Mud, sweat and cheers

Being covered in thick green mud reeking of eggs was not on my original itinerary for a week in Turkey, but I was assured the sulphurous slime would do wonders for my health. I was in Dalyan’s mud baths, reputedly visited by Cleopatra, now hosting dozens of pale-skinned tourists on a day trip from the resort of Turgutreis, on Turkey’s south-west coast.

Sludge-dried by the sun, I was blasted clean with an ice-cold hose and shown to a pool full of naturally heated, albeit translucent brown water. My lower body disappeared from view and, floating around happily, I realised my tour guide, Orhan, was right: I felt glorious.

My group dried off, accepted a fresh cranberry juice and climbed aboard a large, canopied motorboat scattered with cushions to cruise down the Dalyan river towards the Mediterranean, our guide pointing out impressive Lycian tombs carved high into a limestone mountain – originally built around 400BC to house royal sarcophagi.

We passed strange sticks planted into the riverbed, which Orhan explained was an old-fashioned method of fishing from which the town took its name. These “Dalyans” have nets strung between each post and prevent fish such as bream and mullet from swimming out to sea.

Our destination was Itzutu Beach, a pristine, 4.5km strip of bleached sand covered with hundreds of sunloungers. The area can only be reached by river or a winding rural road, as it’s a protected breeding ground for loggerhead turtles. The country’s reptiles became famous during an international campaign to prevent hotel and tourism development encroaching on to the coastline, earning Itzutu the nickname Turtle Beach.

It might seem odd to spend four hours of precious holiday time travelling on a coach from Turgutreis, and many holidaymakers may be dissuaded by the 6am departure time. But the rugged, green mountains, lace-like coast and fields of pomegranates, olive, citrus fruits and cotton provided plenty to admire on the journey.

My home for the week was Xanadu Island on the Bodrum peninsula, a five-star, all-inclusive complex on its own spit of land. It excels at the little touches: a complimentary champagne and cherry juice cocktail on arrival, a bouquet of fresh flowers in the room and bar staff taking drinks orders at your table. From my window was the distant outline of Kos a 40-minute ferry ride away. In the hotel’s Shang-Du spa I passed an enjoyable afternoon having my muscles rubbed and stretched by an expert masseuse. Other treatments include acupuncture, body wraps and – for those in pursuit of extreme decadence – 24-carat gold leaf facials.

There’s a small nightclub, but with only around 50 guests during my stay, it lacked atmosphere. Instead, I sampled the nightlife in Turgutreis, a 15-minute taxi drive that cost around 40 lira. Although it was too early in the season for all the bars to be open, their staff – exclusively talkative young men with impeccable English – were dedicated to having a good time.

In high season, the main strip of pubs and cafés bursts with people, as although Islam forbids alcohol, Turkey’s secular government is quite lenient.

Keen explorers can join organised trips such as the Dalyan excursion, or even strike out alone. If you feel like testing your Turkish, it’s easy to catch the dolmus, a network of extremely cheap, privately run minibuses, and a trip to Bodrum, 45 minutes to the west, costs just five lira each way. It’s a pleasant, tourist-orientated town, with white buildings spread around a curving bay that has two marinas.

But no visit to Turkey would be complete without a hamam, or Turkish bath, where you lie on a hot marble slab before being pummelled by a heavy-set local. At the Hanedan Hamam in Turgutreis I was led downstairs to a Scandinavian-style sauna, where I lay baking in my swimsuit until my lungs were parched. Next it was into the steam room and the marble slab, where the humidity instantly left me drenched.

I was relieved when my masseur – a stocky man wearing just swimming trunks and a towel – came in and threw cold water over my head. The ensuing 15-minute massage was brisk, efficient and borderline painful.

But as my shoulder blades cracked and I was sloshed with yet another bucket of melted ice, I realised it was invigorating rather than relaxing, purposeful and practical: the most direct way to feel completely cleansed.

GETTING THERE

Natalie Bowen was a guest of Thomas Cook Ultimate Style, which offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at the five-star Xanadu Island, near Turgutreis, south-west Turkey, from £776 per person in October from Manchester. Includes five-star accommodation, direct transfers, accommodation based on two adults sharing a courtyard suite. 01844 412 5970 and www.thomascookstyle.com