First of all, let's
pronounce it right. Koo-SHAH-dah-suh. Not that hard is it?
Kus means bird and Ada(si) means Island.... Bird Island.
Before long the locals will think that you actually know
what you're talking about.
Kusadasi was a little fishing and farming village before the
Turkish tourism boom of the 1980's transformed it into a
bustling harbour town, with deep water mooring for cruise
ships. When the ships are in.... This Place Rocks! Come to
think of it, even when they're not.... This Place Rocks!
There's a 16th century castle, that was once used by pirates and now is a
beautiful park area with great views of the coast. This
castle is on Pigeon Island .... (get it, Bird Island) ....
and can be walked to from the hostel in about 4 mins.
There's also a Caravanserai in the old town.
Kusadasi is perfectly situated to do some local exploring of
ancient and wonderful sites. Ephesus, Holy Mary's House and
the Temple of Artemis is a mere 15 minutes up the road to
the north and Priene, Miletus and Didyma to the south.
There's awesome beaches all around and the beautiful Dilek
National Park at Güzelcamli only 25 minutes away. Why not
jump on a ferry and have a look at the famous Greek Island
of Samos? It takes an hour and a half to get to and a day
trip is well worth the time. If you like, you can continue
on your way from Samos, through the Greek Islands, over to
Greece.
What else is there to do? Where do I start! Daily boat cruises, excellent
diving , snorkeling, water skiing, trekking tours,
paragliding, jeep safaris, horse safaris, open air markets,
outdoor activites and the three leading aqua parks in Turkey,
which are the biggest ones in Europe.
Of course you can always just hang around the pool and soak
up some rays.
