I went to Olu 2 years ago and although we were AI we did go out a lot and I found it to be more expensive than,Marmaris,Icmeler and Side where we had been earlier that year.

When I went I was AI but we did go out for a few meals and it was more expensive than I thought it would be. I have heard what Jay is saying that Marmaris, Icmeler are cheaper, and the med coast is cheaper. Wouldn't stop me going back though.

Hi mr . Fussy. Turkey unfortunately is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be and unfortunately many people still label Turkey with the badge of "really cheap" .
I believe though its still Cheaper than many other european destinations . but its not a good idea to base your decission to go there on the belief . For us its the beautiful contry, its wonderful people and an atmoshere we have yet to experience elsewhere that takes us there year upon year.
We have only been to Olu and Icmeler and usually stay A/I but I have always been under the impression that Olu is one of the more expensive resorts to eat, drink and shop . olu is our preferred choice of resort but If you want to try somewhere else this time Icmeler would be a good choice

lyn

The year we went to Olu was the year all the noughts were knocked off the money!.Every one that year saw an increase in prices not just in Olu.Its still good value compared to places that use the Euro.Side is my favourite resort and I found it cheaper than Olu despite being popular with other Europeans.I think the bigger the resort,the more competitive the prices will be.

tourist area's are always more expensive but it is the increase of tourist and the incress of restaurants and bars and there high rental prices which cause this problem, but if you want a cheap turkish holiday go to a non tourist populated resort and you will find it is still great value for money

I go to a resort not frequented by many Europeans and no mass tourism but the prices have been rising rapidly over the last couple of years. A night out with drinks is much the same price as we would expect to pay in UK unless we head away from the harbour/sea front and find a pide place. The tax on alcohol explains the price of drinks. Shop and restaurant owners have been complaining about steep increases in their rents.

greed of owners and leasers is the problem..... Plus the fact that tourists keep paying inflated prices. Haggle on the door, walk away if necessary. I pay about half the resort price so there is no need to infate too much. For example ..they bulk buy efes for 1.68 ytl per bottle..... reasonable to sell it for 3 ytl.... anymore is just greed! Chicken fillet or shish should be 10 ytl or less and 15 ytl for a steak dinner.
Resort people are killing the tourist trade with hassle, high prices and fiddling bills..... vote with your feet and find somewhere more reasonable !

chelsea boy you are 100% correct here, Only a fool will pay inflated prices most of us can talk if your not prepared to ask how much your going to be charged for your purchase then you will be taken for granted and pay more money for your purchase as chelsea boy said just walk away and go elsewhere for your purchase as that is what I do all the time, Mr.Fussy here's an example for you, I can purchase the following Breakfast for £1, 5 course evening meal £5.99 also included is a free alcoholic drink (local drink only) Oh and this is not an isolated case I choose many many different restauraunts to visit, And these are in Marmaris and Icmeler.

I couldn't live with myself paying £1 for breakfast and £5.99 for a five course meal with a free drink.

You do leave good tips I hope? There's surely no room for profit at those sorts of prices.

There must be a midway somewhere. Greed of some restaurateurs, yes of course and you find it everywhere, but the other way around is far worse if you ask me.

I agree with you there sandC. Where I usually visit I have seen quite a few restaurants and shops close down in the last couple of years. Most of them have to make the bulk of their money for the year in a few months and it just hasn't worked. What I really get fed up with is the few who have one price for Turks and another for Europeans. If I find this happens it's the last time I visit. I generally get round it by asking for the Turkish menu. No one has ever refused but if they did I would walk out and tell them why.

lets get this right, there is a turk price and a tourist price in all places.
But just to analyse... the 1 quid breakfast costs in because coffee / tea is extra. also not all the people have the breakfast. also you are also more likely to have a meal there.
5.99 is 14 ytl.... i buy ...1 beer 3 ytl, chicken shish 7 ytl, soup 3 ytl, lavas bread and salad free..13 ytl. then they have you for ice creams, extra beers, cocktails etc. believe me you are not crippling these guys.
during the winter people here are offering a chicken shish and salad for 5 ytl, doner kebab for 1.5 ytl and fresh orange juice for 2 ytl....
Its time Turkey became good value again, people closing down is a sign that too many restaurants/ bars do not survive too few tourists.

YTL14 is about what I'd expect to pay away from the sea or harbour front for the type of meal you describe chelsea boy but a 5 course meal and a drink is what was quoted. Profit is going to be very tight on that - unless the food is poor quality or tiny portions. Most people looking here to check prices are going to be summer visitors so the lower winter prices won't apply.

JMK, Next time I go to Turkey I will take photo's of the kerbside advertisments of all the cheap ones I see and also use, No you do not get less for what you pay for, Infact should you go back again they perhaps might add another free drink for good measure also, Your loyalty with the restauraunt is very important to them as more often than not you will go where you get a good meal, Chelsea boy again is correct here far to many restauraunts are the most common cause nearly everywhere sells food, Yes these sellers pay massive rents for the premises thinking they will easily make money but it's like this if you dont sell the good food you can be sure the Tourist wont go back hence you see all the closures.

cheap four and five course meals are avalible i have had a few and very nice they were why leave a large tip 10% or 15% is ample that is the rule of thumb around the world but the rip of restaurants only get tips from tourists because the season traveller won't pay those inflated prices this is why there is always another price
i have proved this to friends just to show them,they could not belive there eyes at what i was paying, but after seventeen years here they all know me well .
chelsea boy is right as usaual and so is rwb46 on his issues but don't let this spoil your holiday
as long as you feel happy with what you are paying and don't feel you are being ripped off
you should have a happy holiday

Hi we went to lara beach last july and we were so pleased that we went a.l., as when we went shopping we found that turkey was not as cheap as we were told it was from other people who had visted from the uk. But we can not complain as we thought that turkey had a lot more to offer than the other european countrys that we had visted.

RWB, I really cannot see how having 'too many restaurants' should force prices higher: surely lots of competition should make restaurant owners even more competitive? And actually, I think you'll find that most resorts are filled with restaurants/bars etc..................

And if, as Chelsea Boy says, the fault lies with the owners of the properties charging extortionate rents, then the restaurants would have to hike their prices up to make any kind of profit. On the same token, if these restaurants are charging normal prices to locals, and then fleecing unsuspecting holidaymakers, that puts them in a [b]very[b] bad light!

I'm not sure which restaurants are being referred to, but the average holidaymaker does not go into the average restaurant, and start demanding the cost of their meal should be lowered before they've even ordered! We can all see the menu, and it's our choice whether or not to eat there.

As it happens, and from someone who has been both a holidaymaker (and lived out in Turkey) I think that, generally, it is as expensive to eat in the Turkish resorts as it is to eat in any Mediterranean resort. Turkey is not cheap - and the prices seem to be rising at a rapid rate.

Of course, you'll always find the bargain basement cafe/restaurant tucked away round some unsalubrious corner, (in most countries in fact) where you'll be able to tuck in to a really cheap meal..........but not everyone wants to do that. Some people want to sit at a nice table, overlooking a nice view, and eating well-cooked fresh food of their choice (rather than chewing on a burger or kebab simply because it's cheap). If you can't go on holiday once or twice a year without having to sniff out the cheapest places to eat in, then I think it spoils the holiday. For many people, part and parcel of any holiday is eating and drinking nice food..........in a nice restaurant...........with a nice view.

Perhaps someone can suggest what one should say the first time they enter a restaurant on the seafront (that they've never been to in their life) and insisting they don't want to pay the prices written up on the big blackboard outside?

Strawberry

I'm getting fed up with being told to go off the beaten track and find a cheap restaurant where the locals eat. Presumably the Turkish equivalent of a 'working mans cafe' in the UK. (I can do that here )

We are tourists and that is why we eat in tourist restaurants and go to tourist resorts. I get a precious two weeks holiday in Turkey and haven't got time to drag my kids up dark alleyways to find the odd cheap place to eat out. I dont want to be ripped off that is why I am going AI at least I know the size of the problem before I leave home. Please don't post and tell me I will 'miss out' being AI as I am fed up with hearing it. I can assure you I will make every effort to enjoy my holiday in my way. Sorry but I don't want to go to Turkey and pay the same for food and drink as I do here in the UK when I know we earn 4 times as much (mortgages, rents, gas, elec, water, food being the reason), that screams to me that I am being ripped off big time in Turkey.

Chelsea Boy makes good points about the greed of the leasers and the owners, but dont they realise they are making Turkey just another destination in the brochures like anywhere else?

I can get charged inflated prices in scotland just the same ,if you are willing to pay then pay ,i would still rather go to turkey twice a year and eat outside in a nice restaurant in the sunshine , than eat outside in the pouring rain in scotland , people who complain about the prices have only themself to blame, as chelsea boy said shop around .

Talk of the town.... beer on the beach 5 ytl. Restaurant next door(can't remember name) 3 .5 ytl WHY? I asked the hassler on the door and he couldn't tell me so I sat on the sunbeds next door and not a Turkish working man insight.
Faros bar gives 30% discount to a danish tour company, I have a 20% discount card...why? Again I asked and they couldn't give an answer.
I used to live in a tourist area in England and there were "summer prices" until the tourists stopped coming and the restaurants/ hotels/bars suffered badly.
Icmeler is 10 to 20 % dearer than Marmaris...... don't they see that they are killing the trade. They won't care until they are forced to do something.... That's where you people come in... tell them they are expensive, say you want better value and save the tourist trade....
As for asking about the price before you go in.... I'm sure that everyone has encountered the man on the door trying to get you in.... well he's the one you "deal" with.... not rocket science is it?