The coast from Kas round to Antalya is one of our favourite stretches in all the Mediterranean. Forested mountains tumble down to a rugged coastline dotted with sandy bays, tiny islands, oleander-lined rivers, ruined Lycian towns and a smattering of more modern resorts. Throughout, the sea is the brightest blue imaginable, and among the cleanest too (dolphins, loggerhead turtles and underwater phosphorence thrive here).
We love the healthy food too - juicy tomatoes and olives, fresh-grilled fish and calamari, tasty aubergine 'salads', giant pancakes crumbled with feta and fresh-picked herbs - all prepared by smiling scarfed ladies while you watch. Wash that down with a tiny cup of thick coffee and a slice of syrupy kadaifi... and that afternoon swim can wait a while.
Lots of people choose to explore by gulet, a traditional wooden boat now sadly powered by diesel engines, but which does allow you to reach the coves which mere drivers cannot. Or you can hike: the 500km Lycian Way stretches from Fethiye to Antalya, and some of the most spectacular bits are here: the empty pine-fringed beaches between Cirali and Tekirova, the lunar heights of Mt. Tahtali (Lycian Mt. Olympos), the flowering meadows around Gedelme, the limestone river canyon of Goynuk.
Antalya is a handy hub, served by numerous charter flights and a few scheduled airilnes too. Finish off with a couple of days in its pretty Kaleici (old town) - whose pedestrianised lanes are lined with carpet boutiques, loukoum stalls, umbrellas of bougainvillea, and open-air wine bars - and you've got a wonderful ready-made beach-and-culture holiday.