These two bays a short hop from Bodrum town are the easiest swimming options and show the peninsula's two moods. Gumbet, just over the hill west of the marina, is the lively one: a sheltered sandy-pebble bay packed with beach clubs, watersports and loungers and a young party crowd, buzzing day and night in season. Bitez, a little further round, is the calmer, greener alternative, backed by tangerine groves with a long shallow shoreline, a laid-back seafront of cafes and famously reliable afternoon winds that make it a favorite for windsurfing and sailing. Both offer plenty of sunbeds, water toys and places to eat, and both are reachable by dolmus minibus, taxi or the seasonal water taxis that hop around the bays. For quieter, prettier swimming the peninsula rewards going further, to Gumusluk or the coves near Yalikavak, but for sheer convenience these two are hard to beat.
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