History
It is thought that the first settlement in Marmaris, whose history dates back to 3400 BC, began with the arrival of a tribe to the region, whose leader was called Kar. The area was then called Karla after him, and its location around the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas always made it an appealing region.
Suleyman the Magnificent assembled a force of 200,000 in 1522, whilst launching the siege of the Knights of St John's base in Rhodes (Rodos). Soon afterwards, he made the city more powerful with the rebuilding of the tiny castle overlooking the town. Lord Nelson and his entire fleet sheltered in the harbour in 1798, en route to Egypt to defeat Napoleon's armada at the Battle of Aboukir.
Marmaris therefore became a place where different civilisations reigned over time, and there is architectural and historical evidence of Egyptian, Asdur, Ion, Dor, Persian, Macedonian, Syrian, Roman, Byzantium, Seljuk and Ottoman presence.
Once a sleepy fishing village, Marmaris has ballooned into one of the largest resorts on the Aegean coast, if not Turkey. Little of its history remains, as the town is now a modern development with tourism at its heart and soul. The population swells to a massive 200,000 in the summer, with most hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and shops catering to low-cost package holidays, although there are facilities for all budgets.
Despite the development which reaches around 10km along the west of the bay, Marmaris is also well-known for its expanse of green, present the whole year round thanks to the pine-covered hills which surround the town. There are many beaches around the bay, and there are ancient cities and seaside villages close by for day trips. The yacht harbour is the biggest and newest in Turkey, and therefore the busiest charter port especially for trips along the Turquoise Coast.
In addition to the climate, beaches and facilities of the town, the transportation infrastructure is a definite plus for attracting visitors. It has easy connections to the nearby airport Dalaman, ferries to Rhodes, and on the road to Datca and Fethiye. The harbour has attracted private boats from around the world, with yacht maintenance and production in the workshops on the Yalanci Strait. With the climate being comfortable even in winter, and the nearby impressive mountains and pine forests, Marmaris is likely to remain a popular and practical holiday spot for a long time
What our clients say!
Dear Necmi
We did want to thank you for all the arrangements. We found the booking process very efficient and the information provided very extensive. The boat was very well equipped and everything worked well. We didn't experience any problems. Your staff in Fethiye was very professional and helpful. I will be highly recommending your company to friends and colleagues. The Ece marina facilities were excellent as well.
Tijen Taraf
England
29.07.2005
tijen.tara[at]fubs.comOur charter from was 24/5 until 7/6 2014 from Marmaris for two weeks. We were group of ten, from Australia and New Zealand. I started to communicate with Necmi from Boating Turkey some months before the charter and found him to be most helpful from the start. Organising a trip like this for a group is disconcerting to say the least but Necmi helped to make it much easier by responding immediately to any questions I had. His helpful suggestions including wonderful Turkish wines were most welcome.
Our charter was onboard the "Azra Deniz" a 26 meter gulet complete with a crew of 3. She was not a five star but very comfortable in every way. The crew were sensational, the skipper, the chef and our ever smiling deckhand were always helpful and our itinerary included some of the wonderful villages, coves and historic sites of Turquoise Coast. We also has a visit to Simi in Greece which we all enjoyed. The weather was very kind to us, so there was plenty of swimming, canoeing and sunbathing, lots of time for relaxation as well. Each night we would decide on where we would go the next day and what we would do but most of the time we followed our skipper's suggestions, he really ensured we has quite diverse experiences both in scenery and activities.
Our chef constantly prepared the most amazing meals, to good in fact as the waistlines slowly expanded! We were just amazed at his skills.
Our group had the most wonderful holiday, our crew certainly made a major contribution to this. The coast of Turkey is exquisite and its people are so warm and friendly and the food and wine superb.
Necmi came to meet us when we arrived on the boat in Marmaris and we appreciated that he did. He drove down from Bodrum. He really knows his bussiness and that is so important when you are organising travel plans from so far away.
Thank you so much for your help Necmi.
We all had an amazing time one one will remember for a long time to come.
Jane Burgess
27 Flooded Gum Place
Black Mountain
Cooroy
Queensland 4563
Australia
27 June 2014
drumsara[at]me.com
Dear Necmi and Rusen,
Thank you again for your assistance in planning our Turkish gulet trip. I highly recommend Boating Turkey for anyone considering a gulet charter trip in Turkey. When I first began reaching out to brokers, I was connected to Eastern European agencies who could not answer very basic questions about the boats or the itineraries. When I found Boating Turkey, and began to work with Necmi, I was delighted to learn that the brokerage is based in Bodrum. They are intimately involved with the local gulet business, and were extremely helpful in planning our trip. Necmi was able to provide several gulet options for our group of 16. Once we decided on the Ametist A, Necmi and Rusen were always quick to respond and helpful in making changes and additions per our needs.
Upon our arrival in Bodrum, Rusen was on the boat to greet us. He stayed for a couple of hours to make sure that everything was ready prior to our departure. We made last minute changes to catering and water toys for the week, and Rusen was happy to help with the logistics. He seemed genuinely reluctant to leave until he was assured the crew was ready to leave and we had everything we needed.
As for the boat and crew, we could not have been happier. Captain Recep was well attuned to our wishes, and constantly found beautiful, secluded and protected coves for swimming, hiking ashore, and relaxing in the peaceful surroundings. We marveled at his ability to park a beamy 27 foot boat in a 25 foot wide space at the dock. Chef Suleyman earned a round of applause at every meal. It was unreal how he could produce such varied and plentiful meals from such a small space. Basar, Ismail, and Olgun were excellent deck hands who quickly learned our likes and thoughtfully attended to all of our needs. The week would not have been the same without such an outstanding crew.
Thank you again to Necmi and Rusen for helping us put together a truly wonderful vacation. We can't wait to get back!
Steve Stone
Peachtree City, GA. USA
sstone123[at]gmail.com
I'd like to thank Boating Turkey and Necmi in particular!
It happens very rarely when I'm completely satisfied with the services offered, but this was the case.
In the beginning of may 2008 I was getting completely annoyed with constant delays and misinformation after numerous attempts to charter a catamaran via Russian or Greek companies. It was then I found Boating Turkey website, which straight away proved to be well laid-out and informative. So I sent a request for a catamaran charter and expected to wait another week or two for a reply, the usual time for the other companies. Imagine my surprise when 3 hours later I got my reply! One week later our holiday was fully booked and paid for.
I was very pleased with this punctuality and thoughtfulness. I felt like I was talking to a friend rather than a company that's trying to sell me something. Another advantage of Boating Turkey was a very detailed contract, with no hidden costs, everything laid out clearly (apparently this happens very rarely).
Our first charter with Boating Turkey was on board Lavezzi 40 catamaran, my husband and I, accompanied by a Turkish skipper Umit. Turkey, weather, wind - everything was great. Umit showed us a lot of beautiful little places which we would have never found ourselves.
Our next charter was with a larger crew of 6 people, with a skipper named Hans. This trip was even better than the 1st, it was a perfect mix of active sailing, chilling in the little deserted bays, practicing various maneuvers on a catamaran, and discovering places of cultural interest. Hans impressed us with his complete knowledge of sailing and Turkey in particular, as well as his great sense of humor.
About us: we are a married couple in our early fifties, my husband got his RYA Dayskipper qualification last year, I completed a RYA Competent Crew course. We decided to charter a few boats first with the skipper to feel completely confident when we charter the boat for ourselves.
I'd like to thank Boating Turkey, and Necmi, Umit and Hans in particular for a great time we've spent this summer! We hope to work with Boating Turkey again in the future!
Tinatin and Alexey
Russia
tinatin58[at]yandex.ru 
