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Anyone been to Turkey?
lotusmadandy - 21/2/12 at 05:58 PM

Evening all,

I have just booked up to go to Turkey for 10 days in july but nobody i
speak to has been.The travel agent told me that we have to
have a brand new £10 note each,to get into the country but thats all i know.
So,has anyone been? Any do's and dont's? How much should i expect to pay for a meal and a pint?

Any info will be much appreciated

Thanks

Andy

RK - 21/2/12 at 06:10 PM

no. what's it like?

daviep - 21/2/12 at 06:15 PM

We were there 2 years ago and despite being hyped as being cheap we found that food / drink / fuel costs were similar to the UK.

The £10 also has to be English, Scottish notes are not welcome.

Davie

T66 - 21/2/12 at 06:19 PM

Prices have gone up seeing as they know they are outside the euro, and very popular with holiday makers.


Struggling to recall prices for items, however we did have a day on Kos from our venue in Turkey, it was considerably dearer in Kos. It still works out good value, as we do ok with the exchange rate.



The Turks are an easy going lot, hard sell in the markets, you have the option not to go. Big producers of snide clothing and related stuff. Some of it complete crap, some of it actually quite decent. There are new laws in place to reel in the hard sales pitch in the shops, mostly taken notice of, but some take the p1ss. All part of the game for me, bit of a laugh.


Where are you going ? July it will be very very hot.



Weve been 4 times - Olu Deniz, Belek & Turgetreis x2. All been good holidays, I will be back.

lotusmadandy - 21/2/12 at 06:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by T66



Where are you going ? July it will be very very hot.



Weve been 4 times - Olu Deniz, Belek & Turgetreis x2. All been good holidays, I will be back.



We are going to Calis beach,yes we know it will be 30-35 degrees but we
are used to hot holidays (Spain,Greece,Florida) so we are kind of used to the
temperatures.

i am kind of looking forward to having a haggle in the market and buying loads of turkish delight

Many thanks

Andy

russbost - 21/2/12 at 06:38 PM

Been a couple of times & will certainly go back, I find them the most pleasant & genuinely friendly people in the world, rather than always expecting backhanders & tips like many places.

How much for a meal & a pint? depends where you go, if it's a rooftop restaurant overlooking the bay it's not going to be cheap! (tho' still way cheaper than the UK). As they are mainly Muslim, drink is never going to be cheap, beer & wine in a supermarket is, I would say, not dissimilar to over here, wine in a restaurant cheaper than you would pay here except for perhaps pub grub type places. There are some great trout farms up in the hills where a good meal is probs about 1/3 of the price of harbour front places.

Seconded that July is going to be bl**dy hot, so make sure you have high sun factor cream, particularly if you're going out on a boat trip, plenty of water to drink is a major good move,you can buy in really large (20 litre IIRC) bottles & they'll deliver locally for free - expect a bloke with a scooter with the bottle sitting between his feet! we've never had the probs with gippy tummy which we've had in some more exotic locations (particularly Egypt!). I would suggest getting out of the sun for an hour or 2 lunchtime, particularly first few days.

As said there is a LOT of snide gear with great adverts like "Genuine Fake!" - yes, really, but whether you buy snide or just stuff that you like the look of, most is actually pretty good quality (I still have some shirts I bought there about 4 years ago!). Watch out for the Pirate DVD's -only worth buying (not that you'd dream of doing such a thing I'm sure! ) if you are able to check them out & return them if no good b4 going home!

I'm sure you'll have a great time.

JoelP - 21/2/12 at 06:39 PM

My missus was there as a kid, she nearly got swapped for a rug in one shop

splitrivet - 21/2/12 at 07:00 PM

Great place and really nice people.
Cheers,
Bob

T66 - 21/2/12 at 07:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by lotusmadandy
quote:
Originally posted by T66



Where are you going ? July it will be very very hot.



Weve been 4 times - Olu Deniz, Belek & Turgetreis x2. All been good holidays, I will be back.



We are going to Calis beach,yes we know it will be 30-35 degrees but we
are used to hot holidays (Spain,Greece,Florida) so we are kind of used to the
temperatures.

i am kind of looking forward to having a haggle in the market and buying loads of turkish delight

Many thanks

Andy





Fethiye - Been before but cannot recall it, the beach at Olu Deniz just down the road is very nice for a day visit. One thing you must do is use the little buses (Dolmus) , cheap as chips, reach every corner of the countryside, and just watch the young lads giving their seats up for the elderly folk. Also watch out for the money/fare going from the back of the dolmus to the driver, handled by everyone, change dispensed by the driver then passed all the way back to you - classic.

Eat the kebabs, beer is ok EFE does lager and also a dark mild type of thing, about 2.5Lire a bottle. The wine is ok too.


You will get offered the Dalaman checkout, it gets around the problem of leaving your room for 12noon on the last day and hanging about till midnight for the coach.

We did it as we had 5 kids with us, you basically checkout early on the last day, then spend a good day slapping smelly mud on your bod, a nice river trip, an isolated beach, then transfer to a hotel next door to the airport. The hotel we stayed at had the hottest sauna Ive ever been in.


The flight home to Newcastle is crap, that is the worst part of the holiday , however as its a nightshift the juniors all sleep, and the lights get dimmed, which generally gets the idiots off to sleep too. . Its a useful way of padding out your last day....

lotusmadandy - 21/2/12 at 07:31 PM

Thanks for all the replies gents. I am realy looking
forward to going, i have even been to the metrocentre today
buying shorts and t-shirts for the holiday

Cheers

Andy

Dave Ashurst - 21/2/12 at 07:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by lotusmadandy
Evening all,

I have just booked up to go to Turkey for 10 days in july but nobody i
speak to has been.The travel agent told me that we have to
have a brand new £10 note each,to get into the country but thats all i know.
So,has anyone been? Any do's and dont's? How much should i expect to pay for a meal and a pint?

Any info will be much appreciated

Thanks

Andy



I'm jealous already.

I lived and worked in Turkey for 3 years to 1989 and honestly it was the happiest time of my life - I've been back many times since, on a regular basis and will continue to do so.

My last visit was in 2010, so 2012 means it's time for another trip.

l0rd - 21/2/12 at 08:08 PM

Or you can wait for a couple of months and as soon as Greece gets bankrupt you can visit.

PAUL FISHER - 21/2/12 at 08:10 PM

I went a few years ago, it was the last week in June 1week in July, it was hot, too hot for me 40c+, Ive never known heat like it, Ive never had problems with heat in any other countrys Ive visited, we had to keep out of it during the day, but still had a good holiday, I found the Turkish people friendly, keep saying we are going back, but would go in the cooler months next time

lotusmadandy - 21/2/12 at 08:28 PM

Tbh we would have gone in a cooler month
but i am limited to when i can get my holidays.
Even so,if i am under an umberella with a cold drink
next to the pool,i will be happy.

Again,thanks for all of the replies chaps.

Andy

Hector.Brocklebank - 21/2/12 at 08:39 PM

Effes Dark mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm droooool me miss.........................

rusty nuts - 21/2/12 at 08:46 PM

Been to Cayacoya which was interesting and to Dalyan a couple of times and hope to go back. People very friendly and nothing to much trouble for waiters etc. Don't bother taking a razor , Turkish barbers are brilliant

geoff82 - 21/2/12 at 09:00 PM

we have been to turkey many times, sometimes twice a year. the hottest was 57c yes 57c not 57f even the turks were melting.make sure you barter hard in the markets and even most restaurants will give a discount or free wine. the airport food and drinks are very very expensive when you come home. have a great time, you will return.

david_hornet27 - 21/2/12 at 10:28 PM

Wow I must be the only person who has been and didn't like it! I got fed up with the hard sell that seemed to be compulsory every time you so much looked at a shop window. It was a few years ago though and I think since then that laws have been introduced to stop that practice.

I'm sure you will have a great time though and my experience was not the norm...

FazerBob - 21/2/12 at 11:54 PM

Turkish people are brilliant - they actually enjoy a good barter. Even haggle when you take a taxi, it's amazing how much they will reduce the price.
As someone else mentioned Fethiye is well worth a visit. Where else in the world would you find a town named after a fighter pilot!
Try some real turkish delight, it's nothing like the stuff we see in this country.
Olu Deniz is a lovely place, great beach - but watch out for the hang gliders jumping off the cliff above you. If you're feeling brave (foolish) you can ride tandem with them - quite an experience.

twybrow - 22/2/12 at 01:01 AM

Get out of the major tourist areas, and Turkey is amazing. We stayed in a villa, up in the hills above Marmaris. The local restaurant was amazing, and cheap! We hired a Jimny type thing, but my god it was held together by string and plastic drinks bottles! The driving was hairy, but memorable! On the odd occasion where we went into the more touristy areas, it was hell. Fat, bright pink chested men, with chips and a lager, and women wearing practically nothing, despite being in a Muslin country.

I've also been to a place is Kishmir (I think!), on the south eastern coast - again, amazing - but 49C!

So do yourself a favour, hire a car, and see more than just the beach/pool in front of the hotel, and enjoy.