Altınkum Altınkum is quickly becoming a popular resort in western Turkey 123 kilometers from the city of Aydın. The resort is a popular tourist destination on the Aegean Sea with many beautiful beaches and the ruins of the Ionian city of Didyma (Didim). The most famous of all being the ancient Temple of Apollo. Altınkum is located in Aydın Province between the city of İzmir and the coastal resort of Bodrum - about a 90 minute drive between the two. The Greek Island of Kos is an hour's boat ride away by ferry. Samos is also nearby as well as Rhodes being reasonably accessible. From being a small fishing village the area has developed into a popular tourist area with approximately 5,000 of the population being foreigners (mainly British) who live in Altınkum year-round. The local population are known for their friendliness and openness with crime being virtually non-existent. The name Altınkum means "Golden Sand" and it has 3 beautiful beaches which attract holiday visitors from both Europe and Turkey. The largest of the beaches is the Main Beach, also simply referred to as First Beach, located in the center of Altınkum with restaurants, nightlife and shopping right behind the beach. Along the sides are the smaller beaches - Second and Third Beach. These are much quieter, longer and shallower and therefore have become popular among families with children. By the Third Beach and within walking distance of the city a new Marina has been built and was completed in the summer of 2009. The D-Marin Didim cost 50 million USD and is today Southern Europe's second largest Marina. D-Marin Didim has its own wharf for ferry traffic and customs, a shopping centre and gyms. More 5 star hotels are planned for the marina and a dry dock that provide services to private yachts. Plans for a port for the large cruise ships are in the making at an area of greater depth by the new marina. Altınkum has multiplied in size from the early nineties and today there are not many vacant plots to be found in walking distance from the main beach. It is estimated that Altınkum will continue to grow rapidly and that Altinkum in the future will exceed the current fully-developed resort destinations like Alanya and Antalya as a tourist destination. Yet the price of apartments are still often less than half of those in Alanya. This is expected to increase dramatically as Turkey approaches EU membership. Another factor in Altınkums growing popularity is because it is popular among Turks so the government has eased the credit laws for both Turks and foreigners and more people are now investing in the resort.
Altınkum
