What Is Suluada? The Island They Call the Turkish Maldives

Suluada is a small rocky island off the Adrasan coast, in the Kumluca district of western Antalya province. It is reached only by boat, there is no shop on it, and the colour of the water in its main bay is the reason people call it the Turkish Maldives.

That is the short answer. The longer one is more interesting, because Suluada is not a resort, not a village and not a beach you can drive to. It is a rock with one extraordinary bay — and the only way to experience it is to give it a full day on the water.

Where Is Suluada?

Suluada lies off the coast at Adrasan, on the western side of Antalya province, where the Taurus mountains drop straight into the Mediterranean. The island sits at roughly 36.371° N, 30.446° E. The harbour you sail from, Adrasan, is at 36.308° N, 30.477° E.

Those two sets of numbers matter more than they look. Every boat to Suluada leaves from Adrasan harbour — ours included. Whether your morning starts in Side, Antalya, Kemer or Beldibi, the boat is the same boat and the harbour is the same harbour. Your hotel only changes the road leg in front of it. That single fact explains most of the logistics on this site, including why an island this far west is still a comfortable day trip from resorts far along the coast.

More on the island itself in our Suluada island guide, and on the port in our Adrasan harbour guide.

Why Is It Called the Turkish Maldives?

Because of the colour. Suluada's bay has light sand under shallow water, and light sand throws sunlight back up through the sea. The result is that saturated turquoise most people associate with the Indian Ocean — framed here by pine-clad cliffs instead of palm trees.

It is a nickname, not a claim of equivalence. There are no overwater villas here, and nothing to buy on the sand. The Maldives is a holiday; Suluada is a day. We would argue the day is the better deal, and we make that case properly in why Suluada is called the Turkish Maldives.

What Is Actually on the Island?

Less than you might expect, and that is precisely the point. The features worth knowing before you sail:

• The twin beaches — the pale sand bay that produces the famous colour. More about the twin beaches.
• The Love Cave — one of the island's named features, seen from the water by most guests. More about the Love Cave.
• Domuz Bay — a sheltered cove on the route and one of the swimming stops of the day. More about Domuz Bay.
• Pine-clad cliffs rising straight out of the sea around the anchorage.

And what is not there: no shop. Nothing to buy, on the island or at the anchorage. Whatever you want during the day — sun cream, a hat, a towel, cash for drinks at the boat's bar — travels with you. Boats anchor off the island rather than tying up at a pier, and where conditions allow, tender boats shuttle guests into the bay. On a calm day that transfer is the moment most people remember: you leave a wooden deck and land in water the colour of a swimming pool.

How Do You Visit Suluada?

By boat from Adrasan, on one of two departures.

The Suluada boat tour from Side runs every day. Hotel pickup falls in the 05:30–06:00 window across the Side–Manavgat band; there is an optional breakfast stop at Adrasan around 08:30, paid at the local restaurant; the boat sails at 09:40 and docks back at 16:00. Door to door, plan for about 10 hours. The minimum age on this departure is 6.

The Suluada boat tour from Antalya is not daily — and we would rather say so than let you plan around a boat that is not sailing. It runs Tuesday and Thursday all year, plus Saturday from April to October, with round-trip transfer from central Antalya, Kemer and Beldibi and a pickup window of 08:30–09:00. Count on around 12 hours in total. Snorkelling masks and pool floats are included on this departure, along with marine insurance and harbour fees.

Staying on the west coast — Adrasan, Olympos, Çıralı, Finike, Demre or Kaş? There is no transfer product for that side of the coast; guests make their own way to Adrasan harbour and meet the boat there. Message us and we will help you work out the details. Every route is covered in our how to get to Suluada guide.

What Does a Day at Suluada Cost?

One price for the whole coast: €40 per adult, €30 per child aged 4–10, infants 0–3 free. Pickup in Side costs the same as pickup in Manavgat, which costs the same as pickup in Kemer. There is no regional surcharge and no prepayment — you book free online and pay on the tour day. For Belek, the Alanya band and a few other addresses we confirm pickup individually — send us your hotel.

Lunch is included and cooked on board: grilled fish or chicken with pasta or rice, the day's Turkish mezes — stuffed vine leaves, stuffed peppers, lentil patties — and a seasonal salad, then fruit and Turkish tea. Drinks from the bar are paid separately. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure, and if the harbour authority stops sailings in rough sea, you are rebooked or refunded.

Everything is itemised on the prices page, and the ultimate Suluada guide walks through the whole day. Still weighing up that 05:30 alarm? We wrote an honest answer: is Suluada worth visiting?