In Marmaris at the moment and can honestly say we have not had one bit of hassle. This is our eighth year here and it all seems a bit strange to be able to walk about without the usual banter.

Wilson

We came back from marmaris yesterday and found the hassle round the bazaar was no different,with the exception of a few stalls,some bloke in a dvd stall got very nasty because we only wanted to buy 1 dvd,i thought it better to sell 1 than none at all.We saw a load of restaurants shut down,some for 7 days,but we didnt see hassle from the restaurants.

Just had an email from a mate who owns a bar in marmaris ,and he reckons all this stamping down on hassle was just a ploy by the goverment to win votes. Now the election is over it will go back to what it was.

Bluepeterno1

I hope that is not the case Bluepeterno1 .I will keep reading up on peoples experiences over the coming months as like i said in a previous post it was a real problem on my only holiday to Turkey and if it does go back to the way it was this would stop me returning.

sorry i do disagree because of government warnings, last year there was posters and banners about say no to hassle, if gov ploy why start last year , elections this year!!!

sorry but am missing the point here? it is the tourists who benefit from not being hassled not the turkish bar and restaurant owners, the tourists cannot vote in the turkish elections so why would it be a ploy to get more votes? please tell me if i am just being thick .

Thats what i would have thought so I emailed him and he said that the story is it was one party who was trying to get in ,who put pressure on the party who was already in ,so they acted on it ,and he reckon that the practice of closing bars and such will be relaxed in the near future.It has always been illegal to hassle in turkey,but now and again there is something done about it ,and then it is forgotten for long enough.

Bluepeterno1

Bluepeterno1 thanks for clearing that up thought i was having a blond moment(or grey)

No problem chips , i was kind of confused myself thats why i emailed him ,and that is how he explained it to me . He is a member of some sort of bar owners organisation ,and he tells me that they are all up in arms about being closed down.

Bluepeterno1

We have been to many Greek islands and never had any sort of harrassment apart from odd attempt to get us into restaurants, that smiling 'no' and walking on does the trick.

But I have wife and daughter and they really do not want unpleasant harrassment of the sexual type.

Can I have some honest, not defensive replies. Clearly this country has a problem in this department but can people say if it is manageable or a pain that ruins visits out.

Also resorts that may suit a family like ours that does not enjoy attention of this kind.

Thanks

Banter is alright, yes of course, but rudeness, touching, or the like is totally unacceptable.

i think the hassle is worse in bigger resorts, the quieter laid back ones are much better, to be honest we get no hassle at all were we go in akyaka, there is a new law now and if they do cause hassle they can be shut down if reported ,this seems to have helped a lot, if you like pretty scenic, good priced resort with no hassle then try akyaka, it has a lovely beach and is extremely scenic, have a look at these links

http://akyaka.com/index.php

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

http://www.marmarisinfo.com/sightseeing/cleopatra.phtml

this can be booked as a diy holiday or anatolian sky and thomas cook package, have a look at my photos in the gallery, if you want any more help let me know, and good luck with where ever you choose, but please read up on resort reviews and avoid main big tourist places

I think the levels of harassment are different depending on the resorts itself..and I would say that hassle is far greater in resorts that cater for package holidays etc...you ask..

Also resorts that may suit a family like ours that does not enjoy attention of this kind.

Choose smallish resorts and try to avoid places that cater in package tours..however package tours tend to be cheaper and therefore draw more crowds etc..

Try booking flights and hotels separately..however it seems that flights are very expensive this year forcing those to choose the cheaper package tours..

My favorite is the area of Cirali..about 1 hr southwest of Antalya and 1.5hrs from the antalya airport..however you will not find any package tours to this area..you need to book flights and hotels separate however that is easily done without the use of a travel agency. You will find that there is no hassle in Cirali.

you can view my photos of this area here;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom/sets/72157607782865275/

Thank you Elle and Caretta, I will read up and already feel better about the holiday in Turkey. I will look for a quieter smaller resort as you recommended.

I can honestly say we had no hassle whatsoever in Icmeler last October.Even when we ventured to Marmaris marina one evening no one stopped us.I miss the banter and even when I stopped to speak to one of the young men who we knew from previous visits,outside a restaurant to talk to him he asked us to go inside and he bought us a cup of coffee.We were on our way to another restaurant and when we told him this he told us it was lovely and he had eaten there the previous evening.
I think the market traders still give a bit of banter but not half as bad as it used to be.
The only place I have ever been insulted by a hassler is in Olu Deniz,but that was 3 years ago so maybe the hassle has stopped here also.

My advice is dont go, You will get some hassle in every resort that also includes my favourite Icmeler, And if you do go just ignore them completely and go into the next Bar/Restauraunt and have a drink, It's second nature now for me to ignore them but when I first went 6 years ago it was 50 times worse than it was last season.
I might add that the hassle is certainly not of the sexual nature and never has been.

Choose smallish resorts and try to avoid places that cater in package tours..however package tours tend to be cheaper and therefore draw more crowds etc..

this certainly doesnt apply to akyaka, they only do the odd package and ive never seen any hassle in all the years ive been visiting or any crowds or loud music blaring etc, we have never had any hassle at all, just a smile and greeting

white rabbit, You certainly wont get rudeness from the staff and certainly no touching, What you will get is Friendly people who want to make your holiday better for you and chat with you in English and to make you feel so welcome that you will return to the establishment, Turkey is well known for this in all the resorts, I might also add here that the councils of the resorts have now in place a no hassle policy whereby any Shop/Restauraunt that deliberately flaunt this will be closed down for a certain period of time, And if caught again they are closed for longer and again they are closed for longer again.

Thank you all this is most encouraging. It has changed my view to being more confident about managing them in a freindly manner.