Akyaka

Akyaka sits where the pine mountains meet the head of the Gökova gulf, and three things define it. The architecture: the town is built almost entirely in a wooden vernacular developed in the 1970s by the architect Nail Çakırhan, who won an Aga Khan award for it, with carved eaves, timber balconies and whitewash, and building rules have kept the style. The Azmak: a short river fed by springs that emerges cold and glass-clear from the ground and runs a couple of kilometres to the sea, travelled by flat-bottomed boats through overhanging trees with fish and turtles visible on the bottom, lined with fish restaurants. And the wind: a strong reliable afternoon thermal down the gulf that has made the beach one of the main kitesurfing spots in Turkey, with schools along the sand. Akyaka is a Cittaslow member and manages, mostly, to stay smaller and quieter than the coast either side of it.

What you actually see

• The timber architecture - the Çakırhan style across the town.
• The Azmak river - spring water clear to the bed, by boat.
• The kite beach - the afternoon wind and its schools.
• The gulf head - pine mountains meeting the sea.

When to go

May to June and September to October; the wind is most reliable in high summer, which is also when the town is fullest. Winter is quiet and wet.

Honest expectations

The beach is busy and the afternoon wind that draws kiters makes lounging less pleasant. Azmak boat trips are short and priced per boat. August fills the town and prices rise.

Nearby

Sedir Island and the Gökova anchorages are out in the gulf; Muğla old town is inland.