Dramatic mountains rising steeply behind, a gulf of turquoise blue waters with sandy beaches stretching out within Gökova Bay and nestled between the characteristic red-roofed, white-washed houses with intricate pine-timbered eaves and balconies strewn with brilliant pink bougainvilleas -this is Akyaka.

Akyaka village became famous for its Muğla style architecture made famous by the award winning architect Nail Cakirhan. The houses are a combination of old Ottoman Empire and Greek style and maintains warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer. The original design has altered since and only retains a residue of the original architecture, nevertheless the village is very pretty.

In spite of its recent growth, Akyaka remains both scenically stunning and relatively unspoilt. Many city dwelling Turks have chosen Akyaka for their summer houses and great conservation efforts have been made to ensure that all these buildings are constructed in the traditional Muğla style with pan tiled roofs and intricately carved wooden ceilings and verandas, an interesting contrast to the usual Mediterranean style of architecture. The village has numerous food shops and a village bakery plus a permanent fruit and vegetable market. There is an excellent choice of restaurants ranging from specialist kebab makers and family run restaurants to the slightly more sophisticated riverside restaurants where fresh water trout is offered alongside a selection of delicious bream, bass and mullet.

Gökova village is about 5 minutes inland from Akyaka and is the holiday residence of many wealthy Turkish families.