Take a look at bodrum it has its own airport so the transfer is not as bad as others such as Dalaman - Marmaris/Icemeler.

All the resorts on the Bodrum Peninsula are less than an hour's transfer. Have a look at Bitez, it is a small resort with a nice beach and lots of good restaurants and only 40 minutes by car from the airport.

Dalaman to Marmaris is only 1hr 15min using private minibus transfer,some do it in less time.

Hi Olu Deniz is only 1 hour if you book a private transfer we used Fethiye cars this year and they were very good £75 return, careful driver and we were given a bottle of cold water on arrival. Sometimes booking a flight, hotel and transfer seperately works out cheaper than a package.

Thanks for your suggestions. I think I'm going to price up flight and accomodation separately to see if I can save something, then I'll have extra money to spend on a private transfer to Olu. Cheers!!

It didnt take us 2 hours to go to Olu Deniz and that was before the road tunnel was opened.
I have been transferred to Icmeler in 1 hour 45minutes but that was after landing at midnight and the traffic was light.
In May it took us 2 hours from leaving our hotel in Gumbet to arriving at the airport!
We spent 1 hour sitting in the small coach at the change over car park waiting for the larger coach.
I think it all depends on the driver and the times of your flights.

I am an Icmelerite but thoroughly enjoyed 2 weeks in Dalyan back in June. It does sound ideal for you except for the beach thing. It is about 40 minutes by boat or 20 by Dolmus but you do have the river as compensation. Sitting at a waterside restaurant enjoying good food and seeing the floodlit Rock Tombs takes some beating. The transfer is only around 20 minutes (private) and not much longer by shuttle. Plenty of interesting day trips and reasonably lively at night. If you are serious beach people though I am sure the immediate lack (as good as it is) is probably going to make you think twice.

Otherwise take on board all rwb46 has said and go to Icmeler.

Sorry meant to say the mozzies were nothing like as bad as I feared (there were rumours that they have been spraying for the last coule of years). Just get a strong, high-deet spray (I took Buzz Off Extra Strength from Superdrug) and used lemon handwash for showering and escaped pretty much unscathed.