Spending money in Turkey

[minimammy]

Hi all, we have done a bit of camping in France the past few years in the 6 weeks hols. We've been looking at apartments in Europe for this year as it always works out more expensive than you think for eurocamp. Whilst looking we've spotted that for obvious reasons turkey is a great price. I'm just wondering how much spending money we would be looking at gbp- tl for 14 nights hoping to eat out most nights, not necessarily fancy, around Icmeler? Most other responses aren't too recent. Thanks

Now is a great time to come to Turkey as the rate of exchange is excellent.
For Içmeler/Marmaris you're looking at anywhere between 25-35TL pp for a restaurant. 6-7TL for a takeaway chicken doner wrap.
Drinks can be expensive out though. 14-15TL for a beer, 35TL for a cocktail, 6TL for Come/Fanta.
Most sunbeds on the beach are free but you are expected to order drinks and/or food from whichever restaurant "owns" that bit of beach. There's no pressure to be constantly eating and guzzling though, they're just happy to get customers.
There's a few excursions you can do, mainly boat trips, usually around £10 pp.
İçmeler is a lot quieter than Marmaris, more laid back and less touristy but saying that, neither resort is anything like most of the European hot spots. Music must be turned off in bars/restaurants at midnight, there's only a couple of "night clubs" but again, not like anything else you'll have seen
I moved from Içmeler a year ago for a different area but if you want any more info's then please feel free to message me. I can recommend a few nice apartments, restaurants and bars.

We went last year and I absolutely loved it as did the children. Was value for money and I even came back with some! We stayed in ole Deniz and I would book to go back in a heartbeat.

I always budgeted £50 per day per person, depending on whether we were self catering or AL. Are you self catering?

RhinoGirl

I always budgeted £50 per day per person

250TL pp? That's far too much IME

RhinoGirl

I always budgeted £50 per day per person

250TL pp? That's far too much IME

RhinoGirl

I always budgeted £50 per day per person

250TL pp? That's far too much IME.

OP please don't go AI if you don't have to, it's ruining the resort

Sorry for the multiple posts!

Sorry, I should of added that there was only me and DH previously! We used to take about £1000 for 10 days. Always had plenty, but we were big drinkers and we smoked and were partial to Turkeys ‘genuine’ fakes!

What resort did you go to RhinoGirl?
Yes, shopping can eat into a budget if you're partial to a handbag or 10!

Gumbet 3 times and Side once. Love Turkey, always come back with an extra suitcase 😂

I've not lived in those areas but I know they're lovely

The contrast between the two is amazing! Had friends who had an apartment in Altinkum which is also lovely! :)

We went to Icmeler last summer and I was amazed how cheap it was to eat out (we'd been to Marmaris previously but AI). Lots of places offered breakfast for under 5GBP and you could get a reasonable dinner for about £8GBP. Other things like ice creams/snacks etc are also cheaper than in the UK (even by the beach).

Don't want to derail the thread but we're planning to go back to Turkey again this year. Just wondered if any of you lovely people have any advice on where else we should try? We prefered Icmeler to Marmaris as it's quieter.

Beingmethistime If you don't fancu Içmeler again you could try Bodrum. It's bigger but no buildings are higher than 3 storeys, it also has a very relaxed feel about it. Food & drink prices are similar to Içmeler too.

Thanks DavidBowie- I'll look at that. DH would go to Icmeler every year for the rest of his life but I like to try new places.

Ahh, he caught Içmeleritis

It is lovely but changed too much for my liking. It's a shame to see it so quiet now though. I had a couple of day visits there in the summer and everywhere was so empty compared to 3 or 4 years ago

Oh really. That is sad. The curse of the all inclusive and the political state of affairs.😞

Yes, there was a huge drop in visitors a couple of years ago, we noticed that there weren't nearly so many families holidaying during the school summer holidays and it's not really picked up since.
Saying that though it is still a lovely place and, in my opinion, better when quieter. It's just sad for the business', they work so hard and rely so much on the tourists during the season to carry them through the rest of the year.
I'd still recommend it, it's just quieter

I can't rate it highly enough, was the best holiday we have had in a long time,

minimammy if you are going to Turkey be ware that a common scam particularly taxi drivers but generally is to give you change for a lower value note that you gave. This is because the paper money looks quite similar so they chance their arm.

So for example it would be like here you hand over a £20 note and the driver gives you change for a £10. If you don't notice all good, If you do, they insist you gave them a £10 and get aggressive.

Make sure you look at the value of the note and say out loud when you profer it "here is £20" equivalent.

KioskKeithForPresident

I'm sorry if that happened to you but to say it's a "common scam" is hardly true!
Never, in 20 years, had anything like this happened to myself or anyone I know.
Everyone should be careful with money everywhere they go, be it home or away

I had that with a taxi driver in Istanbul, and he didn’t even drop us in the right place. Bastard!

DavidBowie - it did happen to me in the sense that a taxi driver tried it.
Fortunately I'd read about it in advance in a tourist guide to Turkey (so it can't be that uncommon!!!) so stuck to my guns about the note I'd given him.

After that I employed the "stating note value" as you hand it over technique.

It also happened to my friend I was travelling with separately.

I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't a common scam that had been written about.

DavidBowie I googled and indeed there are articles written about it.

www.theistanbulinsider.com/tips-to-prevent-popular-istanbul-taxi-scams/

Apparently, it even has a name which I didn't know "The Turkish Lira Note Switch" which is a similar thing to the one I described - where they insist that you've paid too litle by waving around a lower value note than the one you've given.

but to say it's a "common scam" is hardly true!

You may want to rethink that ^

Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it isn't common! It's a pretty nonsensical approach.
I've never had my pocket picked on Oxford Street nor do I know anyone who has but I'm not so daft as to argue it's not common on that basis.

KioskKeithForPresident

Thank you for your insight. I too have just Googled "Turkey Taxi Scam" and all the results seem to involve Istanbul. I presume that you do realise that Turkey has more than one city? I wouldn't be so daft as to say that what illegal practises occur in one place can be said to occur in the whole of the country