turkey is a place we never go to again

Probably wise if small things like this are going to upset your holiday.

From what I remember of the beach at Icmeler, it might not be the best beach in the world but I certainly walked on it, sunbathed on it, without having to buy shoes.

A charge for sunbeds on the beach - your choice if you want them. Why would you expect someone to set these up for free each day, maintain them, etc for free? Unless you are staying at a hotel located on the beach which has it's own beach chairs/beds, I would say that paying a private vendor to use them is quite normal all over the world. Brighton, Eastbourne - you pay for deckchairs on the Prom.

As for the waiters ignoring you. I guess if you pitch up to a busy restaurant as a group of 7 over lunch time taking up limited space and only order drinks, they could well be somewhat annoyed. That said I have never known that to be a problem in Turkey and always found the people very friendly and accommodating, including bar and restaurant staff. Pleanty of small shops and supermakets to nip into and get cold drinks?

I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy your holiday - but I personally think your points are very minor.

Sorry you felt like that. Holidays4U may have described it incorrectly, as it is shingley but there are sections of the beach that you dont actually pay for sunbeds called public areas. Near the canal area.

Turkey / Icmeler are very reasonable for sunbed hire compared to spain which from memory used to be at least £2 for each thing (about 7 years since i last went to Spain).

Its beautiful scenery however for the whole Icmeler bay. Perhaps you could have had less sunbeds, to cut down on costs. I love beaches too and always said Icmeler needs Alcudias sand doesnt stop me going though.

i think every review site will say that Marmaris / Icmeler is shingly. I went to Olu Deniz my first time to Turkey and hoped the beach would be gorgeous white sand it wasnt it was big proper hurt your feet pebbles at the waters edge i split the skin under my toe but wore pumps to go in the sea, or went to the lagoon after that.

As long as your apartments were ok and the rest of the description matched then they provided what you paid for.

I agree with traveller, usually waiters pounce on you even if you want an ice lolly and sometimes they they cant get to you straight away depending on numbers of people there etc. They would have been quite happy to have an order of 7 drinks .

Sorry you didnt enjoy it but not evey one gets Turkey and wouldnt imagine for one moment you'd get anywhere if you tried to complain to Holidays4U.

Bev

To give them their due, the photo that Holidays4u are using on the their website to illustrate the info notes on all the resorts they feature on the Bay of Marmaris makes it very clear, I think, that the beaches are not made up of soft golden sand - it looks decidely firm and shingle-like to my eyes. Yes, they do describe it as 'sandy' but that description can cover a whole range of types of beach and if the quality of the beach sand is a 'make or break' factor then a bit more research is needed over and above what most TOs provide in the brochure details.

SM

PS If prompt service is a requirement for a good holiday for you then strike off Cuba from your list! Away from the big tourist hotels waiting only 7/8 minutes for a waiter to take your order - whether for just drinks or food as well - would almost be regarded as indecent haste. Seriously, I'm not getting at you - these things are regarded differently in different cultures and what some people regard as prompt service would in some countries be regarded by locals and by some visitors as unnecessary hassle to get you in and out as quickly as possible instead of allowing you to relax, soak up the atmosphere and take your time over deciding what you want to order.

hi,dont get wrong but i dont mined paying for sun beds but ive been all over like the caribbeans,spain,and the last 12years to cyprus,for the last six years we have put off turkey but we thought we will give it a go,but what am getting it is holidays4you advertised golden sandy beach in icmeler and its not so i dont think thats minor so try telling my wife that after paying £4000,well we are heading back to cyprus as the beaches are 100% better and the people are 100% better and the prices are about the same

I have been to Icmeler more times than I can remember and have never experienced a beach that you describe. I have never used my sea shoes there. It is quite a long beach, did you have a walk to find a part that suited you?

You say you don't mind paying for sunbeds in your last post but in your first post you complain about it. They are not free in Cyprus either and will cost you a lot more! I live in Cyprus and can assure you that the prices here are not the same as in Turkey. I wish they were. Also, I have to wear my sea shoes on my local beach in Limassol.

Turkey is like Marmite and as Bev says, not everybody gets it.

I think there were about 30 trucks full of GOLDEN sand driving to Icmeler beach the other night so maybe they read your post

Good luck in Cyprus

John

I think there were about 30 trucks full of GOLDEN sand driving to Icmeler beach the other night

Thanks for that information John. We go there tomorrow.

fwh

30 trucks does not seem a lot, unless it is a small beach

30 trucks does not seem a lot, unless it is a small beach

Just as long as they don't send a load of bricks and cement as well I will manage.

fwh

This made me

Watch out for those Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus!

PS.....Never go to Tenerife,,,,I have heard the sand is black

It may seem trivial to some but if the brochure says "sandy beach" then the tour operator are at fault if not. People have different priorities and they may have decided on that resort for that reason.

We once went to Florida with Virgin holidays, about 6 weeks before the holiday they informed us the majority of the Hotel beach had been washed away in a hurricane. Virging gave us the option to transfer to another Hotel. The OP was given false information about the beach.

As for the Canaries...why do the brochures consistently show golden beaches in Tenerife and Lanzarote. How do they get away with it?

have to say that if the brochure says golden sandy beach and its not, and I'd booked it for its beach, then I would be annoyed as well.

I would agree, Fiona.

I've had a quick look at the website:
http://www.h4u.co.uk/Resort/Icmeler
and it definitely mentions "an excellent sandy beach".

However, I do think one the OP's points:

also one after noon we went in the town centre as we were thirsty with the heat we went to a restaurant for a drink because we did not wont any think to eat the turkish waiters blanked us for about seven or eight minutes

sounds silly.

And it also sounds silly to vow never to go to an entire country ever again for that reason and the fact that one holiday company allegedly misrepresentated one detail of a resort in their brochure.

hi thing i did not tell you when we were holiday and the reason why we would not go back as you can not trust the turks as we were in our apt sitting on our patio about 10-30 at night which was next to the bar,there was a bit of trouble at the bar with one of the guest,all the guest asked for from the barman was to turn the music down his apt was above the bar and him and wife couldn"t get to sleep as they were in there 60"s ,there was a raise in there voices and a glass was knocked off the bar counter and the barman said to the guest i will kill you, you english bastard then the guest went back to his apt ,later on the daughter went to the bar for a drink and ask the barman what happen ,the barman told her and after that the barman said i pry for bin-laden every night,the bottom line is the turks put on a front just to get your money out of you but they hate the british but you people out there can say what you like but after that no chance of going back to turkey------unsafe

Well maybe you had a bad experience but we've been to Turkey lots of times to lots of different resorts and never had any problems.

All the Turkish people we've met have been really nice, pleasant and (imho) trustworthy.

jacky wrote:

As for the Canaries...why do the brochures consistently show golden beaches in Tenerife and Lanzarote. How do they get away with it?

I don't know about Tenerife but the beaches in the resorts in Lanzarote are golden beaches. There are black beaches but not in the main resorts.

the bottom line is the turks put on a front just to get your money out of you but they hate the british but you people out there

I have many Turkish friends who are lovely people and don't just put on a front. Maybe it is best you wont be returning to Turkey if that is your attitude.

hi thing i did not tell you when we were holiday and the reason why we would not go back

I just wondered why you didn't give us the whole story in your first post.

as we were in our apt sitting on our patio about 10-30 at night which was next to the bar,there was a bit of trouble at the bar with one of the guest,all the guest asked for from the barman was to turn the music down his apt was above the bar and him and wife couldn"t get to sleep as they were in there 60"s ,there was a raise in there voices and a glass was knocked off the bar counter

This couple wanted the music turned down because they couldn't get to sleep - AT 10:30PM!!! ON HOLIDAY!!!!!
Who raised their voices?
Who knocked the glass off the bar?
If this couple knew they wanted to go to bed early, did they ask to be moved to a different room?

What was the reason for this post 8 or 9 months after your holiday?
Have you taken up the issue of the incorrect description of the beach with your holiday company?

I've read through a few reports of Icmeler on this website and although some do say it isn't fine sand and some say it is shingle and some say it is 'grainy' and others say it is gravelly sand, only one said it was pebbly and hurt your feet.

One report from Sept 2009 mentions sunbeds at 2.5 Turkish lira each.
When we were in Turkey in June 2009, we were getting 2.37TL to £1 so you weren't exactly paying a fortune for sunbeds.
Another report mentions FREE sunbeds - which was our experience in Turgutreis last year.

all i can say is you lot are easy pleased ,i will give you a example. you go and buy a brand new red car at a garage three days later you go and pick it up when you turn up at the garage the sales man shows you your new car which happens to be blue, what would you do complain or say yes that will do ???