Nestled between the Mediterranean and the Taurus Mountains, Erdemli offers a nice mix of water and land activities. This unremarkable Turkish town provides the chance to pick up inexpensive hand-woven rugs, gorge on local fresh produce such as figs and olives, and soak in the traditional rural lifestyle that the area is known for. The tourism industry here is just in its infancy, with Erdemli hotels far fewer than hotels in Turkey's better known Aegean resorts. The nearby ancient ruins at Akkale are worth a look, as are those at Imirzeli, Catioren and Okuzlu, spanning across the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine eras. These relatively unknown sites from antiquity are drawing increasing numbers of foreign visitors, but it is the beaches of Erdemli that remain the primary highlight of a trip for most. The endangered monk seal also lives offshore. Mersin, from where trains and planes connect with major Turkish cities, is roughly 40kms to the east.

other spellings: edemli otel, erdamli hotell, eremli hote, erdemli hotles, edrermli hotle, erdemly