Lively, colourful, picturesque and friendly, Kusadasi combines the comforts of many excellent hotels with the charm of small streets crowded with souvenir shops, coffee houses and cosy restaurants. It is one of Turkey’s leading resorts on the Aegean Coast, 90 kilometres south of Izmir. Kusadasi has it all: vast beaches for those intent on soaking in as much Mediterranean sun as possible, all sorts of water sports for those who prefer an active holiday (water-skiing, windsurfing, sailing, diving), countless restaurants for gourmets to enjoy the delights of traditional Turkish cuisine, an aquapark to keep the children happy, brisk nightlife to keep clubbers satisfied, and the magnificent ancient town of Ephesus just a short drive away. Pigeon Island is a favourite with migrating birds, and is reportedly the best place in town to watch the sunset from the Byzantine castle that some say was used as a base by the pirate Barbarosa.