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Original poster

Holiday in Turkey

87 replies

RunAwayWife · 04/03/2011 16:22

My mum is looking to book a holiday and tells me Turkey is quite cheap, um yes I think this is because it is a bit unsettled at the moment, so please can I ask would you go on holiday to Turkey in April????

Would you take children????

OP posts:
Original poster
RunAwayWife · 04/03/2011 17:20

Grovel did you leave a report on the website???

OP posts:
issey6cats · 04/03/2011 22:49

turkey is ace i have been about six times now have even twice taken a coach overnight from marmaris to istanbul, marmaris is loud and cheerful, icmeler is quieter, ephusus is fab so is phamukali (sp), bodrum is a lot chavi, antalya is supposed to be nice, went last september and still got a five course meal for two with drinks for about £9 each so i think still good on prices and yes the locals are friendly

catwalker · 04/03/2011 23:07

Went to Turkey last August and stayed in a beautiful villa. Weather was fantastic though very very hot. Food was OK. What spoilt it for me, and what would stop me from ever going back, was the number of stray dogs and cats roaming around. Heartbreaking.

Tortoise · 04/03/2011 23:11

My Mum, Dad and Brother live there (Turgutries). They seem to like it(apart from being unable to get work permits! So can't earn any money and live on subs from my Aunt!)

fifi25 · 04/03/2011 23:30

If Marmaris is the Charver bit then Charver i am - Fab food, great shopping and very helpful friendly turks. Would go back in a heart beat. Unfortunately after last years Bulgarian disaster im not going abroad. Im going to, wait for it, somewhere even chavier than Marmaris.......Park Resorts Grin

Theres loads of Turkey threads at the mo

Mrsfluff · 05/03/2011 10:08

I love Turkey, we've had a couple of fantastic family holidays in the lovely Icmeler. We've not been abroad for about 6yrs so decided to try somewhere different this year......Tunisia Grin Thankfully our flight has been changed and so we were allowed to cancel at no cost to us. So now we are off to Side in Turkey and I can't wait!

Turks are very friendly and great towards children.

figcake · 05/03/2011 10:21

Where can I book a well-priced holiday to a non-chavvy part of Turkey?

Lizzylou · 05/03/2011 10:30

OOh is Icemeler nice? We are off there this year, we have also stayed at Park Resorts so perhaps we should have gone to Marmaris? Wink

We booked through Thomas Cook, v cheap all inclusive deal, there was a deal on at the time. We were almost going to Tunisia but delayed booking so that worked out v well for us.

I went to Turkey about 20 odd years ago when there was just a beach bar at Lara Beach. Really loved it as a teen, am just looking for some sunshine to be totally honest, with lots to do for the kids.

Tabliope · 05/03/2011 10:57

figcake, Tapestry holidays a few years ago used to discount their holidays massively but it means booking a few days before you go. Not sure if you'd want that stress or if they still do it. I got £700 holidays for about £250 for 3 years in a row to places like Kalkan and Kas which are not chavvy. Kalkan doesn't have a beach, it's a very pretty small town with a marina, but a short bus ride away is a very long stretch of beach beginning with a P, can't remember the name. Ideal for kids as very calm and you can go far out and still only up to waist. Kas was very cheap to eat out. Beautiful places up in the mountains where it is cooler, eg Saklikent gorge. Turks great with kids. Turgetreis nice too. Non touristy places will be cheap still.

Mrsfluff · 05/03/2011 11:00

We found Icmeler to be a really laid back, friendly resort. Marmaris for me is a bit too full-on and over developed, but we'd hop on a water taxi and go for a daytrip.

Tabliope · 05/03/2011 11:00

figcake, one year I booked flights to Antalya or Dalaman, can't remember, and rented a place short walk outside of Kalkan, flights were £220 for 2, week in house without pool (2 beds, 2 bathrooms, very pretty) was about the same. We ate breakfast at home, lunch either at home or out and dinner out.

Flisspaps · 05/03/2011 11:23

Icmeler was lovely, although we made the mistake of walking there from Marmaris in the middle of August when I was 13 weeks pregnant. I did NOT feel well by the end!

The famous Icmeler market was a bit of a let down though, was very much like any Sunday market over here, lots of men selling knock-off t-shirts "3 for a tenner". On the plus side, no need to change currency, and there was a van selling the most amazing chicken kebabs I have ever tasted.

fifi25 · 05/03/2011 11:32

Lizzy i stayed in Marmaris but used to walk along to Icemeler. I would go there next time. Its very pretty Smile

Fliss - i used to walk it at the end of July, dont think i would have made it in August whilst pregnant lol.

The dolmus are every few minuites from Icemeler to Marmaris but are not for the faint hearted

fifi25 · 05/03/2011 11:34

and pay a visit to the bizarre in Marmaris. Its a bit full on but i love all the haggling Grin, They also do fab boat trips from the harbour but some are booze cruises so if youve got kids make sure you dont go on one of these

mixedmamameansbusiness · 05/03/2011 11:34

I go to Turkey every year but we have a house in a domestic holiday place where people from Istanbul and other cities take their holidays so there is rarely any other foreigners there. I have been to Bodrum and felt I could be in Spain to be honest, had a great time but was a bit sad.

Why not try Cannakale? Although if your mum has been and loves it recommendation is a great way to travel in my opinion.

Can you clarify what you mean by unsettled? Every country in the world has issues with some sort of threat - not least England. Turkey was ALWAYS cheap although I would agree that these days certainly in the holiday spots mentioned here it wont be massively cheap.

And April - I have been to Istanbul in April miles away from all these places and it has always been sweltering so I think the weather is not an issue.

TysonNobdie86 · 05/03/2011 11:37

I love Turkey, I have been to Marmaris twice and on a few excursions. We went in june and july the 2nd time. Even the bombing wouldnt put me off tbh and ive not been to London since 7/7 as im a wimp :)

BlueGreen · 05/03/2011 11:41

"unsettle"? unsettle about what? Turkey is a beautiful country. I prefer to stay quite places and see the historical sides, rather then lay on the beach and get tanned and drunk. Istanbul is my favorite!

Mtorun · 05/03/2011 11:54

London bombed too! So we should all leave London? I dont feel safe living in here. Yesterday, the taxi driver dropped me at a distance to my flat because there was couple of black teens drinking. He said he doesnt want to get robbed. And i had to walk and in fact pass them.

I feel safe walking down the street in Turkey then here. You wont see teens gathering and drinking on the streets. Locals wouldnt allow them anyway! And they love kids!

AliciaFlorrick · 05/03/2011 12:11

Of all the places in the world DH and I have visited we end up going back to Turkey. Pre DC's we went to Icmeler many times, it was wonderful.

Last year we took the DC's to Kusadasi, my DB has a holiday home there so we stayed in a residential area but on the beach and near hotels whose amenities we used regularly. My DB's Turkish neighbours were the most amazing people we have ever met, they were so warm, kind and welcoming. Gifts of food, invited to share evening meals with them and all we could say was thank you and hello in Turkish, but with the help of a phrase book we got by. The owners of the local ice cream shop fell in love with DS2, we never paid for ice creams the whole time we were there. We've experienced this warmth and generosity every time we've visited Turkey, it's what makes it such a special country for us.

There are amazing historical sites to see (if you can stand the heat).

The DC's want to go back to Turkey this year but we really need to finish doing up our house, but we'll be back next year, it's a wonderful place.

pranma · 05/03/2011 12:15

Turkey is absolutely fine-I too feel safer there than here.My ds lives there and he and his wife and dd have a lovely,peaceful life.It is one of the most religiously tolerant countries I know.I was asked to say a Christian prayer at dgdd's Muslim naming ceremony and d-i-l's grandad gave my dh his prayer beads and accepted a rosary in return.
I go at least twice a year.

hermioneweasley · 05/03/2011 12:18

Turkey is NOT unsettled. It is also not in north Africa and is not a dictatorship. Not everywhere with those funny muslims is experiencing an uprising.

Am off there in April with 2 DCs. wouldn't think twice about it. the Turks are brilliant with kids and much less cynical about tourists than some other popular destinations. Also, standard of hotels is really high. Haven't been to the Lara Beach area, but everyone i know who has been loved it and would go back.

fifi25 · 05/03/2011 13:11

I went to Bulgaria last year who are apparently entering the EU in 2012. I got robbed twice, seen animals in horrenous condition and felt extremely unsafe the whole time i was there. They had a dislike for the English which i have never come across on holiday anywhere.

Mrsfluff · 05/03/2011 13:18

The travel agent priced up a holiday in Bulgaria for us Fifi, but me and hub just didn't fancy it. Tbh, from the pictures they showed us it looked like more like a mainland-Spain resort Hmm

fifi25 · 05/03/2011 13:24

We were in a 5* gated resort on the beach in Elenite. Looked lovely but was bloody awful. Thought i would give it a try even after everyone tried to put us off. Never again. What i spent on that resort buying food i could have had a month in Turkey Angry

twilight3 · 05/03/2011 13:29

turkey is not unsettled at the moment but if you study hard enough you'll find that secular democracy is a misnomer its dictators choose to use. It's not a democratic country.

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