Marmaris has a population 40,000 and is fairly vibrant all year round. I spent new year down the marina and thought is was the height of summer there were so many people. cost of living tends to be higher in tourist resorts and although there is crime it is very low. Shopping is Ok but better to take a day trip to Izmir.
marmaris tends to be more British orientated with quite a large ex pat community.

marmaris is like Blakpool in the summer. Winter..apart from New Year..is dire...my husbands brother is a traffic cop there so we go over now and then. We live in Alanya which is a lively resort with a large expat community. its also oıne of the mildest places in Turkey in the winter months. the airport in Antalya is 140 kilometres away and the road is good mostly dual carriage way now. the scenery is stunning and the area abounds in historical sites(which is true of any place in this country. the shopping is great. cost of living is cheaper than in the uk...depending on how you spend. another place to consider for big city life with good beaches too is Antalya...Lara area. hope this helps.

gap

If you have seen my previous post on this sort of thing then you will know I live in west Antalya (konyaalti) we have a few Brits here maybe ten or so within 700 meters from my house so we are not in an enclave. Antalya has very good shopping, cinemas (films in English with Turkish subtitles)and more important as you get older good hospitals and close to airport which is open all year unlike Dalaman. Also we have a beach and are close to the resorts for variety of beaches etc, restaurants are open all year etc,etc. But as I have advised many people think carefully before you decide as its great for some people but not all. If you would like to know more contact me on PM or via website as in my profile. Good luck to you in your search.

Marmaris like blackpool.... please read umpteen posts on the turkey forum ref this subject. It is true that it is the no1 resort for british tourists and enjoys a fun reputation for ALL ages. people tend to go to the area they know or have holidayed in.
I am also glad that you experienced the dire weather conditions here "now and then". its like saying that alanya is stifling and humid during the whole summer, well at least it was when I was there in august.
Turkey is a beautiful place with many different aspects. lets all comment on the good and bad where we live and that way get a balanced picture

http://www.clubrena.com ..... escape

Marmaris has changed a lot and agree with Chelseaboy it is horses for courses and if you like it good luck to you. I got married there in 1992 and incidently chelsea boy your partners uncle was witness at the wedding(Baba Mehmet as he is known to us). Anyway it is not the sleepy little town it was and in the summer it does throb but at the same time does cater for most people.

oh dear chelsea boy sorry you took my remarks personally. Dire was not the weather but the winter scene in Marmaris. which is pretty quiet.
Gap was seeking info on a glamorous resort with year round activities. antalya or Alanya are more likely to fit the bill.
as for the weather theres not much diff between here and over there where you are..except Alanya does have banana plantations so has to be a bit milder.

*Edit non English language removed. We only allow posts in English -Glynis*

Just to point out that Dalaman is only closed to international flights in the winter (at the moment).
Domestic flights still operate so you can fly to Dalaman via Istanbul.
You can also of course fly to Antalya and either hire a car or get the coach.
For anyone who has not used the coach system in Turkey, it is a very efficient and very cheap way of travelling around the country.
As for "glamorous", sorry but I do not think in winter, other than Istanbul maybe, that you will find anywhere in Turkey that you could honestly call "glamorous".

mihat
you're right but might need to define 'glamorous) unless its a turkish nitespot ..but need to be initiated first. the other query from Gap was related to security. Can be a problem for the first floor..just see all the apartments with bars round. we've never had any probs but then i leave all the lights on and the telly and the balcony doors open. My neighbours (Turks) think i'm nuts.
Given the poor wages, lack of work in tourist areas out of season, and no social security, it's a wonder that the crime rate is so low compared to affluent europe.
last note about the buses ..they're a bargain. run on time, comfortable ,cheap and go all over.

Personal security
I and my family have never had any problems or seen any problems.We have always felt 100% safe in Turkey which is more than I can say when out at night in my small hometown in the UK.
Home security.
It pays to be sensible, although the crime rate is a lot lower than in the UK there are occasional burglaries (I believe Kalkan suffered a rash of them last year).Bars or shutters on windows and steel exterior doors with good multi point locking systems.Lock the doors and windows when out and dont leave valuables lying around.
If you are going to live in Turkey, a "Turkish" dog is a very good deterrent (although of course, shouldn't be kept in an apartment).

I suggest you consider Turgutreis on the Bodrum Peninsula. Its a vibrant town that is still alive in the winter, its more upmarket than Marmaris. Are you going to but a property?

I moved to Calis last year and loved it. I thought I had done te right thing. But there has been a lot of breakins in the area recently including my own house last month. I know that Turkey does not have a big crime rate but the Calis area seems to be popular at the moment for the thief. You need to make sure you have security as even in a place as lovely as this you never know what will happen.

Hi
For what it is worth, the only way to make this decision is to go and have a look!!!
We went to Side, half way between Antalya and Alanya last Oct, for a holiday and to look at houses.
Side is nice, but full of Germans. We hired a car and went to Alanya and it looks lovely, but could not find what we wanted. We drove up to Antalya but it is huge!!!!! Big sprawling city!!! We went over the mountains which is delightful, and down the coast. Most of it we loved, especially Gocek!!!
We finally setted on Bodrum because it is easy to get to all the year round.
Charters in the summer and scheduled in the winter.
There are lots of sites on the Internet, and our advice is to do lots of research. We spen MONTHS on it!!!
But, you have to go and have a look and make the decision then.
What I can tell you is that you will LOVE Turkey!!!
Geoff and Olya

Geoff and Olya,
Congratulations on your purchase.I am sure you will be very happy, but, which airlines fly scheduled direct from UK into Bodrum in winter?
As far as I am aware you have to go via Istanbul (in this way you can also get to Dalaman etc).

or kthy to Izmir which isnt far from Bodrum

Hi
Sorry, thats what I meant, via Istanbul.
But I do know that Cyprus Turkish Airlines fly direct from Izmir in the winter, but never used them

Olya

We finally setted on Bodrum because it is easy to get to all the year round.

Sorry, thats what I meant, via Istanbul.

So basically, as "easy" to get to as any of the resorts.

Hi Mibut

I think maybe we should start a post about airports and how easy it is to get to the various resorts!!!
I know there is a lot of confusion about which airports are open and which are closed during the winter time. And I would think that a lot of people would be interested in this.
For example:
I have heard rumours that Bodrum is going to expand their airport.
There is going to be a new airport near Alanya. Dalaman is a military airport and closes down in the winter. All of these are rumours, and it would be really nice if someone who actually lives in Turkey can either dispel them or tell us which is fact or not.

Olya

Dalaman is open for internal flights in the winter, so fly via Istanbul.
Antalya is open all year but you cannot get an internal flight to the other airports, only to Istanbul.
Istanbul is the hub for internal flights.
Izmir -Bodrum, depending where on the peninsula is 260-300kms, not nice after a four and a half hour flight plus airport time plus travel to airport time.
There are always rumours regarding airports in Turkey.
Last years favourite was that Dalaman would be open for international flights winter 2004/5 which didn't happen.