I meant to say 2009 obviously. Have a good one whatever.

There are lots of lovely resorts around Bodrum. The biggest and livliest is Gumbet but it may be a bit too lively for you, although I'm sure your children would love it. A smaller resort very close by is Bitez, it has a lovely strecth of beach with lots of restaurants and a couple of bars, not much in the way of busy nightlife but fairly similar to Turunc, other smaller but too quiet resorts are Turgutreis or Yalikavak and there also are some resorts more popular with turksih tourists such as Torba, Ortakent or Gumusluk.

Bodrum itself is a lovely town, it doesn't have much of a beach, which is why most people stay at one of the other resorts but they are all close and within easy reach by Dolmus, Gumbet is just 10 minutes, Bitez 15 minutes, the other resorts between 20 and 30 minutes.

If you do fancy trying somewhere on the Bodrum peninsular and want some more info please feel free to ask, i lived there for a few years so I know some of the places very well.

Kedi

how about akyaka thats got a fab beach, very turkish stunning scenery and fairly reasonably priced for restaurants compared to most other areas we have visted, ive been going to turkey for over 27 years now and up to 6 times a year and it really is 1 of the nicest places to visit. there is a big out door cinema, boat and river trips, canoe trips up the river. have a look at the photos ive loaded in the gallery, thomas cook do package deals but best value is doing a diy. dalaman airport is 50 mins away, marmaris is 20 miles if you want a day shopping or water park for the kids. have a look at these links. we went to turgutreis ,yalikavak,and bitez this year although nice, prices were a lot higher than akyaka and beaches very rocky and stoney, whereas akyaka has a lovely sandy beach thats shallow and calm for quite a walk. we have also visited turunc and again it was nice but the scenery not as lovely as akyaka which takes some beating, think its an individual thing and how important a good beach is to you. we were there last year with 6 kids (not all mine) ages 8 to 17 and they all loved akyaka, good luck with where ever you decide to go

http://www.turkuaz-guide.net/gokova.html

http://akyaka.com/index.php

For your little tribe, have a look at Altinkum, plenty for your two to be doing. Then there is also Kusadasi with its Water Parks plus you've got Ephesus a short Dolmus ride away.

Les

Can only agree with Kedi about the Bodrum peninsula - quite a few resorts to choose from so you can look at them all and see which would suit your needs best. Not a long transfer time from the airport either (always a plus for us). It's also easy to travel around the peninsula on the dolmus so you can have some good days out. Take a look at Gumbet, Bitez, Yalikavak or Turgetries - good selection of accommodation available. Of course I'm biased 'cos we have a house in Gumbet and have had some great times there but I'm sure you will be able to find something to suit all the family.

We fly out to Bodrum on Saturday to spend new year there and we're really looking forward to it. Oh, and don't be put off by the fact that some people say that Gumbet is an 18-30s place. It can be of course (but so can many other places) - it's been many years since we fitted into that age group but we still love the place.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Jakki

How about Dalyan, or Cirali ?
Or if trying another country how about Morrocco? Would be as economical as Turkeyand has some quieter resorts such as Essaoria (spelling?)...and also an exotic flavour

Side or Lara beach which is in the Antalya area has lots of fabulous 4and 5 star hotels suitable for all ages.
The area has a warmer climate than the Dalaman and Bodrum area so may be suitable for an early or late holiday as there are flights all year round from Gatwick and Manchester.