Complete your stay at Aria Claro Beach&Spa Resort by going to Ephesus, Kuşadası, Virgin Mary House or Samos. Find several points of interest with natural, cultural and entertainment options.

Claros

Claros was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia. It contained a temple and oracle of Apollo, honored here as Apollo Clarius. It was located on the territory of Colophon, one of the twelve Ionic cities, twelve kilometers to the north. The coastal city Notion lay two kilometers to the south. The ruins of the sanctuary are now found north of the modern town Ahmetbeyli in the Menderes district of Izmir Province, Turkey.

Ephesus

Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, just 35km from Aria Claros Beach&Spa Resort.

It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era. In the Roman period, it was for many years the second largest city of the Roman Empire; ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital. Ephesus had a population of more than 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world.

The city was famed for the Temple of Artemis , one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here.

Virgin Mary

The House of the Virgin Mary is a Christian and Muslim shrine located on Mt. Koressos in the vicinity of Ephesus, in Selçuk and 33km from Onyria Claros Beach&Spa Resort.

Some believe that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was taken to this stone house by Saint John and lived there until her Assumption (according to Catholic doctrine), or Dormition (according to Orthodox belief).

Kuşadası

Kuşadası is located 35km from Aria Claros Beach&Spa Resort and a port for cruise ship passengers heading to Ephesus. In a controversial deal in 2003 the previously public-owned port was leased to a private company and renovated to attract luxury cruise liners. The Grand Princess docks here, along with other cruise ships.

There are beaches including the Ladies Beach, the beach at the centrum, the beaches between the Batihan Hotel and the Nazilli Site, Guzelcamli Town beach and the Dilek Peninsula National Park beach.

There are vendors of ice-cream, carpets, leather, and software, and bookshops selling books in English, German, Russian and other languages.

Old houses near the seafront, some of them converted to bars and cafes, are the remnants of old Kuşadası, which has become a modern-European looking town. The hills behind are built up with big hotels and blocks of holiday flats. The building boom in the late 80s and onwards has been continued into the hinterland of Kuşadası.

Samos

This Greek Island can be seen from Aria Claros Beach&Spa Resort.

In ancient times Samos was a particularly rich and powerful city-state. It is home to Pythagoreion and the Heraion of Samos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the Eupalinian aqueduct, a marvel of ancient engineering. Samos is the birthplace of the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras.