Who was your Tour Operator?

what resort was this in?

it was Altinkum...

tour rep was Thomas cook although we booked with Direct Holidays

That sounds like a holiday from hell Sarah. we've just come back from Turkey yesterday and I'm so glad our experience was a positive one. I hope you've put in an official complaint. I'd say you've got lots to complain about.

I'll give you your due I would have flipped my lid within the first 48 hrs and would have happily started fighting with the barman. Sounds a right nightmare

Gosh, that sounds awful well done for sticking with it I would have probably been on the first plane out of there courtesy of my credit cards. Ekk! Cant imagine what it was like having a 'sleeping rep'. Thanks for the warning the hotel sounds atrocious, and what a cheek putting you in a hotel when you wanted self-catering. You would have thought that they could ahve at least got that right. Hope you are sending off a stong letter to Direct Holidays/Thomas Cook.

Doe

Sounds like our first holiday to Turkey.(Kusadasi).
Fortunately it hasn't put us off trying Turkey again, and we fly out this Saturday for a fortnight in Olu deniz.
Hope we have better experience of Turkey this time.

have you complained about this?

Pandy whish hotel was it you stayed in at Kusadasi ?....

Sarah, it sounds like you could do with another holiday to get over the last one, you poor thing having to put with all that

Aww Sarah it sounds awful and you should certainly have complained and got some compensation!!

It sounds as you aren't the only one to complain, please add your review here http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/reviews/turkey/bodrum-region/altinkum/horizon-hotel/

Well our 2nd experience of Turkey wasn't brilliant either.
We arrived at our hotel (Perdikia hills Ovacik) at around 4am, and after travelling all the previous day
We just wanted to sleep, but were rudely awoken by the "family from hell" screaming fighting, door slamming, and music blasting from the apartment underneath, at around 7-30ish.
I'm not anti-kids, but we did choose mid September, as we thought it would be quiet for us at this time.
How wrong we were!! There must have been 15 kids booked in the same fortnight as us,(11-25 September) and our hotel was bedlam!!
They all should have been at school!!!!

After almost 2 weeks,the "family from hell" checked out, and we thought we could spend the last 2 days of our holiday in peace. WRONG!!!!!
an even bigger, noisier family checked in within the hour, and a very large family also checked into a large private
villa directly behind our apartment with 4 quad bikes, which they zoomed around on, all around the resort, way into the wee hours.
Music blasted from the hotel bar 17 hours every day,from 10-3am and as most rooms overlooked the pool, we couldn't escape the racket, and believe me, for a couple of 50 something's, the stuff the kid's listen to today IS a racket!!! Complaining to management was merely met by the usual, famous, Turkish shrug of the shoulders, however, as many more of us 50 something's decided to complain, eventually we did manage to get the music turned down after midnight.

I didn't enjoy the holiday, and we weren't keen on Oludeniz, and surrounding area. Despite being very beautiful, it was still Turkey, and with it came the usual pestering and hassle, and spend spend spend!!!
It was "the last chance saloon" for Turkey, and I doubt we will ever go back.
I'm off to Portugal for a week on Monday, to get over the Turkey ordeal, and it's DEFINITELY Kefalonia
for us next year, at an adult only villa!!!

I suppose its whatever suits your style and by the sound of it you like somewhere very very quiet and just adults.

What would happen if the family from hell turn up in Kefalonia, will that place too be left on the shelf.

Things like that happen all over the world and if you want hassle try Spain or even walking around the Greek island of Rhodes as you will find just as much if not more "hassle" there that in Turkey.

Hassle to me btw is when someone will not leave me alone but a simple hi how are you would you like to eat here or anything along them lines is merely someone trying to get a wage.

Walk along canals in Amsterdam and be hassled by prostitutes, pimps, hassle men on doors and people pushing flyers in your face.

Egypt is famous for it and also most holiday resorts in the world.

Try walking past places in Vegas where the big money is and you will still get people doing that.

Have a craic with these people it is part of their culture and if you do read about a country before you go to it you will see that is true and if you dont want to see that then its easy, do not go to those places

John

Aaw we've done Kephalonia and never had hassle ever. keph is the bees knees really beautiful and you are never hassled or pestered. been there many times now. i think kephalonia is more up market than turkey, thats how it looked to me. Quiet types of peeps doing theor own things. def no loud music by the pools. when we went to amsterdam was never hassled, you might get asked if you wanna see a woman if you walk in the red light district but you expect that! not by the canals though. dutch are right friendly folk and they toe the line. amsterdam has their own little security guys watching the red light district to make sure peeps are not hassled, bad for business. but you might get winked at if you walk through a street where young laydees are offring their services! you expect that though? it's like soho in london, peeps will ask you if you wanna go into a club but thats coz your walking in the red light district. HELLO SIR! you wont get hassled in rest of london, they just ignore you and wait for you to walk in. they dont chase you and swear at you if you dont wanna eat there. BIG difference mate! turkey has lost its charm big time and with the high prices now and rude waiters etc peeps are gonna go somewhere they can enjoy at half the price and without the hassle and music blaring all night and day. some folks travel miles to get away from noise.

gb

need to add john, you said pandy must like somewhere very very quiet, but i think this sounds very very noisy!

Music blasted from the hotel bar 17 hours every day,from 10-3am and as most rooms overlooked the pool, we couldn't escape the racket,

dont sound very very quiet to me!

Yes John............... It IS easy!!!!!

I will NOT go back to "these places". I don't go on holiday to feel threatened and harassed, I go to relax.
I've just returned from a week in Portugal, and not ONE person grabbed my arm and locked us inside a shop, which happened in Turkey!.............. THAT'S "HASSLE"!!!!!!............... (By the way).

And if conning people out of their money is their way of "getting a wage" I suggest they're going the wrong way about it, as if anything, it put me off spending my money.

If that's part of their culture, then they can keep it, I for one can live without it. The World's a big place and there's many lovely places to see and discover thanks!

I WILL be doing my homework in future, and as for Turkey, John, it's all your's mate. You're welcome to it!!!

Some people can take the "hassle" and some can't, but I do know there are equally beautiful places to visit where people CAN walk down the road without the constant unnecessary bombardment.

It was "having a craic", and being friendly with these people that caused us to spend more money that we didn't want to, and we soon realised that the only way of avoiding spending was to completely avoid eye contact altogether.Sad, but very true. We gave an inch, they took a mile!!!

We pretty much got the impression that we were invaders of their Country, but were tolerated and smiled at, as long as we were opening our wallets!!
I'm sure there are probably lots of friendly Turks who weren't just after our money, we just never met one!!!

I also got the impression they consider all us "Brits" to be rolling in money. We've just come into a bit of inheritance money from a dead relative, which is why we were able to afford a fortnights holiday this year. My Husband is a street cleaner for Cornwall Council and works 7 days a week. (Yes, 7 days a week)!!! We work equally as hard for our living as anyone in Turkey does, and O.K. the wages are considerably less in Turkey than here, but then so is the cost of living there, so, "swings and roundabouts" as far as I can see.
We try and have a fortnights holiday each year, our ONLY indulgence, and we don't expect to be constantly "hassled" into spending.

Oh, and for your information, We have been to many regions of Spain, and Rhodes over the years, and never experienced any of the "hassle" that I witnessed in Turkey, in fact, I can't ever recall getting ANY "hassle" in either Spain or Rhodes!

Turkey is a big Country, and despite not enjoying our first experience, we gave them the benefit of the doubt, and tried an entirely different region, only to discover that it wasn't a much better experience the 2nd time around as far as "hassle" was concerned.

As for Kefalonia..........When I go on holiday with my family, and Grand-children, we generally go in July or August, and EXPECT noise and families, and I live with it!
When I choose to go on holiday with my Husband, in mid September, I do so because I expect it to be a little quieter. I didn't expect half of Essex to keep their kids off school at the same time I'd booked my 2 week slot!!

And NO, I would NEVER leave Kefalonia "on the shelf" if the "family from hell" turned up there, because,
A... as someone has already pointed out on here, Kefalonia is more "up market" than Turkey, and it seems to attract a nicer bunch of people. (probably wouldn't be up their street).
B... It's equally as beautiful, (if not more so) than Turkey, but without the pestering and "hassle".
C.... When we stay in Kef, we generally stay in a relative's private villa................"Simples",........tttchhhhh

Just to say... Thanks for the back-up "groovybaby".

It's true, we're in our 50's, but we're not old "fuddy duddy's", I like music as much as the next person, but music blasting out 17 hours a day????....... It's enough to try the patience of a saint!!

There was nowhere to escape or relax with a book, or simply have a quiet chat, it was a beautiful hotel with pretty gardens, and benches and little seating area's, but also blasting music, in your face, day in, day out.

Even people on holiday need sleep, and I was sure it was yet another plot to make people spend more money.

It was mid September, and it was hot, but not mega hot.
We could quite easily have managed without spending more money on paying £6 a night for the air-conditioning,
simply by just leaving the apartment windows open, but it was impossible to sleep through music blasting out,
and anyone wishing to experience the luxury of sleep was forced to close all the windows, and pay for the air-con.
Air-con, or A-con?
I know what my verdict was...................An extra £84 added to the hotel bill!!!!

Hi Pandy,
Really sorry to hear that your holiday was a bit of a disaster. It sounds as though you were unlucky for a second time- enough to put anybody off going again. Turkey isn't everyone's cup of tea and having been there twice now, I doubt I'll be going again. We holidayed there mainly because we wrongly thought it was a cheap destination. It's back to Greece for us in the future.

Just want to add though that although we did get the usual waiters and shopkeepers touting for business, we didn't once feel hassled or threatened. Unlike yourselves, we did like Olu Deniz and thought the lagoon and beach area/scenery was stunning. It's unfortunate that you picked a hotel that must have had a reputation for LOUD music but the type of clientele you get at any hotel is just the luck of the draw.

Anyway, it seems Turkey is done and dusted for you- Look forward to your next holiday in Kephalonia (this is a place I'll be trying in the future) and don't forget to do your research on the hotel.

Hi Pandy, Groovybaby and Shirley,

IF, at some point in the future, you should have a change of heart about returning to Turkey, then I would suggest that you look at the resort of Kalkan, which is a more up market resort, whereby you don't get the hassle you get in the bigger resorts. I recommend Hotel Nur, we have stayed here twice and being 50 and 60 somethings we enjoyed our stay here. You want to relax, then this is the place for you, no families from hell here, for a start, the owner wouldn't entertain the Booking and would also not entertain any noise in his hotel !! When you are sitting by the pool, the music isn't blasted at you and is more likely to be traditional Turkish music from a radio station. The people of Kalkan are very friendly and welcoming.

Les

Hi Pandy
Hisoranu is a bit of a loud and brash resort and its a shame as it seems that you have come accross some unfortunate behaviour. We are a similar age to you and I do agree with you that with some judicious choosing you can tend to lessen your chances of being lumbered with families like this as there would just be nothing to attract them to places like Kefalonia in the first instance. I really dont see why people should be forced into joining in the craic if that really isnt their thing - its your own choice on your own holiday - and if you dont want loud and brash then it's your perogative. Was never hassled in Amsterdam either or in Algarve or in Menorca this year, not in the way you are in Turkey. Yes it can be a very beautiful country in places with lovely weather and there is a superb range of accommodation to choose from, but the people just see you as a walking cash machine and I can't stand the way that actually physically touch/grab you to get your attention lol.

I live in on the outskirts of London and often when I go in town I think I would like to be hassled a bit. The sheer indifference of some of the staff in stores, bars & restaurants is amazing, especially in this recession, sometimes you would think they don't want any business at all. Hassle ? I think not.

Kalkan sounds good cruisecontroller.

Doe