If a good beach is important to you Dalyan has one of the best in this area of Turkey, its protected because of nesting loggerhead turtles, so it is completely unspoilt. The resort is actually on the river a boat ride away, it's in a spectacular setting, with restaurants lining the river, overlooked by the tombs which are lit up at night. There is also the ancient city of Kaunos located on the other side of the river from the resort. If you google 'turtle beach' you'll be able to find some more detailed info. Also search on this forum for Dalyan there is a lot of info.

Turunc also meets some of your requirements, its in a stunning location, small and relatively uncommercialised it has a blue flag beach, but its a mixture of sand and shingle. The boat trips are brilliant, and you can get taxi boats to other resorts.

One thing I would advise is if you want to get a real taste of Turkey, don't go for AI. The food in the restaurants is very varied, reasonably cheap and extremely good, eating and drinking in somewhere different every night is all part of the experience.

Have a good read up on Olu Deniz before you make your decision, although it is in a lovely area it is fairly commercialised and is reported to be quite expensive.

Have a great time wherever you choose!

You could have a look at some of the places around the Bodrum Peninsula, somewhere like Gumusluk would be nice for a honeymoon, it is very uncommercialised, has a small by nice beach and you can visit many historical sites form there, it is actually an ancient site itself, although the ruins of the old town are now under the water I believe they can bee seen if you go snorkelling.

I would agree with Alfie that to get a true taste of Turkey AI isn't the best way to go, there are so many good places to eat out it seems a pity to be tied to one hotel for all your meals.

I know it probably sounds daft being as I've never been to Turkey but wondered if you'd considered Kalkan? I looked into it with a view to having a change from one of the smaller Canary Islands that we regularly visit each October and was taken with it. The only reason why we didn't go in the end is that it is quite hilly and we decided that it was too hilly for my now partially disabled mother to safely negotiate. I haven't ruled it out for a trip on my own or with a friend at some point for a holiday in the future not involving my Mum. However, I think that it would tick all your boxes with the exception of the beach which I understand is pebbly but there are apparently other really lovely beaches within easy reach.

The old hands on here who have been to Turkey and will know more about Kalkan than me will be better able to tell you whether it really would suit you but it might be worth a browse?

SM

Hi SMa, the nearest beach to Kalkan is at Patara which is a dolmus ride away but is well worth the ride. I agree that Kalkan would be ideal for markandsam and, as I would for yourself, recommend Hotel Nur which is B & B. Going this way gives you plenty of choice for sampling all that Turkey has to offer. There's plenty of historical places to visit in this area. If you scroll down to March 2nd you will find the Discussion on Kalkan Topic for you to peruse.

Les

We went to Dalyan last year with Anatolian Sky, I would highly recommend it. I would give them a phone call because they specialise in stuff for couples, boutique hotels, etc. and can also combine with gulet cruise, etc. if you fancy it. They will tell you all about the resorts because they specialise in Turkey and then you can look around and compare prices. I can't fault them, but obviously you want to compare prices etc.

For a honeymoon in an uncommercialised area - try looking at the Datca peninsula.
http://www.kocaev.com/
This hotel is stunning although a little pricey. It is just a few km's from the town of Datca.
There are several mid price hotels in the town itself overlooking the sea. The Uslu Hotel is basic but in a good position with a good pool and views. Villa Asina is a lovely hotel with beautiful rooms, a nice pool and smashing views. Further out of town and further down the peninsula there are some small villages by the sea. Ogun's Place is good. He has recently transformed his basic pension into a luxurious pad right by the sea. The village itself is small and pretty. As well as lazing on the beach you can visit Knidos an ancient town in a stunning location. There are plenty of lovely walks and boat trips. If you really want to get away from things try this http://www.sprice.com/hotels/asia/turkey/datca-317543/hotels-pigs_bay_camp-1356669. They have rooms in proper buildings as well as tents. The beach is beautiful and the area romantic. You can only get there by foot or boat. I would say have half of your honeymoon in an expensive hotel such as the one I first mentioned then end it in Pigs Bay. You would have to organise this all yourself but it is easy get a flight to Dalaman and then the hotel would help you organise a transfer.