Turkey

Pebbles!

Hey!

Looking for people's opinion on turkey. It's a holiday destination I never considered until yesterday..I went to a travel agent to book 2 weeks in Tenerife for the start of September & it worked out a bit on the pricey side so she recommended turkey (kusasadi)

Is it expensive there for drinking/excursions? What is the resort like?

Any tips/advice would be a help!

Carpenter

http://forum.kusadasi.biz/

The Davestator

I'll get in ahead of the 'dont like travelling travellers' (People who go to a foreign country and then compain that its not like home)

I like Kusadasi for a few reasons;

Interesting stuff to do if youre into history etc.
Very cheap
Very hot
Good fake shopping!
Turkish baths
Good food (mostly)
Great sea food

Some cons;

It takes a bit of getting used to the hassle you will get in the markets. It will happen, so if thats problem, dont go!
At certain places there is a bad smell of serage
Certain areas are a bit lairy - bar street is mad so avoid it if thats not your scene.

mrsbouquet

You will either love it or hate it I dont think theres any in between.
I love it and have been there 6 times.
not that cheap anymore but not as expensive as here .
Good food some lovely restaurants would recommend Saray in the centre also the special restaurant.
Shopping fantastic if you can stand the hassle.
Some Hotels and Apartments have fantastic entertainment too

tatli_lokma

Personally, of all the places in Turkey to visit Kuşadasi is my very least favourite. No disprespect to other boardsies, but in my experience it attracts a lot of the sorts of Irish which make me embarrassed to admit I am Irish. That is not to say they are the only type, but there are far too many of that sort frequenting there for my own taste. It is also very very 'package' holiday orientated, and not at all a good representation of what Turkey has to offer. If all you want is a pool, beach and bars in the evening then it fits the bill. But be prepared for a lot of naff music and naff pub games.

Having said that, it is a good base if you want to go sightseeing as it is close to Ephesus, Selçuk and Şirince (wine making region). If you are prepared to head out of the more tourist areas, it is quite a good spot for getting around. And Turkey in September has lovely weather which you are almost guaranteed of, but without being too hot. Prices are very cheap compared to here and as it is outside of Europe, you can get duty free on your way home!

If you are thinking of heading to Turkey, I would be more inclined to recommend getting a cheap flight to Izmir with Aer Lingus and then heading to Çeşme or Alaçati. They are closer to the airport than Kuşadasi and much nicer spots, and provide a much nicer representation of Turkey.

If you do opt for Kuşadasi, I would recommend getting out of the resort and visiting Ephesus, Selçuk, and Şirince and also a trip along the coast to the Dilek penninsula and the national park is recommended - a really beautiful spot with a pine forest leading to the beach. You could spend hours there and still want to go back. A great spot for a picnic.

snlynch

mrsbouquet wrote: »

You will either love it or hate it I dont think theres any in between.
I love it and have been there 6 times.
not that cheap anymore but not as expensive as here .
Good food some lovely restaurants would recommend Saray in the centre also the special restaurant.
Shopping fantastic if you can stand the hassle.
Some Hotels and Apartments have fantastic entertainment too

Completely with Mrsbouquet, u'll either love it or hate it. we've been to Kusasadi 4 times, and are going back again on 5th May 2013. We are staying in the Palmin Sunset Plaza. Also could not recommend Saray highly enough. Go for it - u wont regret it

realdanbreen

I know this is a bit off topic, but what are the baggage weight allowances nowadays?:cool:

tatli_lokma

a bit off topic?? a lot off topic

there is no one answer. Depends who you are flying with and on what route

realdanbreen

Shannon to Turkey, I forget the carrier but it's a charter flight?:cool:

tatli_lokma

You need to check with the carrier - different airlines have different policies - some its 15kg, others 18kg, others 20kg and others again 22kg. Just check your tickets - it will be on there.

snlynch

realdanbreen wrote: »

Shannon to Turkey, I forget the carrier but it's a charter flight?:cool:

20kgs each

jinkybhoy

snlynch wrote: »

Completely with Mrsbouquet, u'll either love it or hate it. we've been to Kusasadi 4 times, and are going back again on 5th May 2013. We are staying in the Palmin Sunset Plaza. Also could not recommend Saray highly enough. Go for it - u wont regret it

HI - we're heading to the Palmin Hotel - this weekend - Is that the same place? How was it?

Assuming you back now....just realised you may be out for 2 weeks!! how was the weather?

Jinkybhoy

snlynch

jinkybhoy wrote: »

HI - we're heading to the Palmin Hotel - this weekend - Is that the same place? How was it?

Assuming you back now....just realised you may be out for 2 weeks!! how was the weather?

Jinkybhoy

Hi, we came back on sunday night. We stayed in the Palmin Sunset Plaza Hotel - r u staying in the Palmin Hotel? That is all inclusive - lovely hotel. We called in there as a friend of mine was staying there last week too.Weather was fab - 24 - 26 degrees. If you do get sick of hotel food & want to eat out = you should try Saray Restaurant - its fab. This was our 5th time in Turkey - highly recommend it

jinkybhoy

snlynch wrote: »

Hi, we came back on sunday night. We stayed in the Palmin Sunset Plaza Hotel - r u staying in the Palmin Hotel? That is all inclusive - lovely hotel. We called in there as a friend of mine was staying there last week too.Weather was fab - 24 - 26 degrees. If you do get sick of hotel food & want to eat out = you should try Saray Restaurant - its fab. This was our 5th time in Turkey - highly recommend it

Yeah staying all inclusive at the Palmin alright - saw a few middling reports of the place so hopefully it's ok and the foods good.

Is it close to that restaurant - walking distance or taxi?

thanks

snlynch

jinkybhoy wrote: »

Yeah staying all inclusive at the Palmin alright - saw a few middling reports of the place so hopefully it's ok and the foods good.

Is it close to that restaurant - walking distance or taxi?

thanks

Its a lovely hotel. There isn't any restaurant/shops within walking distance of hotel. U'll get the Dolmus {local bus} from outside ur hotel for 2.25TL {€1} into town - its only about 10 minutes. The dolmus runs from 7am to midnight

emilymch1

has anyone been to Bodrum - travelling there next month and would love some advice/opinions. staying in gum bet. whats story with currency? should i bring some cash with me or is credit card ok?? thanks

realdanbreen

Turkey is great, don't know much about bodrum but love kusadasi. Euros are accetted just about everywhere.:cool:

wheeles54

would anyone know if there are any wheelchair accessible pubs/restaurant in kusadasi
Thanks

Afollower

I've stayed in the Palmin Sunset Plaza and the Sea Pear Hotels and both have wheelchair access - I'm not sure about restaurants in the resort but pretty sure Saray has wheelchair access.
Try forum.kusadasi.biz for more info.

tatli_lokma

emilymch1 wrote: »

has anyone been to Bodrum - travelling there next month and would love some advice/opinions. staying in gum bet. whats story with currency? should i bring some cash with me or is credit card ok?? thanks

Gumbet is quite a lively resort - lots of twenty somethings lads and girls holidays. So if you like lively you will enjoy it. Lots of pubs and restaurants, lively music bars, karaoke etc. Personally, its not my cup of tea. If you are like me, then you might enjoy venturing out of the resort and heading to Turgutreis, Gumusluk or Ormankent. Turgutreis has a fabulous marina with some amazing yachts berthed there. Its a resort also, but a bit more laid back than Gumbet and more family orientated. The marina makes a great place to stroll in the evenings eating an icecream.

Bodrum town is a great spot at night too - lots of hustle and bustle and packed with people, but a great atmosphere. The shops are all in the old town and stay open til midnight or 1am, and the streets will have people bustling about at all hours. Again, a nice spot to head in the evening, do some shopping or even window shopping, stroll around, people watch, eat an icecream or have a dessert along the harbour front. It is more expensive in Bodrum town for meals etc, due to the fact that they get a lot of yacht owners, but it is still reasonable by Irish standards.

The local buses (dolmus - pronounced doll-mush) will take you to all the places I have mentioned and is very cheap. They run quite late at night also.

As for money/credit cards, I would advise bringing a small amount of cash with you and get it changed in the airport when you arrive. Everywhere will accept Euros, but you will end up paying more as they will not give you as good an exchange rate as a bank. The change places also all add on a commission - they say no commission, but if you compare the prices with the banks there is infact commission built in. Usually to get the best price, we bring a couple of hundred in cash, get say €50/100 changed at the airport, just to see us through until we can get to a bank. We then change the rest at the bank. You will end up getting the best deal this way. If you would rather not have the hassle of going to the bank, bring your ATM card and use it to take out cash, as you can take it out in local currency. Bear in mind your bank might charge for this service in addition to commission. But it is still safer to take out bits and bobs of money every few days than have a large amount of cash on you.

Credit cards might not be accepted everywhere - 'foreign' cards sometimes have trouble being processed in Turkey. So don't rely on a credit card as your sole access to money. If you do intend to use either your ATM or credit card make sure you ring your bank before travelling and tell them you will be using it as they do sometimes put a stop on the card if they see 'unusual' spending in a foreign currency.

Finally, make sure you have euro cash on you on arrival at the airport in Bodrum to pay for your tourist visa. The cost is €15 per person. They will not accept turkish lira or euro coins. But they will give change in notes so denominations of €5/10/20/50 is ok, but don't give anything over €50 as they are reluctant to accept €100's due to the high rate of forged €100's.

Peanut

I find that the ATM withdrawal fee here in Turkey is consistently either 1% of the withdrawal amount or €1.27, whichever is the highest (I'm using a standard AIB/Laser card).

It used to be the case that not all Turkish ATMs would accept Irish bank cards, but I haven't found a single ATM that has refused it in the past 2 or 3 years.

I'm not sure that you get an especially great exchange rate using ATMs compared to the other options though, but it's convenient.

antalya

Actually Antalya would be the best option for you to buy a property in Turkey where many foreigners are prefer. There are many apartments here for sale that would suit you.

ToxicPaddy

antalya wrote: »

Actually Antalya would be the best option for you to buy a property in Turkey where many foreigners are prefer. There are many apartments here for sale that would suit you.

Antalya is lovely, but a pain to get to. I think Onur air are the only one who fly direct but it's a charter flight and the seats are very cramped and it's a 4 hour flight.

You can go via Istanbul but there is a bit of lay over there.

Have been there a few times to Alanya. It does have a very touristy area down on the seafront but the majority of it is away from the usual tourist tack you find in most places.

kerry4sam

antalya wrote: »

Actually Antalya would be the best option for you to buy a property in Turkey where many foreigners are prefer. There are many apartments here for sale that would suit you.

Please don't resurrect an auld thread.

Thanks,
kerry4sam