Is Turkey really awful- specifically Side / Fethiye

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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!

Fethiye is beautiful, I've travelled there extensively. You won't have any issues in that area

@Huria it's such a bloody shame as I thought Istanbul was fabulous

@Crikeyalmighty so did I, when I first got there! And there are nice bits to it to be fair - taksim square I had some cracking nights out in, the blue mosque .. ahh, went there several times, the first at sunset, that was pretty special. And no hissing there! I do have some nice memories and actually made few proper firm (female!) friends. But over time the constant drip drip drip of arsehole men just got to me so when I got offered a job elsewhere I hot footed it out of there.

I was about 50km away from there over Easter with family and it was very friendly, no problems at all.

I enjoyed it and I wasn't in a resort, spent 6 weeks there travelling around Istanbul, Cannakale, Fethiye, Goreme etc on local buses and hired a car

Good for you 😊 👌

I went to Olu Deniz with DH and DD. One afternoon DH fancied a swim in the sea, before dinner, about 5pm.

We all went but he seated DD and I in a beach bar, ordered drinks for us and popped off for his swim.
I wouldn’t say I felt unsafe, but we were descended on by the waiters and waitresses, touched our hair, touched DD’s cheeks, stroked my arm. Nothing major but I felt a bit overwhelmed. We are both naturally blonde. DD is very pretty. They were lovely people, lovely place but just made me uncomfortable.

I wouldn’t personally go there alone.

Turkey is the only place we went to twice as a family.
We stayed at Pine Bay, Kusadasi.
Amazing holiday. No hassles.

I know people who have been visiting Turkey for many years and the stories they tell of visiting 15-20 years ago sound like what OPs friend experienced. Their recent experiences and my own experiences of visiting over the last 10 years are very different. I have been to both Fethiye and Side and although there are people outside every bar/restaurant trying to get you to go in it does not feel threatening. I have visited with DH and the DC, as well as alone with young adult DD and not had any problems. In most resorts I've been to I really like that even quite late at night most people are out in family groups- I've not encountered the groups of drunken lads etc that I've had to endure in some places.

@Huria I totally understand that- I would feel exactly the same.

It's a great place for a very long weekend with a male in tow though- one of my favourite places I've been to - and at 61 I rarely get hassled lol- apart from to go in their bar/restaurant. A real 'east meets west'

Love turkey so much. I think you're friend is talking rubbish.

Fethiye is our favorite place in Turkey. There are a lot of different things to do.

https://fethiyetours.com/

Went several years ago to Marmaris, I have three teenage daughters and we were harassed relentlessly including by hotel staff for the entire stay.

Literally everywhere we went the girls were catcalled, touched, leered at. It was honestly the only holiday I have ever had where I didn't feel safe.

Other resorts may be different though.

The country is beautiful but the men are awful and seedy in general. Ruined the experience for me.

I think from my experience at least things have changed massively. I was in a tourist area when I was 17 and it was awful: constant sexual comments and hassling. Very uncomfortable. I went back 20 years later with family and had absolutely zero comments or issues.

Our family goes to the Tui Sensatori near Fethiye every year. It's lovely, great food and staff and beautiful grounds. Loads to explore in the area and me and kids have always felt safe even on our own.
I dont recognize the Turkey your friend is talking about, she sounds like an idiot.

We're off to Calis Beach - just a short bus ride from Fethiye- for the fifth time in September. I love it there, the people are warm and friendly, not too pushy.

We were in Fethiye last year. Been there 4 times so far. Traders will try and get you to stop to shop but never overly hassling if you say no thank you. I found everyone really lovely. We travelled around by bus with 2 little blonde girls and not once did I feel unsafe. :)

Your friend needs to evolve like Turkey has in the 15-20 years since she has been.

Side is lovely. Yes the shopkeepers try to get you inside, but a polite no suffices.
Fabulous AI hotels too if that’s your thing.
Never had any hassle in the hotel from male staff. Maybe that’s my age though!

I was there to see Ephesus, stayed in Kusadasi, and I had to get out of there to Izmire TBH. While I have an open mind I will not visit that country again.

Firstly the political situation with dictator Erdogan is appalling. It all looks great on the surface, but scratch beneath and look at all the public servants, journalists and the like that were either sacked or imprisoned for saying something against the regime, for that is what it is, dressed up as a democracy. Just my view and take it or leave it.

In all the time I spent travelling around I never ONCE saw a woman working front of house either in a restaurant or a shop. OK there was one at reception in the hotel, surrounded by men. I dislike the way women are generally hidden away to clean the toilets, but the men are free to basically do what they want.

The bigger cities are not too bad equality wise, like Izmir where I retreated to from Kusadasi. The resorts are just what you make of them. They are a product for tourists and I availed of them too. Turned out I didn't like them too much mostly because of the women's equality issue, because resorts around Europe have a similar formula.

That said the scenery is stunning, the archaeology is amazing and it is a vast country with different values in the East and West. I'd say if you like AI anywhere you will like AI in Turkey. But it's not for me nor is any resort type place anywhere else either. Horses for courses.

We had a lovely holiday there when our DCs we 7 and 8, we couldn't fault the food or weather. Overall people were friendly and were great with the kids.

On our only trip to the local holiday town known for tourists and shops, my DD was sexually assaulted in the shop. She was opposite to me on a carousel of key rings and suddenly the shop owner started shouting snd chased a young man down the street. My DD was crying and couldn't tell us we what had exactly happened. The shop owner was full of apologies but we headed back to the hotel and didn't venture out again.

I'm sure like anywhere the majority of people are respectful and kind but it shocked us and we won't be going back.

Turkey is beautiful.

Yes people ask you to come into restaurants and buy things from their shops but I've never experienced anyone being particularly pushy and always polite.

I've never experienced medical care there so can't comment on that.

I would say health and safety is perhaps not the same standard as in the UK. Things like inferior child seats in taxis, sometimes no seat belts, holes in the street (which we would have a fence and cones round).

We've been around 6-7 times and are going again. Ignore your friend.

Lived here for 10 years and travel exgensively solo. It's fine.