I have been going for over 20 years but dont go AI as I like to eat in the local restaurants.
My favourite resort is Icmeler but the Lara Beach area have some spectacular hotels with lots of facilities.
Every resort is different,some are scenic ,some are not.
There are quiet resorts and very busy resorts.
The best beach I have found in Turkey was in Side which is sandy.Others are quite gritty. Side also has some beautiful hotels,some even have funfairs for children.
Have a look in Thomas Cook brochure as they seem to have a bigger choice of hotels and then ask on the forum if anyone has been recently.
Sorry i cant help with a specific hotel.

Thanks for you advice, it helps a lot.

I would probably not go AI if it was just adults, but thought it would be a better option for the kids as they can have some food & drink whenever they want.

I looked at the Julian Forest i think its called thats in Icmeler. looked really nice in the mountains, but not near a beach. What about Icmeler makes it your favourite place if you dont mind me asking.

Cheers again
Jayson

It is set on a beautiful scenic bay surrounded by pine clad hills,some might say mountians.
It has a vast amount of excellent restaurants which make it reasonable to eat out but I can understand going AI if you have children.
There is the main resort with lovely 4and 5 start hotels along the beach and then an old village with apartments.
The locals still live there and it feels more like a village than a resort.
Julian Forest is right at the back of the resort but its apartments which are very nice but I dont think its AI.
In the middle of the resort are mid range hotels and apartments.Some are AI and reasonable but its best to read the reviews as some places change each year.If you look on Trip Advisor there separate forums for each resort and photos that may help you.
Its a minefield as its such a big country with 4 different airports to the resort areas.
If you look on Icmeleronline there are loads of photos of the resort.There is also a 360 degree map where you can walk around the resort.
What makes it great are the friendliest people some who have worked in the resort for years and remember you each time you visit.
Its close to Marmaris which is a busy large resort but it has a beautiful Marina which is nice to walk around on an evening.
Other people have there favourite resorts and we are going to Calis Beach next week for a change but although it has Calis in its name the beach isnt that great.

Although you are looking at a totally different sort of holiday to one we would choose, it just goes to show how there is something to suit everyone in Turkey. Icmeler is an extremely popular resort with families and the resorts along this part of the coast are set in stunning surroundings. However the beach at Icmeler is not one of the best, although its nice enough. Better beaches are to be found in Dalyan or Akyaka, but again these resorts are not particularly known for their AI hotels. The resorts around this area - accessible from Dalaman airport, have a lot of mixed accommodation, including small family run hotels and apartment complexes, and entertainment is centred around the restaurants and bars.
The Antalya region is probably more known for the type of large AI hotels that you may be looking for. Your budget sounds quite realistic, its not good to skimp on AI in Turkey, you get what you pay for. I have spoken to people who've been in small cheap AI accommodation, and have ended up eating out all the time as the food has been dire. One of the delights in Turkey is the amazing food, so always good to be able to take advantage of it!
I would agree with Jay Trip find a couple of hotels on Thomas Cook website then ask again on this forum. Also look in the resort reports and hotel reviews on here for some guidance.

Belek ,is a great resort for A/I hotels Most are five star located right on the beach which is sandy .The hotels all have great entertainment and great food .I have stayed in quite a few there and can highly reccomend the Voyage Resort and spa .
B.P.1

Cheers for all your help & advice.

Belek does seem nice, & i looked at the Voyage Resort which looks amazing but well out of our price range which is unfortunate
I did however find the River Garden Residence which looks nice & has good reviews. Have you ever been there?

Regards
Jayson

Hi Jayson ,sorry ,no i have not been to the river garden .I have been to Belek about 25 times now and love the place .I used to go to a hotel called the Zeynep .It has been taken over by new owners now and is starting to race up the charts ,it seems to be a lot cheaper just now than lots of others in Belek . My daughter ,husband and two kids are off there in September for their third visit.We have not been there for about three years now but ,we have decided to book at the same time as them ,we are off to the Voyage in June for our sixth time ,i know it is a good bit dearer than some but it is a brilliant hotel and merits the higher price .

B.P.1

hi Jason.... wade your way throgh this very long topic...I was in your position end of 2009....by the time you finnised you might still be a turkey virgin ...but will be an educated one...and have a good idea what suits you best...turkey is a huge country and differs vastly from one end to the other...when youve finnished reading ...post a reply there and all the experts who helped me will get an alert ...and you will get an answer with a bit of luck....tweetie

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=140713

Bezzer, I have brought forward the Discussion on Icmeler Topic for you to look at. Another resort for consideration is Kusadasi, if you scroll down to April 20th you will find the Discussion Topic.

Les

Hi Jayson and welcome to HT. If it's a decent AI with good food,entertainment,service and it's own stretch of beach you are looking for, I can highly recommend WOW Bodrum resort.We have booked for our third visit in September. Choice of a la cartes included,beach parties,games poolside during the day,live bands in the evening and a short beachfront walk in to Gumbet if you want it.Dolmus right outside the hotel to Bodrum or wherever else takes your fancy. Turgetries market on saturdays is worth a visit.I have been to Olu Deniz,Side and Kusadasi but overall prefer the Bodrum peninsular.Hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your first visit to Turkey.

Thanks again for all your replies.

I've just look at Wow Bodrum, but once again out of my price range.

I think i'm going to book up the River Garden Residence in Belek, have a look at it guys & tell me what you think. My only concern with Belek is its quite isolated, but i guess we wouldnt plan on leaving the resort much anyway. If anyone knows of some good things to go do or view in Belek that would be great to know.

Tanks again
Jayson

hi Jason.....You keep saying out of your price bracket...when are you actually going...if its next year the prices are sometimes higher when they first go on sale....If Im wanting a package I just decide where Im going then keep a regular check on price for same holiday.....if a deal comes up grab it....the TO's seem to change prices...sometimes week to week...depending on how many places available ...and how well they are selling...for example I went gran caneria for a few years in row...one year the family rooms were a lot cheaper for 4 adults than 2 twin rooms...the next it was the opposite way round...and twin rooms were cheaper option.....can even fluctuate within the same year....if they have rooms of a certain kind thats not selling as well as they expected....they try to get people who would usually opt for rooms that are running out fast to book them instead...so offer a great price....this can also mean one TO has better prices at different times to another TO....so its a case of getting a short list of hotels and keep checking each week on all the TA sites....when you get that deal...come shout about it on here...tweetie

hi Jayson...it can also make a big difference what week you choose...and how you put in your room require ments...you dont say how long you want either...7 or 14 days...but her is an example for you

The WOW Bodrum
August 29th from
7 nights

FORMAT 1
room 1 = 2adlt + 1 chld age 5
room 2= 2adlt + 1 chld age 12
room 3= 2adlt

£4208

FORMAT 2
book 4 twin rooms = £4760
------------------------------------------------------
Go a few weeks earlier 15th aug FORMAT 1= £6456
............................................ FORMAT 2= £7456

Just to complicate things more ...how you book your rooms can affect price too...example
Take the last one where you need 4 x twin rooms for the 15th aug

They only allow you to book 3 rooms at a time on the net...where its cheaper usually...
so you have 2 options if you need 4

Book for 3rooms then book another one ...so 3+1....or book 2 rooms then another 2 rooms...so 2+2

3+1= £7456
2+2= £7168

So you need be savy and play about till you hit the deal...then get it booked before it changes

tweetie

Thanks Tweetie,

We're looking at 10 days, 7 never seems enough for me. Planning on going sometime around the end of July this year.

the room set up is as follows

Room 1 - 2 adults
Room 2 - 2 adults, 1 child aged 5
Room 3 - 1 adult, 2 children aged 12 & 15.

I will keep looking but i was getting prices of over 10k i think the because two of the children are 12 & 15 they just treat them as adult price wise.

Total Price From
Total Price From £6084
£761pp
10 nights, All Inclusive
from Bristol on 13.07.12
Price Indication Breakdown

wont let me go futher ...get funny message about check ages....then all blue screen saying site maintanance...and a click for live chat...

This is for the WOW....and 15yr old is an adult...child only till age 12 on day of return

Was thomascook

10 nights, All Inclusive,
departing Fri 13 Jul 12
Room 1 - Room for 2 people features, balcony and toilet
Room 2 - Room for 2 people features, balcony and toilet
Room 3 - Double room for maximum 2 people features, balcony and toilet
Your holiday includes:

6 Adults£5,898.00
2 Children£766.00
8 In-flight Meal£0.00
1 The Tc Foundation£2.00
8 Direct Transfer£160.00
Online Discount-£310.00

Total holiday price £6,516.00

This was direct holidays...they include inflight meals and 20kgs luggage in price
Flight Details

Outbound- Thomas Cook Airlines
Gatwick
Fri 13-07-12at 15:50
Turkey (Bodrum)
Fri 13-07-12at 21:50

Inbound- Thomas Cook Airlines
Turkey (Bodrum)
Tue 24-07-12 at 01:05
Gatwick
Tue 24-07-12 at 03:15

This is Jet2 holidays......Vera Club Hotel TMT,
Bodrum, Turkey (Bodrum)....right on the beach.....but check out what the AI is like...reviews dont look too good on this one....would put me off

Hotel Details

11 nights

6 Adults, 2 Children

All Inclusive

3 x Standard Room
Change your room
Outbound Flight

Manchester to Bodrum (Turkey)

Departs: Thu 19 Jul 2012 at 14:35

Arrives: Thu 19 Jul 2012 at 21:05
Return Flight

Bodrum (Turkey) to Manchester

Departs: Mon 30 Jul 2012 at 22:05

Arrives: Tue 31 Jul 2012 at 00:35

Per person from

£805.11

Total Price from £6,440.88

Includes shuttle transfers

Includes 22kg baggage

Damn, its a shame i can only get time off at the end of July as Thomas Cooks price goes up by about £200 per person from the beginning of July till the end.

Looked at the other hotel & it get horrible reviews.

Thanks for all your help Tweetie

hi Jayson....curse of the blooming school holiday....Im off to pefkos with 3 of my lads on 11th july...have been a bit tied with dates myself these last few years...because youngest was in school...this year he is in college and term ends last week in june....so just right for me to get decent price before schools finnish....and am going back to pefkos in sept with hubby....bitter sweet time for me....great because can get good deals now...but sad because my baby is growing up now....tweetie