As many a foreigner will have noticed, Turks like to lay out on sunbeds. As a Californian native who grew up on the beach, I must confess we never used sunbeds. In fact, there wasn’t a sunbed to be found along the Pacific Coast in Los Angeles when I was growing up. We used to just lay our towels down on the sand. That being said, there also weren’t hotels and beach clubs scattering the shore and offering food and beverages delivered to your sunbed.
But alas here in Türkiye, most beaches are lined with beach clubs and most Turks prefer to lie out on sunbeds. However, they do tend to come at a cost and sometimes the whole ordeal of securing a sunbed in Türkiye can be confusing. First of all, it is safer to assume that if you lie out on an establishment’s sunbeds, you may be charged a set price just for inhabiting one. The cost is not regulated, so every venue has its own pricing policy. Sometimes, you are asked to pay a fee of TL 100 ($5.50) for just using the bed for example, while at other times, customers are requested to simply spend the equivalent on food and drink. As each beach club can make its own rules, just make sure to clarify the pricing policy on sunbeds and be forewarned that the more upscale the beach club, the higher the fee.
Another conundrum for some here in Türkiye is that some venues designate special areas for their hotel guests or will reserve sunbeds for regulars. Some Turkish beachgoers will also set up their sunbeds early to claim the ideal spot and then they will return hours later to actually lie out. What this means for the layman is that in many cases, sunbeds in prime locations will be off limits for use by others and for much of the time will remain uninhabited by those who staked them out to begin with. Sometimes there is a way to get out of paying for laying on a sunbed and that is to eat a snack or have a beverage at a table at a beach club. I have never heard of a charge being issued for occupying a table if you sit as a customer and most beaches are public access so you can just jump in and swim and forego the lounger.
Turks like to shower immediately after they swim in salt water and so you can safely assume that every establishment on a beach will have an outdoor shower. Turks also like to change their bathing suits after every swim, so hanging out at a beach club can be like a summer season fashion show and the sunbeds and umbrellas can be used to hang up drying bathing suits.
The world’s original towel, the thin “peştamel” has served the test of time and remains, in my opinion, to be the best summer accessory there ever was. Lightweight, decorative and multi-functional, the peştamel serves as both a towel and a wrap and they just make great sense so I highly advise having one. Plus, in general, beach clubs do not offer towel services so you may be left to dry out in the cold if you don’t bring along a towel.
While Türkiye's street food culture is famed for its diversity, there are also a number of special snacks that are specially offered by street vendors on beaches. The most likely contenders are shelled green almonds, corn on the cob and mussels stuffed with rice. Turks adore watermelon in summer so don’t be surprised if you are served a plate of fruit at a Turkish breakfast. There is also a tradition of afternoon tea and cake, which in some cases is served complimentary to hotel guests. And last but certainly not least is that Turks love their “tavla,” i.e. backgammon and most beach clubs will have multiple sets on board for customers to borrow. Don’t be surprised if a sunbed suddenly turns into a game station because playing backgammon is one of the Turk’s favorite past times to while away the day.
Many visitors to Türkiye will have noticed that stand-up paddling is fast becoming another popular pastime. So much so, that this year there will be a long-distance SUP paddling race taking place in Bodrum on Saturday, Aug. 27. This race, free to participate in, will have contenders competing on inflatable stand-up paddle boards from Kadıkalesi to the Turgutreis marina, which will be hosting a three-day sea festival. Called “Cupisalimmi,” in addition to the SUP competition, the festival will also have sailing, sea golf, barbeques and DJ music throughout the weekend.
Starting this Thursday, Aug. 18 and running through the weekend to Sunday, Aug. 21, the Aegean Island of Gökçeada, formerly Imvros, will be hosting Imvrosfest, a festival focusing on translation, music and dance. First held in 2018 and organized by Translation Village, there will be three translation workshops and 10 different music and dance workshops held over the weekend in addition to live musical performances. Dances such as Balfolk, traditional Black Sea folkloric dance, Greek dance and Balkan dances to name a few will be taught over the weekend, while participants of the festival are individuals involved in translation work.
