“Summer Travel: Obscure-ish Islands

nymag.com April 4, 2018

Coastal Vineyards + Crystalline Beaches in Bozcaada, Turkey

I was on the mainland Turkish coast when the owner of the cottage I was renting noticed that I liked wine. “You should head to Bozcaada,” he said, “the windy wine island.”

The narrow streets and whitewashed buildings are all reminders of the island’s Greek heritage and history. Recently, Bozcaada has been discovered by chic Istanbul kids who come here for the beaches (it’s some of the clearest, most crystalline water I’ve found in the Mediterranean), though it’s remained off the usual island-hopping circuit. The whole place feels blessedly undeveloped.

My friend called it the “windy wine island” for a reason. The wind provides natural temperature control for the vines even at the apex of summer. I made a day of my wine tasting with a scooter, driving the circular road on the island’s perimeter, and stopping at as many wineries as I could. Pick your favorite, buy a bottle, and scoot over to the Polente lighthouse to watch the sunset.

Afterward, I scooted to my dinner reservation. Maya restaurant alone is worth the whole trip. Selcuk Aykan, the man behind it, is a scientist turned chef, and almost everything that touched my plate came from his farm: the bread, the cheese (he makes 26 kinds), endless meze, and a perfect, rarer-side-of-medium-rare rib eye. If you’re lucky like I was, after dinner the servers will invite you onto the roof to smoke pot and watch a meteor shower. Be very, very careful scooting back home. —Stephanie Danler

Logistics

To Get There: All told, it takes seven and a half hours from Istanbul on buses and a ferry. The first bus will drop you in Canakkale (I took an overnight bus), then a taxi can to take you to the Geyikli Ferry Pier. From there, it’s a 35-minute ride on the ferry. Stay: There are lots of simple, clean rooms to rent around the narrow-laned village. The best might be at Amaranda Ada Evi (from $60). Look For: Turkish women selling figs and rosewater in front of their houses.

source : nymag.com island vacation ideas summer

photo : Christian Kerber