Is Turkey really awful- specifically Side / Fethiye

[Xrays]

Was chatting to my friend yesterday about holidays and I mentioned how I was considering booking a holiday to one of the resorts above (would be 5 star all inclusive, huge resort type place). My friend has completely put me off with tales of how she felt very unsafe in Turkey on a girls holiday, men hassling them and constantly trying to get them to buy stuff / sexual comments etc etc and she mentioned she wouldn’t have felt safe in an ambulance or getting medical treatment as a woman - (we talked about this because I have difficult medical needs which means although my issues are generally okay I may have a flare and need hospital treatment, one of the reasons I was considering Turkey is that on the specific group related to my very rare health issues many people said they’d had excellent treatment there). Now part of my feels like my friend is comparing a very different part of Turkey to where I’m planning to go (she was in Marmaris) and this was about 15/20 years ago, so surely things must have changed?

And also, I’m going as a middle aged woman with my husband and dc (aged 11 and an adult dd) so not the girls type holiday she was on.

Give me your thoughts!

I've been to turkey lots of times, and the people are lovely! Never ever felt unsafe there at all.
Never got even a side eye look from any men and find it lovely safe place for my children too..

That must've been awful for you. Oh hang on... were you not there?

I'm going to Side alone with my two kids next year and I'm not at all worried. It's also one of those huge AI places with not much around, which is usually quite off putting to me. But, having travelled to Marmaris last year this doesn't now put me off. Public transport is cheap and easy to navigate, so I'll definitely be leaving the hotel to explore the historical sites of Side. Don't let other peoples negativity put you off.

I've been in an ambulance and had hospital treatment in Fethiye and I was treated very well. I had no problems with sleazy men during that experience at all. Just make sure you have good medical insurance to cover the cost!

I've booked a holiday to Fethiye with family (DH and DC 6 and 8) for July and it didn't even occur to me that I might get hassle and I'm a fairly well travelled person, in my youth particularly.

At the end of the day if you're staying in one of the big family resorts (as we are) it feels unlikely you'll run into any trouble. Perhaps your friend was back-packing alone or something? I think you need to contextualise your situation with hers.

Thank you all. Really interesting to read your experiences- good and bad!

I am looking at one of the Tui sensatori ones. I’ve been very carefully reading all the reviews and things I can find…! I know there will be more luxurious hotels and equally cheaper ones, and I fully accept that standards might be different to our expectations. As long as it’s clean and the food doesn’t give us food poisoning (which would be particularly dangerous to me with my health issues!) then anything beyond that is a win!

Gosh, I was in Side 40 years ago, when it was just a wee village with a tumbledown main street and a few modern hotels on the outskirts! There were amazing Roman antiquities including an amphitheatre and some gorgeous statues in the little museum. I don’t recall any hassle, even though I was slim and in my twenties at the time. Istanbul more recently also fine - wandered about on my own, no hassle, and polite shopkeepers offering mint tea while I browsed.
The Turks are famous for their hospitality, OP, and I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time.

We've been to many of the hotels in the Lara Beach/Antalya area and have just booked for the Liberty Fabay in Fethiye for Next year, we absolutely love Turkey - DH was of a similar opinion to your friend before he actually went - he had heard about certain areas of 'brits abroad' in Marmaris and was really put off, until I took him and he has since been 5 times.

I broke my arm while there one year (unfortunate slip in bare feet) and the hospital was amazing, the care I received was wonderful (cost me £450 mind, repaid by insurance on arrival home) I was taken by ambulance, X-rayed, had a cast on and back at the hotel within 2 hours. The hospital was a huge, glass building which operated so efficiently - they then printed my invoice showing both turkish lira and sterling and a full breakdown of costs which the insurance company happily accepted as paid. The staff were fab, carrying my plate for me (I had a wrist to shoulder cast on) and asked after us often.

I've been to Fethiye 3 times and it was lovely, i wish i could go again this year!

I don't believe for a second that Turks offered to BUY this girl off her parents. It is a very family-oriented, protective culture, and nobody would even think of anything as horrendous as buying a child off her parents.

I would believe that a misunderstanding happened due to the language barrier - people may have offered the little girl some money to buy sweets, her parents some money to buy a toy in her hand, or a variety of other things they may have asked for which may have been odd questions for Brits and so were misinterpreted in line with your friends' prejudices and embellished upon her return to the UK.

We have been visiting Turkey with DC since they were babies and never felt unsafe nor feared for them. Quite the opposite - it is a place where people go out of their way to look out for and protect others' children. Some things I have seen in the UK and elsewhere in Europe such as a child wandering away and walking for a mile without anyone stopping them and asking where mummy and daddy are would just never happen in Turkey.

It's totally fine. Never had any problems and it's beautiful. The value for money in Turkey with the job hotel is great and ideal for families. We're we're looking at 3k more for similar in Portugal so back looking at Turkey.

"a much older man who tried to separate me from my parents and when challenged, offered my Dad money"

This is more believable than the "They tried to buy a 6-year-old"story and I can only imagine that the man in question thought you were a hooker and your dad the pimp, and it's probably not even about how you were dressed and how you acted.

There was a time after the collapse of USSR and before Turkey became a popular tourist destination when practically the only visibly foreign young women around were Russian and Eastern European prostitutes. All foreign women in especially the coastal cities were assumed by men to be such "Natasha"s.

No issues, been to Side a few times, going to Lara Beach this year. 5 Turkey is very different to 5 in say, Mexico, but lovely resorts all the same. Never been hassled, lovely with the kids, great food, great weather!

I’ve just come back from the 5 star Liberty Fabay hotel in FETHIYE
amazing modern hotel with lovely rooms
heated pools loads for kids to do
plenty of choice of restaurants and bars
right on the beach

it was low season so not much open outside and the weather wasn’t great but it was a nice break
I’ve also been to olu Deniz and marmaris as a single women and as a family groups with no issues

@QforCucumber I’ve just come back from the liberty Fabay
we had an amazing deal price wise but it’s shot up in price from when we booked last year

I had this fear after having been to Egypt but I went to turkey last year.
It was an amazin place the people were lovely , no hassle, no bad behaviour and for part of the trip I was on my own.
I went to Kas. And it was a lovely place.

I backpacked over the whole of that coast (back in the days when Olu Deniz was just a beautiful beach without a hotel in sight..) as a very attractive young thing 30 years ago and it was absolutely fine. They are lovely people - very hospitable indeed. Tunisia on the other hand...

@Im99912 we booked for Next may back in Feb this year and got a great deal - its already advertised at over £1k more than we've booked for.

Tunisia for me was hell each time I’d been and I was fearful of a repeat of that, however it wasn’t at all. I wouldn’t say that I fell in love with it like Cyprus but I could probably have imagined I was on a Greek island.

I think the key thing is to Tripadvisor, Facebook, any possible review site check your hotel because I believe that can make all of the difference to Turkey. I have friends who love it and friends who hate it based on their accommodation choice.

Have been to Fethiye and Marmaris. I would say Fethiye is a bit classier than Marmaris.

Went with DH and two DSs, varying in ages between trips from 6 to 20 when we went. Had no hassle at all but I am not a stunner so not too surprised! When DS was 6 and very blond he did attract attention from waiters but I think they just thought he was really cute so he got extra treats and presented with fruit platters in the restaurants.

Same 6 yo needed medical attention when we were in Fethiye, care was good.

Far less hassle than Egypt. Even Morocco DS20 found he got some hard stares from locals for no discernible reason and didn’t feel too comfortable.

I’ve been Side twice and loved it. The hotels are very safe and both hotels we’ve been in have been great and the staff amazing. In the town some of the shop keepers can be a bit pushy and you sometimes have to barter but definitely didn’t feel unsafe at any point.

I personally wouldn’t go to Marmaris. I think it’s a bit more of a party town.

Turkey is wonderful IMO, we as a family went to Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Cirali and loved every minute. We'll probably go back again next year.

Oh and in comparison I'd never go back to Egypt.

I lived in Istanbul for a while. One of the reasons I don't any more is because I was utterly beat down by the way Turkish men behave towards women. It was awful. Every day on my way to work and back I'd get hissed at, have obscene comments made towards me .. I had guys follow me home and try to intimidate me in my apartment building etc. They were disgusting. It's also a pretty restrictive society in general which is wearing on a day to day basis although that may not impact you if you're just there on holiday.

I've heard it's different in the resorts as they need your white money, but I still wouldn't touch it with a bargepole. Plus those resorts, you get bussed in and bussed out, you're surrounded by heavy drinking brits acting like arseholes round a pool. Just doesn't appeal tbh. And you never know when they're going to get another earthquake.

There are too many rich Russians there for my taste.