groovybaby . . .thank you for your response . . .it does help!

I know there are many people who love Icmeler. I disliked it so much I thought it was simply awful, along with Marmaris which we disliked even more. Our best day on that holiday was when we went away from them both and headed to Turunc!

Im torn . . .thinking about it . . .but we had a wonderful trip this year to New York and Orlando, and I fell in love with NYC, so also considering an extended NYC trip combined with a cruise . . .but also thinking about a Turkey fix.

May just go back to Olu which we loved so much!

Karen, someone mentioned Dalyan in an earlier post, if you liked Turunc but you want somewhere a bit busier I think you'd love Dalyan. We had a great holiday there before we bought our apartment in Turunc, and it was one of the places we had in mind when looking for a holiday home.
Dalyan is by the river, in a stunning location, restaurants line the river, its a great place to eat, with the backdrop of the rock tombs. To get to the beach (which is beautiful) you go on a wonderful boat trip, through lovely scenery, the beach is protected because loggerhead turtles nest there, so there is no building allowed there. Have a google of Dalyan and turtle beach.
Alternatively, would you not want to reconsider Turunc though? Even though its small its very friendly, the waiters and bar owners soon get to know you and you get great personal service. As you probably saw there is a fantastic choice of restaurants, there's also some great boat trips, there always seems to be plenty to do if you want to get out and about.
Good luck, if you do choose Turkey again!

dalyan is fantastic and if it is"a turkish feel" you require then dalyan is the place.I have to add however it suprises me a little that you found icmeler and marmaris to have an unturkish atmosphere yat like olu deniz which is basically just a resort aimed at us brits is there a residential area in which locals live i didnt notice one or a mosque cay house or traditional eating places that werent geared at tourists i also noticed that there werent many other nationalities here other than brits and obviously turks .We have visited here 3 times this year being our last we travelled with anglo kurdish/turkish children one of who has a distinctive kurdish name.The reception their mother (who is fluent in turkish) and the children (speak both kurdish/turkish and english) received in the hotel we stayed at was disgraceful i had heard that there wasnt a large kurdish population in the fethiye area now i know why it was nothing short of blatant discrimination,some bars in the town were friendly and polite but we resorted to calling one child by nickname after a couple of days it has completley put me off olu deniz and will never return. hisaronu was completey differend and friendly laid back and welcoming (although not as pretty).perhaps you may like kalkan that is an upmarket low key resort and patara beach nearby is very unspoilt.However as for feeling turkish most resorts are geared for us brits sky sports and full english is as readily available in dalyan as in marmaris however get away from marmaris long beach and armutalan then marmaris is comletely turkish and remains a busy working town throughout the year long after the tourists have gone.

I have been to many resorts in Turkey over the last 20 years and Icmeler is my favourite although we only visit in October.
Its strange that Karen didnt like it yet loves Olu.
When I went to Olu I hated it and cheered when the coach came to take us to the airport.
We all like different resorts and I think the resorts are different at different times of the year.
I am thinking about going to Marmaris in April as we were so impressed with the Marina area when we visited in October and we hope to return to the National Park to the north east of the harbour.
We are cant decide between Calis Beach and Dalyan for our October holiday.

It's nice and refreshing for someone to say something positive about marmaris instead of the usual snobbery .I had that attitude about benidorm until I went fir a week and I think you would have to have little or no sense of humour to not enjoy it even if it isnt the prettiest of places,it to has misconceptions like marmaris of being a Blackpool Brits on the piss type of place but there are as many if not more Spanish tourists there go figure lol.as for October Dalyan,Dalyan.Dalyan you can't beat it love it there

Just to pick up on Groovybabys post with regards Altinkum. Having seen the TV programme about Trip Advisor Members I would be inclined to take anything I read on there with a pinch of salt. I've NEVER heard of rats being found on the beaches, which, by the way, are kept really clean. The only thing you may come across is street dogs which make their way down there, most of whom are friendly. On eateries, if you go into some of the back streets and up Ataturk Boulevard into Didim(a dolmus will take you there if your legs aren't up to it)you will find non-greasy establishments.

Yes, there is rubbish but that is down to inconsiderate people who can't be asked to deviate to put it in one of the many waste bins located about the resort. This is more noticeable in summer when there is an abundance of discarded water bottles, particularly around the hotel areas. On a more positive note, whilst Altinkum may not be everybodys cup of tea, the Turkish people are welcoming and very hospitable, add to this, over 10,000 resident Ex-Pats can't be wrong can they ??

Les

Wow Idris Elba, I am glad you mentioned about Olu Deniz as my daughter has a Kurdish name. We shan't be visiting there then if that is how they feel. I do vaguely remember my husband saying they don't like Kurdish people around the Fethiye area but I didn't think they were that bad

I have only ever been to that part of Turkey before I was married but I wont visit again now.

We had visited the year before and the owners if the bar nearest to our hotel were from batman/diyabakir one evening they were all doing the halay but holding hands rather than linking fingers I asked why they said if the police noticed thus they would be closed for three days, I also said one evening as we walked in "choni"(sp?) and I was hushed up as their Turkish landlord was sat at the bar drinking and eating to his hearts content on the house of course . I used to believe tales of discrimination were exaggerated but after our last trip to olu deniz I am beginning to wonder!!I wasn't sure if the linking of fingers was just an icmeler/ marmaris thing lol ,

They definitely do the linking fingers thing in Bodrum but there is a big Kurdish population there. I had no idea there was so much discrimination in Olu Deniz. At least I am aware of it now - thanks.

I think bodrum is a more cosmopolitan broadminded place ,we have been a few times and love it ,although I will hold my hand up and admit that some of the restaurants are a little above our price range,but if it's a taste of "real turkey" you want then the "scots bar" is the place and no I'm not being sarcastic ,kedi you seem to know the area very well and if you have visited this establishment pre/post season I'm sure you know what I mean lol