kemer

Kemer is a made-to-order resort carved from Turkey’s pristine pine-shaded Mediterranean coast 35km (22 miles) southwest of Antalya (map).

Though not as large or elaborate as Mexico’s Cancún, the principle at Kemer (keh-MEHR, pop. 25,000) is the same: pick a favorable seaside location with little habitation and build a modern resort town of white concrete buildings in it.

With virtually nothing to offer in the way of quaint old buildings, photogenic winding streets or archeological ruins, people come to Kemer for sun and sea.

The beaches are mostly of large pebbles and stones, although the ones near the yacht marina and Yörük Parki (an anthropological park with a Turkish nomad theme) are of sand.

Kemer can be a base for exploring nearby sites like Olimpos, Phaselis, Termessos, Perge and Aspendos, but Antalya is more centrally located and, overall, has more to offer.