Our First Arrival

If you book an all inclusive holiday to the Bodrum Peninsula, chances are it includes the roundtrip ground transportation from the Airport to your hotel/apartment, but sometimes you may have to fend for yourself.  On our first trip to the peninsular we booked a special deal (i.e. cheap!) through Thomas Cook, and it didn’t include the ground transportation.

So after a 24 hour journey from Los Angeles to Heathrow, a transfer to Gatwick, and a 5 hour layover, we finally arrived at Bodrum Airport at 2am, and were wandering aimlessly out of the baggage area, towing our bags behind us in a daze of hunger, thirst and fatigue.

It’s at times like these that you’re vulnerable to local hawkers and chancers eager to make a fast buck out of a flagging tourist — and in many holiday destinations it’s a past-time that’s more popular than football!  But be careful not to judge too hastily.

Mustafa – the taxi driving farmer

Outside the International terminal’s baggage area, you’re greeted by a huddle of taxi drivers touting their wheels-for-hire.  On this arrival, and each subsequent one, we’ve bumped into Mustafa, a taxi driving farmer, who has a great command of English; displays his taxi rates on a clip board; and is always very helpful and never pushy.

On our first arrival, he could have swept in for the kill, wrestled our bags from our limp clutches and bundled us in a cab before we’d had a chance to utter “Dur”.  But instead, he escorted us over to a group of shuttle buses, and tracked down one that was destined for Bodrum, then made sure we got aboard safely, all bags stowed.

This cheaper shuttle option ended up taking us on an early morning tour of Güvercinlik and Torba hotels as we dropped off other holiday-makers, and just when we were starting to wonder if we’d been highjacked for a life of servitude – we finally arrived at our Bodrum hotel.

The next time we arrived at Bodrum Airport, Red and I arrived on separate flights.  Mustafa helped Red pass the time until I arrived, with instructions on the step by step process he followed to cure the olives he collects from his small-holding.  Email addresses were swapped, and although we’ve never used Mustafa’s taxi service, he sends us a “Happy New Year” email each year, and remembers our names when he sees us.

Ground Transportation Options

Taxi Cabs are the most expensive option from Bodrum Airport – but sometimes you just want to get to where you want to go, quickly, and it’s the best option.  But it’s not the only option.

So how can you get from the Airport to your Bodrum Peninsula destination?

1. Havaş Shuttle service from the Domestic Terminal
2. Other Shuttle Services
3. Airport Taxi
4. Car Hire
5. Get a friend to pick you up!

This article is the first in a series of posts about arriving at Bodrum Airport and getting to your Bodrum Peninsula destination.  As the content is published, these 5 links above will become active.

© Feature Photo from Bodrum Airport Taxi

© Curing Olives sourced from Ruthieki on Flickr