Ilıca Beach

Ilıca means hot spring, and the name is literal: geothermal water rises through the seabed in the bay, so parts of the shallows run noticeably warmer than the surrounding sea and the swimming season stretches later into autumn than elsewhere on the coast. The beach itself is a long crescent of fine white sand with water that stays shallow a long way out, which makes it the standard family beach of the peninsula. Behind it is a resort strip of hotels, several of them thermal spas using the same springs, along with restaurants and beach clubs that fence off stretches of sand and charge for loungers. There are free public sections. The bay is calmer than the windsurfing beaches to the south, which is the point of it. In August it fills completely with İzmir and Istanbul holidaymakers; in May and October it is broad, warm and comparatively empty.

What you actually see

• The warm shallows - thermal water rising through the seabed.
• The white crescent - the long shallow-shelving bay.
• The thermal hotels - spas along the strip behind.
• The beach clubs - fenced sections with loungers for hire.

When to go

May to June and September to October; the thermal water makes late-season swimming comfortable. August is crowded and expensive.

Honest expectations

Much of the sand is taken by paying beach clubs - the free public sections are smaller and busier. It is shallow, which suits families and frustrates swimmers. Summer parking is difficult.

Nearby

Çeşme and its castle are five kilometres west; Alaçatı is a short drive inland.