Hi Shortty,

Gumbet is a great resort suitabel for any age group. There are plenty of good bars and restaurants there and some good music/dancing bars for the younger ones. The beach is long so you can have a lovely stroll along and find yourself a good spot to chill for the day. It is mostly shingle but there are sandy parts too, there are also some very nice sandy beaches within easy reach too.

I would recommend you take a look at Parkim Ayaz hotel if you fancy half board. It is a nice hotel, right on the beach and in the centre of the resort. If you prefer AI then have a look at Royal Asarlik, again right on the beach and about 10 minutes to the resort centre. There are some other AI hotels there but hey don't have very good reviews.

Gumbet is a 10 minutes bus ride from Bodrum where you will find a weekly market, plenty of shops, restaurants and bars and you can do some sightseeing too, there is a lovely castle there. You can also do various day trips from Gumbet - boats trip, jeep safari, Turkish night, Turkish bath and trips to places like Ephesus and Pamukkale.

It takes about 45 minutes from the airport to the resort so you don't have a long transfer.

If there is anything else you want to know just ask as I lived in Gumbet for about 3 years so I should be able to help you.

Kedi

Hubby and I went to Gumbet in 2008 and had a fantastic time. We will definately be returning. You'll find something for everyone there!

Here's another one, well two if you count my hubby that loved Gumbet, although it's years since we've been. I'm not sure if you've ruled out B&B but I can highly recommend the Baba Hotel which is in a brilliant location. We also did a nice leisurely gullet trip and had a wonderful, cheap day!

shortty14,

You may find members Resort Reports for Gumbet useful.

Darren

Hi, another recommendation here for Gumbet. It really is ideal for all ages and I'm sure you'll have a great time. Kedi's suggestions of the Royal Asarlik (AI) or Parkim Ayaz (HB) are what I would have suggested. If you fancy B&B and eating out at the great restaurants and bars in the resort, I would recommend the Serhan Hotel. It's a more small and friendly hotel than the other two - but really great value and in a good location.

Just doing a quick comparison of the Royal Asarlik and the Serhan for the same week in July (two rooms in each hotel); there is a difference of just over £1100 (yes £1100) for the two hotels - that's a hell of a difference. But there again maybe you prefer AI or a "posher" hotel.

I'm only suggesting this as one of the complaints that we have found from people staying AI is that the food tends to get very repetitive - and there are so many good places to eat out in Gumbet, that it would be a shame to miss out. Also, if the young ones are looking for night life, there's plenty in Gumbet so they probably wouldn't benefit from the AI drinks in the evening. Don't worry, there's also plenty of night life for the older ones (I can say older ones 'cos I'm the same age LOL).

Gumbet is a great place but it's also easy to get around and explore the rest of the peninsula as well - don't miss that as it's well worth seeing.

If you do decide on Gumbet (or anywhere close by) and want any more information, just give us a shout. We have a house in Gumbet and will be spending the summer there this year from April to October (with just a break in July/August to get away from the mad hot weather).

JAK xx

The last thing I would worry about in Turkey is the hotel not being very clean! I have never had an upset tummy in Turkey and find the Turkish people extremely clean. Our first visit was to Olu Deniz and we loved it so much we went later in the year and also the following year. Last year we tried Side, very nice but not the same atmosphere/ambience and more geared to other nationalities. We are trying Gumbet for the first time this year as it sounds ideal for our daughter and her friend who are at the age where they don't know what time to come in at night! We always go AI in Turkey because it is more cost effective for us, we choose a good hotel [you get what you pay for] and have always had really excellent food and drinks. This may be something to bear in mind as drinks are expensive in Turkey, if you are buying a round of four every time it will soon add up. Food is reasonably priced though and good quality [we don't stay chained to the hotel] It's still cheaper than Spain, Canaries etc; but not as cheap as it used to be. The AI we have been to really have been excellent value for money, even if you are not big drinkers, the fact you have bottled water, soft drinks, coffee on tap all day is worth it in my opinion and we do get out and about while spending very little! Wherever you choose to go you won't be dissapointed, it's a lovely country with lovely people.

I personally wouldn't go AI to Turkey as there's so much to see and do, and so many restaurants and bars to choose from!

I do have to agree with that, there are so many good places to eat out, some of them very reasonable it does seem a bit of a shame to be restricted to eating at the same place every mealtime. Drinks can be expensive but it depends what you drink really. Beer is cheap as are local spirits but if you drink anything that has to be imported e.g. Scotch Whisky, Jack Daniels, Bacardi, Archers, Mailbu etc then it does get very expensive as imported drinks have a huge tax put on them.

Shirley, the Baba hotel is no longer there, it was closed down the end of 2008 and has been empty ever since.

It sometimes gets a bit repetitive on here but once again the OP asked about AI or HB

People are just suggesting alternatives in case the OP was interested, that was all. I have already given recommendations for AI and HB hotels.

Yes Kedi I understand that but the point I was trying to make was; why not answer the original question? If I asked something specific I wouldn't particularly be interested in other peoples views of anything ..........shall we say.......random? We always did SC when our children were small but things change as they get older and sometimes people ask the question about AI because they like to budget in advance especially if it's a country they haven't visited before. Each to their ownbut we would not be able to afford the four of us to eat out every night with a few drinks apiece for what we pay going AI. I'll keep doing the lottery though

Minione that was just an opinion. If she were to get a B&B option at a great price then maybe she wouldn't rule it out that's all people were saying. If shortty14 had a problem with anyones replies then I'm sure she would have said herself!
Kedi- I can't believe the Baba hotel has been closed down, hubby and I were there in 2008 and had a brilliant time, it was so central to everything. We would have returned there in a heartbeat!

Well I'm sure the OP wont mind a few additional suggestions, if she doesn't like them she can always ignore them

The trouble is there aren't really many decent Ai hotels in Gumbet that are reasonably priced. Which hotel are you staying at Minione?

Marlou, you're right, it is a shame Baba hotel was closed, it was perfectly situated. It was bit odd last year with this great gap along the sea front. I don't know what will happen this year.

Hi, we booked WOW Bodrum resort just last night. AI suits us, as I said when our children were small SC was the preferred option but blimey when they want to go clubbing,bars etc we really couldn't afford soft drinks, wine with meals, snacks here and there, it really is a whole different ballgame when they reach mid teens but still want to come with Mum & Dad , youngest is at uni so a poor student still milking it. Who can blame her when Dad is still willing to pay Think it definitely depends on circumstances, age of your party etc; weigh it up, will you be spending much on drinks? By the ages in your party I would say yes unless you are all teetotal I would never knock anyones idea of a holiday, it's certainly different strokes for different folks. Enjoy yours however you spend it!

Slightly but I like to hear other people's suggestions. Minione - we were opposite to you. We didn't start going abroad until our kids were 1 & 13 & always went SC - can't really remember doing much catering though. We didn't start going HB & AI until the kids had moved out SC is still our prefered option - we just love the freedom, but if the AI is a good price then we'll go there & have an occasional night out.

I would recommend the Parkim Ayaz in Gumbet ,having stayed there last May.
Its sold on a HB basis but the size of the complex is quite large and as good as some of the AI hotels I have stayed in.
It is very reasonably priced with Thomas Cook and we went expecting to eat out but the food was so good we only went out 1 night.
There are lovely restaurants on the hotel complex and nearby for lunch,theres also many bars nearby.
The hotel is on the beach in the centre of the resort with lots of facilities.

WOW is a very nice hotel Minione, you will enjoy it there

Helen T wrote:

We didn't start going abroad until our kids were 1 & 13 &

11 and 13 she means

I'm shocked the Baba hotel has closed down! Stayed there in 2004 (I think) It was a lovely friendly hotel, a little dated but SO CLEAN, in a fab location and the very first hotel we stayed in, in Turkey. Loved Gumbet, but have never been back to Gumbet as there are so many fab places in Turkey.

Denny