Dave's 2011 Review

(05)06-08-11 to 22-08-11 Moonlight Apartments, Icmeler

Myself (47), wife (42), daughter 1 (18) and daughter 2 (15)

We also travelled with two families of friends, Husband, Wife and Son (11) plus Husband and Wife

The week of the holiday finally arrived and we all looked forward to our flight on Friday for our 17 nights in Icmeler, we had a pre-holiday get together at the weekend and drank Efes, ate Turkish style BBQ food with Salsa and dips and discussed what we were looking forward to.

Wednesday afternoon the bomb was dropped that AegeanFlights plus H4U had gone into administration, I found out as I had popped onto the Manchester Airport website and there it was on the main page, making the phone calls to the other families was not a pleasant experience and everyone was shocked, I spent the next two hours looking at options but it was difficult with three groups involved, eventually we decided to call an emergency meeting at our house for 19:00 that night to decide on our options.

We looked at all routes to enable us to keep our holiday and in the end we settled to travel out via Rhodes and back via Bodrum, this was the lowest cost option and meant only losing one day of our holiday.

Costs for the nine of us with Easyjet £2762.17 and the Rhodes to Marmaris Ferry £347.27, this worked out at £345.49 per person, every other option we looked at was £400+ per person and only for 14 days and terrible flight times. We decided to book it on one credit card as a group booking to ensure we were all going, we were worried that by doing three separate bookings one after the other the seats may have sold out before we had all booked.

All done we knew we were still going on holiday, smiles returned to everyone's faces, we would worry about paying the CC bill when we came back.

(Just a thought but I think the UK government should make it a legal requirement to ring fence any monies paid for flights/holidays until the holiday has been completed, once completed the agent/ airline can take their slice of the costs/profits).

As usual Thursday morning my wife and kids took the dogs to the kennels for their holiday while I worked from home, at least we had an extra day to pack as we were not going now until Saturday, 1pm arrived and I was officially on holiday. Fortunately my wife remembered we had not changed our minibus to the airport from Friday to Saturday so quickly made sure that was done, I contacted our apartments to inform them we would be a day late arriving and could they arrange pick up from Maramaris port instead of Dalaman at 18:30 Saturday, this was not a problem, in fact they were very relieved as they had been inundated with cancellations for the rest of the season for the rooms they let privately out. For information since being back I have had my phone bill and a 4 minute call to a Turkish mobile was just under £3

I then decided to write my letter to my Credit Card company enclosing all the evidence such as invoice, booking confirmation, account statement and most importantly the CAA letter. I actually posted the letter Friday morning at the post office, I ensured I sent it registered post for proof of delivery, hopefully they would action the claim quickly if I was one of the first claims to be received.

Friday morning we were all up early and packing commenced, we are getting quite good at this now and our two cases weighed 50Kg with an allowance of 60Kg (For four people), we rang our friends about 11am to inform them if they needed more allowance that could use some of ours as we were on the same booking.

Friday evening and we decided that as we couldn't go out in Icmeler we would go out anyway, so late afternoon off to the pub we went for a few last drinks, we collected a Chinese takeaway on the way home which we all enjoyed, All too soon 10pm arrived and it was time for bed as it was going to be an early start on the Saturday.

The alarm clock went off at 3am and we got ready for our 3.45am pick up which was on time, we collected another family on route and by 4.30am we were pulling into Liverpool airport, the roads were clear with no delays but I always allow an extra 30 minutes to an hour for the journey as a precaution.

The Airport

I had been to Liverpool airport earlier in the week flying on business, I hadn't expected to be back so soon though. As we were flying with Easyjet we had an 30 minutes to wait before the check-in opened 2 hours before the flight, this wasn't too bad and the time seemed to fly, it also gave me chance to have a couple of cigarettes outside as well.

5am arrived and we went to check-in, this was orderly and quick, I think it was only about 15 minutes in the queue, a lot better than OnurAir last year at Manchester. When purchasing luggage we had bought 7 bags (140Kg between the 9 of us), we only checked in 6 well under weight and the agent asked us if we wanted to check in another bag too use our full allowance which we declined, she also advised us that our flight was departing from gate 10 but keep an eye on the screens just in case this changed.

Two of our friends then went to the Easyjet desk to purchase speedy boarding but they were refused unless all 9 of us purchased the option, in my opinion a stupid business policy as they lost £21 in revenue.

Time for one final smoke outside and finally we went through to airside.

Security was quick (15 Mins) with all x-ray machines open, this made a change from the previous Monday when it took 40 minutes as only two machines were open.

As we were flying via Rhodes we were unable to take advantage of the duty free shops, we would have to wait until the journey between Greece and Turkey.

Our friends went off to the bar, we just purchased water for the journey from Boots, 45 minutes before the flight we went to gate 10 hoping it wouldn't be changed and we were the first in the none speedy boarding queue, when the gate was announced fortunately is was gate 10 and all the other passengers arrived.

Pre-boarding started and about 30 speedy boarders went first, passengers with infants under 5 were called but none turned up so we were then next, we all queued on the staircase waiting to be called to the aircraft, the wait was only for a few minutes, Once called forward to actually board I couldn't believe it all the speedy boarders went to the front steps, we went straight to the rear steps and were amazed that due to the congestion at the front of the aircraft we obtained a wing exit row for three, my wife and children were immediately behind and our other friends behind them.

All passengers seated, the doors were closed and then came the dreaded announcement from the cockpit.

"Ladies and gentlemen this is the captain speaking, due to air traffic congestion over Greece we have been allocated a new take of slot 90 minutes from now, the average delay currently in Europe is 120 minutes to fly to this area."

As you can imagine the groans started, with why "have we boarded" etc etc, the captain must have expected this reaction as immediately he followed the announcement with "The reason we have boarded you on time is that we have now reported to air traffic control that we are ready to go and if an earlier slot becomes available due to another aircraft being delayed we may be allocated it."

My first thoughts were with the delay we will only have little just over an hour to make our ferry (the last from Rhodes that day), if we are delayed anymore we may be looking for somewhere to sleep for the night.

Forty minutes later and the Captain announces we have got an earlier slot and we would be pushing back in 5 minutes, a cheer went up, I was relieved that we should make the ferry.

The Flight

The plane was an Airbus A320, we taxied out, waited for another aircraft to land and then we were away accelerating down the runway, we were soon airborne and on our way.

Leg room was good even in normal rows, my wife commented it was the most leg room she had since flying with BA in 1995, also none of the seats had a recline function so well done Easyjet, this should be standard on all aircraft with a seat pitch less than 31 inches.

Seatbelts were soon turned off and the drinks service was begun, they were quite efficient and soon were at our row (13), this was a lot better than last year with Onur air who were so slow.

Some examples of prices:-

Can of Stella - £3.60
Can of Magners Cidre £4.00
Bottle of J2O £2.80
Coffee £2.50

They also served hot bacon banquettes and Cheese and Ham Toasties which we didn't buy as we took our own sandwiches, however I did have a bacon baguette earlier in the week on another flight and it was not nice, the bacon was fatty and the roll soggy.

Being an early morning start I napped for a short while then started to read a book, my kids watched a film on a laptop, they performed a second drinks service about 2 hours into the flight, I also noticed people purchasing drinks from the galley area as well during the whole flight, there was no turbulence at all during the flight and before we knew it we were descending into Rhodes airport.

The landing was firm and OK and we actually landed only 20 minutes late.

Rhodes Airport

We were disembarked from the plane by both front and rear steps onto two buses, these took us about 100 metres to international arrivals and we all headed to passport control which was slow but the advantage was that by the time we came through the bags had started coming out on the carousel, ours arrived quite quickly and off outside we trooped. Rhodes airport is small but functional.

Outside we took 10 minutes to have a cigarette and then off to the taxi rank where plenty were available, we checked the price to Rhodes ferry port €22 per taxi and the 9 of us jumped into three of them for the 20 minute run.

This was my first visit to Rhodes and the old town did look nice, we are even considering it for a two centre holiday together with Icmeler in a few years' time. (3 days Rhodes, 14 days Icmeler)

Rhodes ferry Port and ferry to Marmaris

Once at the harbour we had two hours to wait for our ferry, I went to the ticket office who informed me that I had to come back at 4pm to collect our tickets for the 5.30pm sailing, it was hot with little shade but we found some and went off to get some beers and soft drinks.

4pm arrived and about 100 people were waiting to collect tickets, fortunately I was only about 10th in the queue but it was very slow and we were all stood outside queuing. Note to self ‘pack sun cream at the top of the suitcase in future so it's easily accessed'.

Tickets collected you need to go through passport control and then it was off to duty free, I purchased 3 cartons of Silkcut for €18 per carton, you could buy 2 litres of Gordons Gin for €16 but I had nearly ran out of Euros. Once you leave the duty free shop you are outside on the harbour with no shade, we were there for 40 minutes as our ferry was stuck out at sea waiting for a monster of a cruise liner to leave port which took ages as it had to perform a uturn with bow and stern thrusters, finally our ferry was allowed to moor and following disembarkation of the passengers from Marmaris we were allowed to board in a totally unorganised rugby scrum.

There were a lot of people with suit cases who had done the same route as us to get to Marmaris, these were taken off us at the top of the gang plank, we got them back in Marmaris covered in salt so they must have been stored on deck.

The crossing via catamaran should have taken 1 hour but for us it was 1 hour 20 minutes, I think this was due to the slightly heavy seas which must have reduced the speed, for the first 15 minutes there was quite a lot of rolling and pitching but I saw no one being ill.

The boat was completely full, all seating was in inside and you cannot go on deck, the little bar was reasonable and I savoured my first Efes, looking around it amazed me how many people had been rocked to sleep including my family.

Finally we arrived in Marmaris, on entry to the terminal you purchase your visa, then you have the option to buy duty free where I bought 2 litres of Gin and 1 litre of Bacardi for 95 Lira, unlike previous years in Dalaman they are strict and only allow one bottle per passenger.

Passport control seemed really slow, it must have taken 30 minutes to get through as we were near the back, however all booths were manned and with 4 officers for 400 passengers they were actually checking a passenger on average every 18 seconds at each booth so not bad at all in reality.

Outside the terminal we spotted our transfer driver, we were nearly there.

Transfer to Icmeler (None ICR)

Only a short transfer from Marmaris port to our apartments but the minibus was cool and we knew that we would be there soon.

Arriving at Icmeler

As we drove through Marmaris I was reminded how bad the Turkish drive with their horns sounding, while speeding through the streets, women riding side saddle on the back of the scooters due to the shortness of their skirts, total lack of respect for people trying to cross the road, taxi's pulling out of side streets without giving way as obviously they own the roads, GOD IT FELT SO GOOD TO BE BACK

We finally came past the Marmaris palace hotel and the bay of Icmeler came into view, we were finally here, only three days previously we thought we had lost the chance to come, Turning around looking at everyone else there were smiles everywhere.

We pulled up at our apartments and the manageress was waiting for us outside, the staff quickly arrived took our cases, when we checked in we were all allocated the three rooms we had requested the previous year when we booked, we were not expecting this as we had been told only a few weeks before that only one would be available when we arrived,

Bags were taken to our rooms, the items we leave in the basement each year were returned to us but this was no time to stop and unpack, it was straight to the bar. Those first large bottles of Efes tasted so good, we were now definitely on holiday.

Accommodation

I won't review the Moonlight apartments here as they are not with ICR however we had a great time as usual.

Places we ate and drank

Saturday 6th August - Harry Rams

A good simple meal, as normal Typhoon looked after us, is was just what we needed after such a long day travelling, it was then back to the apartments to do some unpacking and catch up with the staff.

Sunday 7th August - Three (4) Bells

We had chilled out all day around the pool except for a visit to the supermarkets and the ICR office where we booked a Turkish bath for the following day.

The same every year, my youngest daughter insists every Sunday that we eat at the three bells, (We allow her 2 out of the 3 Sundays when we are in Icmeler) the roast dinners were as good as ever and the Korean kitchen food was also well received.

We had reserved a table earlier in the day but surprisingly the restaurant was not full when we arrived at 8.30pm which is strange, this showed to us that Icmeler was quieter than normal.

The Three Bells also now has a place on the road to the old village, this will be the new location from next year when they leave their existing premises, we were given a voucher for a free drink each at the new bar which we used later in the holiday. An excellent way of getting existing clientele to know where the new restaurant will be, the owners definitely have their business heads on.

Following the meal we stayed for the Karaoke for a while and then went for a walk and to see Murat and Sonia at Firuze jewellers, I left a ring for repair and our friend left her rings to be re-dipped in white gold.

Monday 8th August - Tandori Sizzler

Another lazy day for me and my wife, our friends and daughters went off to the Turkish Bath.

We just had to give the Tandori Sizzler a go and I was so pleased we did, Service was excellent and I tried the Topkapi Kebab that was recommended on the forum, it was fantastic, with the ICR discounts this was one of cheaper nights, I wanted to go back but the kids didn't although they couldn't exactly say why, I will go back next year if we get to Icmeler as it will hopefully be just my wife and I.

Tuesday 9th August - Vinces

Following a great day on the lazy day boat trip we headed off to Vinces, we had been there a couple of time on our last few visits and we were remembered, it was a hot night but Vince brought over another fan for us, the food and service was excellent and we left full and satisfied.

Wednesday 10th August - Apartments following Flag walk

Yet another lazy day around the pool, early evening we climbed to the flag not getting back until nearly 8pm, after we had quenched our thirst and showered it was 9.30pm so we decided to stay at the apartments and enjoyed a lovely meal.

Thursday 11th August - Turkish Night at Apartments

The morning was again spent around the pool, in the afternoon we went down to the beach to sample Savas's Ice Chocolate drinks with Vanilla Ice Cream (6.5 Lira each) at his Café Ann on the prom, we had missed him the last couple of years as his are definitely the best ice chocolates in Icmeler, it was nice to catch up with him.

The Turkish night was another excellent night and a great way to meet other guests, as usual the entertainment included Break Dancing, Belly Dancer and Traditional Turkish dancing as well as a few party games and dancing to the current popular tunes.

Friday 12th August - Hanedan, Three (4) Bells

You guessed it another day around the pool, I started my second book and just relaxed in the shade with the odd beer here and there.

The Hanedan was a Restaurant I was definitely looking forward to, our friends had been on the Wednesday night and said it was very good, they had booked a table for nine of us for the Friday at 8.30pm, we arrived five minutes early but no table was available, we were asked to wait for 5 minutes while they pushed a number of tables together at the side of the restaurant and we sat down, we ordered food and drinks, the drinks arrived quickly and at the same time so did a lot of flying ants, it freaked by youngest out, we noticed they were coming out of a hole in the tile grouting under the table which we blocked using tissues, we explained to the waiter that there were a lot of flying ants but he said there were coming from outside the restaurant and there was nothing they could do, unfortunately my daughter was very upset and refusing to come back to the table, I checked our food had not yet been started and cancelled our food order, I paid for the drinks, left a large tip for the inconvenience and the four of us went elsewhere, the others did stay and they said the ants disappeared quite quickly but it was too late by then for our daughter.

We ended up at the Three (4) Bells where at least 3 flying ants were extracted from my daughters long hair but she had now settled down so we ordered our meal which was ready in less than 30 minutes and we really enjoyed it.

After a meal we walked to Firuze, I collected my repaired ring where there was no charge, my wife looked at rings and I looked at watches, my wife selected a beautiful ring which we agreed on for £180 after a little bartering, it needed to be resized so we would collect Sunday and pay for it at the same time, I selected a watch but stated I would make a decision towards the end of the holiday once we knew how the money was going, I still had the extra flights to pay for in the back of my mind.


Saturday 13th August - Harry Rams and Deniz Kapisi

We decided it was time for us bunch to trunch to Turunc for brunch come lunch, we walked down the harbour and caught the 11am ferry, 15 Lira per person return, once we arrived we walked around the small town and shops and then went for a fantastic Chicken Kebab wrap, it was the best Kebab wrap I have had in years, mid-afternoon we headed back to Icmeler, calling at Savas' café ann on the prom for more Ice Chocolates, it was then back to the apartments to watch the football, on the way past Harry Rams we called in to reserve some pies for the evening meal.

About 8pm we ate at Harry Rams and then decided to go to Deniz Kapisi for the Karaoke competition, the venue is now a lot smaller and they don't start the completion until a lot later than usual, it was interesting that the judges chose the winner who appeared to be part of their own group.

During the day my feet had got badly bitten by Mosi's in Turunc so I decided to get a taxi back (10 Lira) with my wife as my trainers were rubbing the bites, the kids went off for a 1am ice cream with our friends.

Sunday 14th August - Three (4) Bells

Another great meal and service, following the meal we booked a table at Captain Bullsh#ts for the following night and then we went to Firuze for our friends to collect her dipped rings £6 each and for me to pay for my wife's new ring.

Monday 15th August - Yorkshire Lass Restaurant (Captain Bullsh#ts)

After a great day on the Jeep Safari we arrived at Captain Bulls at 8.30pm as planned and our table was waiting for us, we all had great food and it was nice to catch up with the Captain and Jimmy. My wife says the best Sizzler dishes are from here which I have to agree with.

Tuesday 16th August - Mr Cook

Another lazy day around the pool, we didn't know where to eat at night so just went for a walk, we decided to eat at Mr Cook's near the Istanbul restaurant, big big mistake. The front of staff were pleasant and our drinks and free Mesi arrived quickly, after an hour I queried where our food was as there were only three other tables eating and they had all been served, there were only four of us on this occasion, the manager came over and said it would be about 10 minutes, I explained that he had 15 minutes or we would go elsewhere, the food arrived and it was stone cold which we couldn't eat, We finished our drinks and paid the bill with no tip, in the end I should have refused to pay for the food but I just didn't want the hassle that night, I just wanted to leave, it was obvious that they wanted us to drink more while waiting for the food. We won't be going back and I would advise no one else to try it either.

Wednesday 17th August - Take away on the Balcony

Another great day on a boat trip, our friends ground floor balcony could easily accommodate the 9 of us so we decided to have a cheap night in, we had purchased beer the day before which was cooling in the fridges, the ladies had Vodka, Whisky and Gin from duty free for their drinks and the kids were fine on pop with the occasional peach schnapps from the bar for the 15+.

At 9.30pm the men went down to Nefes and placed an order for food to be collected at 10pm, this consisted of Pide, Chicken Wraps, Salad etc., enough for 9 of us less than 90 Lira, we then took the chance to have a drink at the Robin Hood where we met Bob (Barney), we then collected the food and went back to the apartments where a good night was had by all, about 1am we joined other guests at the apartment bar for the last couple of drinks.

Thursday 18th August - Don Corleone (Formally Black Sea Restaurant)

We were up quite early as it was A'Level result day and my daughter would find out if she had been accepted at her first choice university.

The UCAS web site kept crashing but eventually four hour later we finally logged on and she had achieved her first choice university, there were tears all around even from the staff, I had been pacing the bar, I felt like I was in the Maternity ward nearly 19 years previously.

I quickly ordered drinks all round and asked the apartments to supply a big chocolate cake for up to 20 people for 6pm, it arrived on time for 45 Lira and anyone at the bar was asked to join our celebrations, the cake was that large that it lasted a further two days for the nine of us having a piece each evening.

Some guests at our apartments had recommended the Don Corleone restaurant, It was excellent and such good value, service was good, free starters included olives, bruschetta and bread for dipping in olive oil with chillies.

The main course was delivered quickly and was enjoyed by all, one of the lowest cost meals with food and service that would normally cost a lot more. First impressions were that the portions were slightly on the small side but they were just right, I felt I had eaten enough without feeling stuffed.

Friday 19th August - Robin Hood

Yes another lazy day, I'm now on my third book and I'm totally chilled out, this is what a holiday is all about.

Following our chat with Bob on Wednesday we decided to go for the quiz night, the restaurant was packed and Bob was very apologetic that there would be delay of at least an hour for food, this was no issue as he had set customer expectations through communication, that's all I ask for. In fact 115 minutes later he presented us with a bottle of wine on the house which we could either consume or take away with us for the slow service, this was an excellent piece of customer service, we saved the wine to take with us and continued to purchase drinks.

The quiz night was fun with quite a bit of banter which we all enjoyed. Karaoke followed but my wife and I left early as I decided that I had saved enough to buy the watch I had my eye on for £200, I wanted to ensure that I had it for a couple of days to test the water resistance.

Saturday 20th August - Don Corleone and Harmony Bar

Again another lazy day around the pool, I tested my watch on my ankle in the deep end of the pool, this would be the greatest water pressure it would receive in its life as I don't dive or snorkel at all, I'm please to say it passed 30 minutes with no water entering the watch.

As we enjoyed the meal so much on Thursday we went back to Don Corleone together with another family, our friends ordered Risotto and he stated it was the best he had ever had, that shows the chef is good as Risotto although a simple dish is difficult to get perfect.

Following the meal we went to see Stella at the Harmony bar, as last year the cover charge was 15 lira but your first drink free, we all chose cocktails for 13-14 lira each, the show was excellent and a good night was had by all, Michael was definitely on form.

Back to the apartments we had a few more drinks and retired at 1.45am, I should have retired earlier as my alarm was set to go off at 4am to go fishing.

Sunday 21st August - Venice

4am and the alarm is ringing, considering I had only had 2 hours sleep I woke wide awake, washed, dressed, bag packed I was at the bar for 4.30am, people were still drinking from the night before but being sensible I drank coffee, the other three guests arrived and at 5am the taxi picked us up to take us to the boat.

It was a great morning, seeing the sun rise was fantastic, we also saw a pod of dolphins in the bay. We had 2Kg of prawns for bait and by 9.30am we had used it all, we headed back to port, it was an ideal 5 hour trip out. We caught Red Snapper, Lapper and Archer (flying) fish, a total of about 6Kg, this was taken back to the apartments and the chef kindly cooked it all for us in the afternoon, this was split between the families of the four guys who went. Archer fish was interesting, it's apparently the most expensive fish in Turkey at 100 Lira per kilo at the fishmongers, it had the texture if chicken but the taste of Pollock.

In the evening we went to Venice and had a great meal, service was quick and efficient and was just what we wanted, we than went for our final walk of the holiday as the following day we would be leaving at 9am for the airport.

Tipping

The same as last year for Tipping I left 10% or 10 Lira which ever was the less, if we just went for a drink somewhere then we didn't leave a tip unless we stayed for more than one round.

Thought on Icmeler ( previous years)

This is our 9th visit to Icmeler.

I say it every year and I will say it again , I am still disappointment that trees are still allowed to grow in the middle of pavements forcing people to walk on the road.

The Hassle this year was more or less zero although I did see a few restaurants closed due to Hassle including Mellissa, Dream Three Bells, and the one behind Mr Cook

Food and Beer prices have increased but overall I spent £200-£300 less than last year due to the exchange rate, I think we averaged about £117 per day for the four of us

The changes to the prom are OK but no one took notice of the bike lane including people and bikes,

I didn't miss the canal stalls at all and it was nice to walk down there without fighting your way through the crowds, if they are coming back I would personally prefer them to be put somewhere else.

People we met

We met JozzyD, JayJay1950 and SWC?? from the ICR Forum, I also met some from facebook groups I belong to.

Trips

VIP Turkish Bath £10 from ICR

My daughters and friends went on this and they had a great time, they also commented that it was a lot better that the one in Marmaris they went to last year which was twice the cost, they also noticed that the price list showed £20 so if you just walked in it would have cost you more.

For the following trips the prices have remained the same for the last number of years but as they were not arranged through ICR I won't mention the prices.

Lazy Day Boat Trip (Eren I)

As normal We did this twice, once the first week and once the second week, it's the perfect way to relax, dipping into the sea at different bays, a lovely BBQ lunch of Chicken, Meat Balls, Pasta and Salad. Drinks, chips and Cake cost extra, We swam in a cave, stopped at various bays and had a great time, we were collected and returned from our apartments, we left the harbour at 10am and returned at 17:30, the first week 23 went from apartments, the second week 37 went and we had the whole boat to ourselves.

The second week Adem the boat captain negotiated for 8 to go on the banana for 10 Lira each instead of 15 Lira, they had a great ride which seemed to last for ages,

Jeep Safari

What a day, 16 of us from our apartments went, in total there were 4 jeeps in the convoy, pickup at 09:30, we all had a great time visiting the Honey makers and wishing tree, Waterfall, Beach, Lunch, Off Roading, Blue Fish and that lovely shower at the end, we got back about 17:00 and the families we persuaded to join us had a great time. DVD was 50 lira, photo disc was 50 Lira or you could buy the two for 75 Lira. Besides the people from our apartment there was a jeep full of people from Iran, they had a great time and joined in the water battles, they also shared pizza and pancakes with all the kids at the end of the day as they had ordered far too much, I think there were expecting a slice each and not a full pizza each.

Turkish Shave

Three of us went, I know this is not a trip as such but it's a lovely hour to treat yourself to.

Our barman recommended the barber next door to the Wayside restaurant so we followed his advice.

I went for a full shave where they shaved me twice with foam and once with water and oil, The fresh blade is opened in front of you so you know all is clean, I also asked for Moustache trim, full facial including back head removal, massage and face pack, I had my nasal hairs trimmed, all ear hair removed by flame, a full haircut and finished off with a head, shoulder massage, total cost 35 Lira (£13)

Climb to the flag

Every year I plan to do this but normally chicken out and blame it on the heat as it's just too hot, I was hoping to join the others on the 18th but my daughter was expecting her A'Level exam results and wanted me there, during the first week of our holidays a group was going from our apartments at 6pm one evening so we decided to join them, loaded with water each we left the apartment following our barman who has just come out of the army and is like a mountain goat, 35 minutes later we were at the flag, it showed me how unfit I am, the top section is the worst I was totally out of breath but 10 minutes later I was recovered and able to enjoy the achievement and fantastic views, I definitely need to give up smoking and loose some of my 20 stones in weight but if I can make it I think most people can, next time it will be at a slower pace though. Coming down was the worst as we went off the path and there are lots of thorn bushes and loose gravel, we were back at the apartments by 7.50pm and went straight to the bar, if you want to do it I would recommend trainers and long trousers as my legs were badly scratched in shorts, once showered I treated them to anti-sceptic cream as a precaution.

Will I go again

Definitely, but not sure when, as my eldest goes to University this September and the youngest is going to Barcelona for a week in July with the school, like a lot of us I have not had a pay rise since the bankers destroyed the economy so we need to see how the money is first, if we do go next year it will just be myself and wife for 7-10 days in September or it will be 2013 when hopefully we can all go in August.

The last day
We were being picked up at 9am by our private transfer so we were up at 7am finishing the packing, the case we leave each year with various items was taken to the basement for us, the cases were weighed and all looked OK, all rooms, draws, closets were checked, a tip was left for the cleaners on the dressing table and we locked our room for the final time and went to the bar to wait for the pickup.

Return transfer

The transfer arrived a few minutes late, following all the goodbyes and tears we were quickly on our way, this was our first time to Bodrum and as we had arrived via ferry it the first time on the Mugla road out of Marmaris this year, the roads have definitely improved since our last visit and once the sweeping bends into Marmaris are completed the journey will be a lot better.

As we climbed up the mountain side towards Mugla (Left at the T-Junction instead of right to Dalaman) the views were spectacular, the roads on the whole were good and 2 hours 10 minutes later we were pulling into Bodrum airport.

Bodrum

There were minimal queues at the main door security points, it took less than five minutes to go through however 30 minutes later Thomas Cook coaches arrived and the queues were massive,

According to our paperwork Easyjet check-in would not open until 2 hours before the flight but on the way to the toilet I noticed they were opened 50 minutes earlier, I quickly called the others in our group and 15 minutes later we were all checked in.

Airside looked very small as you could see through the glass panels, we therefore decided to stay landside, we took the option to go back outside for the odd smoke, although the queues were large we went straight to the front with no luggage.

Finally an hour before the flight we went airside.

Duty free was busy and everything was prices in Euros,

RANT ON: Your currency is Lira, price the bloody stuff in Lira, RANT OFF

800 Silkcut was 80 Euro converted to 210 Lira, Litre of Gin Gordons Gin was 13 Euro

The departure lounge was packed with very little seating, then came the announcement of a 2 hour delay, Oh well, these things happen but I wish they had announced it while we were still land side.

We needed a drink, we were going to wait until we got on the plane for a drink hence the reason staying landside so long but with a delay of 2 hours we needed water, 2.5 euro for a small bottle which costs 0,5 lira in Icmeler.

2 hours quickly went and boarding was called, we were boarded by bus, Speedy boarders were called first who actually ended up at the back of the bus, we were at the back of the queue and boarded the second bus however we were first off the second bus and using the back stairs again managed to get the extra leg room wing seat exits. Door were soon closed and we were ready for departure.

Flight home

As soon as we were boarded the pilot came on the intercom and apologised for the delay, apparently a passenger had suffered a stroke on the outbound flight and the plane had landed at Amsterdam to enable hospital treatment, my thoughts are with their family and I hope a full recovery is achieved,
The flight was good, drinks the same price as going out except that beer was buy two get £1 knocked off,

We had slight turbulence over the alps but noting two heavy,

Landing was smooth and being at Liverpool we were soon at our gate, passport was busy but efficient,

Why does Liverpool need a member of staff to tell you which immigration official to go to, in the end she was useless and the officials were called people over before she could see that there was an opening, we are a society used to queuing, it's a total waste of money to employ anyone and as the tax payer pays for immigration and not the airport here is another saving that could be made. Unfortunately the girl performing this mundane function is the same girl I have seen all year but whoever does this job has a none-job as far as I am concerned.

Luggage was quite quick to arrive, and we were soon leaving the customs area, a couple of people were being quizzed by the officials which makes a change to Manchester where custom officials recently have seen to be extinct.

My daughter was over the moon as when we entered the arrivals area her boyfriend was standing there with a bouquet of flowers.

Over all Liverpool airport gets my vote, its small,l functional and well operated.

Journey from airport home[b]

Once outside the airport I rang our taxi transfer who was parked up around the corner, he arrived within 5 minutes and picked us up at the drop off area which has a 10 minute free parking area,

The journey home was quick with no traffic issues and within 45 minutes we were walking through the door being greeted by two excited dogs who my father-in-law had collected from the kennels a few hours earlier.

[b]What you did next

I have been at work for a week now, this long weekend has given me chance to write my review. Our next priority is to get our daughter ready for University, this weekend I've spend nearly £400 on required booked for her first year. Hopefully we will be returning to Icmeler next year but we need to see how the money goes with Uni ect.

All in all

As I say each year, this was the best holiday so far in Icmeler, every year just gets better and better, once again we had good weather, good food, good drink and more importantly other good guests at the apartments

We look forward to our next holiday in Icmeler whether it be 2012 or 2013.

As normal apologies for the spelling and the grammar etc, I have not really proof read what I typed.