There's nothing wrong with Dalaman, a tolerably nice little Turkish Mediterranean farming town 5.5 km south of the coastal highway. But for travelers the Dalaman Airport, 5.5 km (3.4 miles) south of the town, is the main reason people come to Dalaman. (Bodrum to the west and Antalya to the east have their own airports.)
The other reason is Sarıgerme Beach and its resort hotels, 5.2 km (3.2 miles) southwest of the town of Dalaman. More...
There's actually a posh resort, the nearby.
Here are Dalaman's hotels.
Havaş airport buses travel from the airport to Marmarisand Fethiye, stopping at towns along the way, and private transfer services meet planes and transport passengers to Marmaris, Fethiye and points in between.
Dalaman's Otogar (bus station) has useful intercity bus service to other cities and towns in Turkey, but you'll have to take a taxi the 6 km from Dalaman Airport to the bus station in the town center.
Hiring/ renting a car can be useful at Dalaman as other means of ground transport are either time-consuming or expensive, and the area's attractions are scattered and often difficult to reach by public transport.
Here's info on all means of transport to and from Dalaman Airport.
—by Tom Brosnahan