Ortunç Beach, Cunda Island: The Free Entrance Most Visitors Never Find

If you search for Ortunç Beach (often misspelled “Örtünç”), your map app will drop a pin at a beach hotel’s front gate — and most visitors turn around right there, assuming the whole bay is private. It isn’t. Ortunç Koyu sits inside the Ayvalık Islands Nature Park, and a short walk from that same gate gets you into the same clear water, no ticket required.

This guide covers both sides of that story: how to actually find the free entrance, and what the water and seabed feel like once you’re in — including why it’s a genuinely good spot for a first paddleboard session.

Where Is Ortunç Beach, and Do You Have to Pay to Get In?

Ortunç Bay is on Cunda (Alibey) Island, part of Ayvalık on Turkey’s North Aegean coast — roughly 11–12 km from Ayvalık center, about a 10–15 minute drive. The whole bay sits inside the Ayvalık Islands Nature Park, protected land since 1995, which is exactly why there’s no boardwalk, no beach bar, and no ticket booth waiting at a single “main” entrance.

There are two ways to experience the same bay:

• Ortunç Hotel Beach Club — the paid side. Sunbeds, a restaurant, a jetty, a curated resort feel. This is what your GPS points to when you search “Ortunç Beach.”
• The free public entrance — a short, unmarked stretch of coastline reached from the road just before the hotel, inside the nature park itself. No facilities, but the same water.

Neither is “the real one” — they’re two entrances to one bay. Which you pick depends on whether you want sunbeds and service, or a quiet, bring-your-own-everything morning.

How Do You Actually Find the Free Entrance?

This is the part almost nobody explains clearly — and it’s the main reason people give up and pay.

There’s no sign pointing this out, which is exactly why most people never find it and assume the whole bay is private.

📍 Get Directions to the Free Entrance

The short walk down from the turn-off — board on your back, sea already visible through the pines.

What’s the Water Actually Like? (Swimming and Paddleboarding)

This is the detail that matters most if you’re planning to swim, snorkel, or bring a board.

The free entrance — stony for the first few steps, then sand, with the seabed visible the whole way in.

• Entry: Stony for the first 3–4 steps, then it turns to sand and stays easy underfoot.
• Clarity: The seabed is visible the entire way in — no murky patches near shore.
• Further out: Seaweed starts a bit past the sandy stretch, which is normal for a sheltered bay like this and doesn’t affect swimming.
• Waves and current: None observed. The bay is enclosed enough to stay flat even when the open Aegean isn’t.
• Wildlife to plan around: Bees and mosquitoes near the tree line — bring repellent, especially past midday.

Field Notes: Paddling Out at Sunrise

Flat, glassy conditions the entire session — no chop, no current pulling the board sideways.

I went early, right after sunrise, and inflated my board at the free entrance rather than fighting for space near the hotel jetty. Conditions stayed flat and glassy the whole session — no chop, no current pulling the board sideways, which made it an easy, low-stress launch. I paddled out past the rocky point on the north side of the bay before the wind had any chance to pick up. If you’re bringing your own inflatable SUP, this is exactly the kind of protected, current-free bay worth prioritizing over open coastline for a first session.

(Standard reminder, every time: wear your leash and keep a PFD within reach, even in water this calm — a flat bay is still open water.)

Free Entrance vs. Ortunç Hotel Beach Club

What Should You Bring? (Because There’s Nothing There)

Since the free side has zero facilities, treat it like a proper day trip, not a beach club visit.

When Should You Visit Ortunç Beach?

• Best time of day: Early morning, right after sunrise. The bay is calm, empty, and the light is soft — ideal for both swimming and paddleboarding before any wind builds.
• Avoid driving after dark: The road down to the bay is narrow, winding, and unlit. If you want to catch sunrise, it’s genuinely safer to arrive and camp the night before rather than drive down in the dark.
• Midday in summer: It gets very hot. This is a better window for exploring Cunda’s town center — the stone streets, cafés, and old churches — and coming back to the water in the late afternoon.
• Camping option: The free Ortunç Koyu camping ground sits right along this same stretch, and it’s common to see a tent or two near the free entrance overnight.

Getting to Cunda and to Ortunç Bay

• Cunda Island connects to Ayvalık by a causeway/bridge — no boat needed for a day trip.
• From Ayvalık center to Ortunç Bay: roughly 11–12 km, about a 10–15 minute drive on a narrow but paved road.
• A car is genuinely the easiest option; the road is bike-able in daylight, but with no shoulder and blind curves, it’s not the most comfortable ride.
• Minibuses (dolmuş) running between Ayvalık and Cunda exist, but confirm current routes locally if you’re relying on public transport to reach the bay itself rather than just Cunda town.

Frequently Asked Questions