

There's an old castle, some historic mosques, a market, some windmills, a boardwalk, and a "yacht club."

Thanks! We are traveling next week :)

You could visit the historic sites near Demre and Olympos while at Kaş. Kekova is also a nice idea.

Just after Kaş, you may want to stop at Fethiye and visit the Kayaköy Archeological site and look at the scenery at Ölüdeniz.
Maybe a night or two at Göçek and take a yacht tour ( private would be better, but you could also take a scheduled tour ) and swim in one of the most beautiful bays in the world.

You could take a private boat tour in Dalyan and visit the Kaunos Archeological Site.

Marmaris would be a resort destination so not worth visiting in your case unless you want to visit the small touristic places over there.

Instead, Akyaka may be a peaceful place to stay for a night.

Bodrum would be nice for a night to visit the Bodrum Castle & Archeology Museum that has recently reopened from renovation also unless you visit tourist scam beach clubs Bodrum could be really affordable. Maybe a day trip from Bodrum to Kos ( Greece ) may sound interesting to you.

On the way north, Milet and Aphrodisias ( a detour definitely worth ) would also be great places to visit in terms of culture.

The Ephesus area is also one of the destinations you might consider to visit.

For hotels, you could always write which hotels that you intend to book and I could say if it's worth it. I am not an expert in the hotels in the Aegean/Mediterranean region.
If you need further information, please don't hesitate to send me a PM

Enjoy your stay in Turkey.

Thank you so much for the suggestions!