Where to go in Turkey - suggestions please
we are planning a holiday in june to turkey, but i can't decide which resort - Bodrum, Altinkum or Kusadasi. we are an early 40's couple, who love beach holidays but also like varied nightlife ie, not clubs but lots of bars with entertainment. Where do you suggest - where should I go in Turkey?
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Regards
Janet ; Good luck with your choice.
we stayed at jasmine beach, it was lovely our 12 yr old really enjoyed it to.
We went into Marmaris for a day trip and although the harbour was lovely, it was more built up and noisy for our liking.
planning a trip to kemer, Turkey
and was wondering what there is to do out there?
and where the nearests night life and shoping areas are?
we have planned to visit Turkey in June this year. We will be visiting different schools & dorms... as we will be joining a school group. Are the dorms a bad place to accommodate in?? Also the places we are visiting is Istanbul, Bursa & Izmir (not sure of the spelling sorry lol)... but are these good tourist places & does it have good shopping malls, activities etc as we will be in Turkey for a total of 10 days?
Enjoy!
THANKS
[Editor: see our Turkey Travel Guide for full information on Turkey including ideas on things to do and see and reviews on popular resorts.]
Marmaris is more of a "nightlife" resort, and if you are looking for a beach holiday, steer clear, as the beach is narrow,with every inch being occupied by sun loungers,costing around 2.5 YTL £1, each. Times this by a family of four, over a two week stay £52 just to go near the sea!
Bodrum is lovely, with its restaurants lining the marina. It is also home to one of the seven ancient wonders, the Mausoleum, although it is nowhere near as grand as it was in its hey day.
Altinkum (meaning golden sands) has three sandy beaches, with a clear aqua sea, that is calm and shallow. The main beach is generally packed solid, but banana beach is quieter, and third beach, a short dolmus ride away from the main resort,is quieter still. There are plenty of shops, bars, and restaurants, that run parallel to the beach, to keep you occupied. All of these resorts are lovely,each in their own way.
Must see places are Ephesus,& Pamukale, with Cleaopatra's pool at its summit.(this in itself is a gem, with its warm crystal spa waters, that as you step into it, covers your body in a myriad of tiny bubbles.)
The Turks in general, are affable, and will gladly assist you, but beware, as they will try to hassle you, into eating at their restaurant, drinking at their bar, buying from their shop, or market stall, at greatly inflated prices. Be prepared to barter, and definitely shop around. A firm no, generally does the trick, and there is no need to be rude, as they are only after all trying to earn a living.
As for eating out, I do suggest that you try the lokanta's (cafes) Iskender kebab's are filling and tasty, kumpair (jacket potato) are cheap, and come with an array of fillings, & don't forget to try the Koft'e (meat balls).
Finally, relax, enjoy the sun, and a well deserved break from work.
However, I found that unless you are a teenager or 20 something, you were not catered for in the evenings - fine if you can put up with the noise!
The scenery in the surrounding countryside was truly magnificent, as was Nicholas beach - wonderful. Fethiye was beautiful and the waters surrounding it are truly wonderful for swimming in.
This was my first holiday abroad, and I would go back to Turkey, but perhaps somewhere that catered more widely for people such as myself.
also went to ortakent which is even smaller and more laid back found alot of turkish holiday there.
going to try altinkum next year!
I like nice beaches loads of restuarants and bars but don't like the mass Brits abroad, fish n chips/keebab stuff. - am i barking up the wrong street?
Please help!!
However there are very nice places in the Northern part of Turkey as well. Among those are SAROS BAY and ?GNEADA for example. Saros is again on the Aegean (far up north though) and ??NEADA is on the Black Sea, very close to Edirne.
?GNEADA is a very relaxing small town (a village rather) with only a few population. It has miles and miles long of clean sandy beach and a beautiful sea. If you want a relaxing holiday ?GNEADA is one of the best places to go for people seeking peace.
Mustafa
Not sure if were asking too much, but there must be some places? If you have stayed somewhere possibly 5* All inclusive that you would recommend please post it on here?
thanks Pete & Jen
So does anyone have any recommendations for us?
Many thanks
It really depends on what your taste is in a holiday. If you want lively brits abroad, then Gumbet is the place for you.
Bitez has a nice beach although is very crowded now due to its close proximity to Bodrum town. However Bitez like Kadikalesi is a great place for watersports.
Akyarlar, is very popular with Turks and has lovely beaches. Very good for windsurfing and kitesurfing. However the Dolmus service is a little bit annoying unless you stay in the centre of Akyarlar.
There are tons of other bays on the peninsular. If you want to know about them, I can give you my honest advice :)
Turkey has a variety of resorts to suit virtually every holiday makers wants/needs. For example the Bodrum Peninsuala has every type of resort imaginable (except maybe miles and miles of sanby beach) from party yet family friendly Gumbet to the far more laid back Gumusluk (one of my favourites, especially as I lived there for a while). There is Bodrum itself while not having a beach is a hive of activity with the Castle as its focal point. You can spend hours wandering and discovering interesting little places or just sit and watch the world go by with an ice cold drink. Turgutreis is a beautiful town on the end of the peninsula which has some night life but not at all in your face and is wonderfully flat! The sunsets here are spectacular looking across the sea to Kos. There's very upmarket Turkbuku where the rich Turkish jetset choose to holiday so not cheap but.......
Cad I would recommend turgutreis for you and the La Blanche all inclusive hotel. Turgutreis has a superb market on Saturdays. You can get day trips to Ephesus the amazing Greco Roman town - it's a long day but so worthwhile. Dolmus' run from Turgutreis to a lot of places that make a great day out. Gumusluk being one of them and its easy to get to Bodrum by dolmus as well.
Chelley if you are also looking for AI the WOW (World of Wonders) hotel in Gumbet has super reviews and is close enough to Gumbet to walk into town. The dolmus to Bodrum stops at the hotel gates if you want to explore.