Bodrum is an enchanting and enjoyable town, an essential stopover on a Bodrum yacht charter. The town has much character, etaining some flavor of the reputation that it gained as a Bohemian outpost when a number of dissident writers and artists were exiled from Istanbul back in the day. The main sight is the Castle of St. Peter, built by the Knights of St. John in 1406, which houses the excellent Hall of Underwater Archaeology, which is one of the best museums of its type in the Mediterranean. It displays finds from wrecks around the coasts dating from the Bronze Age to the Ottoman period.

If your interests are less esoteric, Bodrum is a buzzing town with excellent nightlife (many of the clubs bring in DJs from abroad in the summer months), terrific shopping – both in upscale boutiques and in the bustling bazaar - and some very sophisticated restaurants. Most of the nightlife is centered on Dr. Alim Bey Caddesi where the bars on the seaward side lead on to the waterfront. The two open-air clubs are Halikarnas and Hadi Gari. There’s even a floating nightclub aboard a huge catamaran – Club Catamaran leaves port at 10pm and doesn’t return until dawn. Better start practicing those moves now.