Fethiye is an ideal place to spend two nights or more to make excursions into the region, one day for the town itself, another day with the heartbreaking ghost village of Kaya and the stunningly beautiful Ölüdeniz which is ideal for swimming outside summer season (and if you don't mind the heavy crowd, in summer, too).
Fethiye may not appear as the ideal place for beach time, but don't give up to quickly. Çaliş, 5 km north, has a 2 km long beach. The place is very nice with views across to islands, but water can become murky in summer. This time of year, it also gets very crowded.
Gemiler, 20 km south, is reached by a passable unsurfaced road. It is very off the beaten track, but does have simple services like sunbeds for hire and basic snack bars. Here too, water tends to become murky in summer.
There are boat trips to several of the islands here, the Gemile Adasi, offshore Gemiler, is very popular. It even has fine historical remains.
