Vacationing waaaay off the beaten track

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We got back from Turkey last week.  It turned out to be a very nice break, along with seeing some good friends I have not seen in over 8 years.  However, it got me wondering......

Our trip was 4 days in Istanbul (3 full days) and 10 in a small town called Mesudiye, which is on the Datca peninsula in Turkey.  The peninsula juts out into the sea, Mediterranean on one side, Aegean on the other.  The guest house we stayed in only had about 20 rooms, and was very well run.  I think our entire stay cost about $1000 there, which included breakfast.  While it wasn't directly on the sea, it was about a 100 yard walk.  On the road along the sea, there were a plethora of restaurants and other guest houses, which gave beach access.  We pretty much hung out at a single place, where we ate lunch and dinner there most nights.  I think our tab at the end of the stay was under $100 for all meals and drinks.  In all, fairly cheap for a beach stay.

It turned out to be a nice, relaxing vacation where there is absolutely NO WAY I'd have known about this place but for my Turkish friends.  We were the only Americans in the vicinity, and there were a few Europeans but the vast majority were Turkish.  It is very much off the beaten track (unlike Kucadasi which is overrun with hoards of cruise passengers).  If I needed to get away for this type of vacation, I'd probably go again now that I know about it.  It is kind of a pain in the ass to get to, requiring an hour flight from Istanbul and renting a car to drive from Dalaman to Datca, (about 2 hours) and then on to Mesudiye.  The drive from Datca to Mesudiye was about 30 min, on mountain roads with a lot of switchbacks.  

We went to the archaeological site Knidos one day and that trip was a little hair raising.  There were some drops off of very narrow roads that made my stomach sink (and I usually have no issues with heights).   TD called it the 'World's largest jigsaw puzzle', and it was.  In excavating, they had placed the pieces found on acres of ground, just like you would pieces of a jigsaw puzzle you are trying to put together.  

So it got me to thinking about how many other gems are there out there like this that are hidden, only known by locals?  And how do you go about finding them?

[Tennesseer]

I cannot refer you to any sites but have you thought about seeking out message boards where unusual travel destinations might be discussed?

[plugginaway22]

We experienced something similar on Naxos, a Greek island with no cruise ships. Gorgeous beaches, not crowded with tourists. Rented a car and drove all over, stopping at taverns for delicious food. Would love to hear about more of these destinations.

[simser]

I tend to look for where locals vacation. Theres usually the right infrastructure as well as feeling like you really got to the right place. I alwasys say that its the difference between going to San Antonio vs New York City. Both are good, but San An tends to be more of an American destination vs an international destination.

But it takes a lot of work, and also a lot of work to narrow down what you want. If you want something very very secluded, then it's just that much harder because you can't even look where the locals travel.

[Tennesseer]

Saw this article today.  Some of the cities listed are in the U.S.

Maybe one of these cities may be of interest to you.  Or at least a starting point to continue from there to something more interesting.


Stunning alternative cities you’ve never thought to visit but really should

[TheOtherMe]

I found out I enjoyed being in London once I was enjoying the city with people who lived there, some of whom had grown up there.  They knew how to get around and showed me all kinds of places that aren't in the tourist books.

My favorite somewhat hidden place has become more well known.  It's on Cortes Island, BC.  It takes two ferries and a crazy bus ride across an island from one ferry to the next ferry to get there.  

I flew flew from Vancouver to Campbell River and then took the two ferries.  

There are not a lot of places to go on your own on Cortes Island, but they feed you very well at the retreat place.  

I was last there 30 years ago.  I don't know how much technology they have by now, but then there was no television and a pay phone in the main building.

I loved being cut off from the world for a week to be with nature.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Aug 21, 2019 11:11:31 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I found out I enjoyed being in London once I was enjoying the city with people who lived there, some of whom had grown up there.  They knew how to get around and showed me all kinds of places that aren't in the tourist books.

My favorite somewhat hidden place has become more well known.  It's on Cortes Island, BC.  It takes two ferries and a crazy bus ride across an island from one ferry to the next ferry to get there.  

I flew flew from Vancouver to Campbell River and then took the two ferries.  

There are not a lot of places to go on your own on Cortes Island, but they feed you very well at the retreat place.  

I was last there 30 years ago.  I don't know how much technology they have by now, but then there was no television and a pay phone in the main building.

I loved being cut off from the world for a week to be with nature.

This sounds a lot like Salmon Arm, BC.  TD's family had a cabin up there up until about 5 years ago, and they sold it.  It was far enough off the beaten track that unless you knew about this particular settlement (fairly far outside of town), it would be off the radar.  There was no TV, no internet, no phone reception so you are truly off the grid.  One of his aunts does still have a cabin up there (I think) but not sure if they've gotten it back into shape after a recent mudslide.  Last time we were there for a family reunion (we wound up staying in a B&B in Salmon Arm), some of the people had difficulty getting back to Calgary because of forest fires.  

I still miss that damn cabin, but the costs wound up too prohibitive for the family.  I think that the maintenance/costs at the end was running about $6000/family, or nearly $40K/year.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Aug 18, 2019 23:03:34 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Saw this article today.  Some of the cities listed are in the U.S.

Maybe one of these cities may be of interest to you.  Or at least a starting point to continue from there to something more interesting.


Stunning alternative cities you’ve never thought to visit but really should

Thanks for this, Tenn.....

I've hit all of the cities in the US, and a few elsewhere.  Durban was awesome.  Malta now is on my radar for the future.

[Tennesseer]

Aug 21, 2019 11:22:06 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Aug 18, 2019 23:03:34 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Saw this article today.  Some of the cities listed are in the U.S.

Maybe one of these cities may be of interest to you.  Or at least a starting point to continue from there to something more interesting.


Stunning alternative cities you’ve never thought to visit but really should

Thanks for this, Tenn.....

I've hit all of the cities in the US, and a few elsewhere.  Durban was awesome.  Malta now is on my radar for the future.

The poster djAdvocate is thinking of a possible move to Malta in the near future. If he does move sometime soon, and if he still posts here in the future, he would be a good contact for info on Malta.

[TheOtherMe]

The place on Cortes Island has become a healing center.  When I was there, participants could camp in tents.  That is no longer allowed.  

It has internet, satellite, television, phones.  I don't think cell phones work there, but the quaintness is gone.  It's also now outrageously expensive.

I'm glad I got to go there twice for a week each time before it got found.  When I went, the rooms were like dorms.  There were shared rooms in the main house with a shared bath/shower.  Just a few private places, but they were primitive .  I stayed in one of those but I had no electricity or running water.  Had to go to the main house for that.  

I wanted to do a lot of meditating on the beach so it was wonderful.

Now they have built private rooms on the beach.

[Deleted]

I find all the gems through work contacts. I used to travel to Costa Rica, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Dominican often and our local contacts would always take me to the best non touristy places.

I can’t remember the name but in Costa Rica there was a restaurant in Cartago that one side is wide open to to a farm so we had the most delicious food while watching cows graze 15 yards from us. I grew up around cattle and they smell to high heaven and somehow this place didn’t. There wasn’t a tourist to be found anywhere.