good luck, with it, if i hear from hasan ill let you know.

did you email yucelen for a direct quote too, if not that might be a good idea to show your boyfriend you have looked at all options.

lyn will love slovenia and ljubljana ,such a pretty country, we loved it

ive also made loads of money through cashback sites,think they get cashback from advertising

Thanks karen, no not yet as I can't connect to the site from work - will try later tonite tho'. Will definately be using those cashback sites in future - every little helps! Please do let me know if you hear from Hasan, although I may be booking the hotel this week if I can persuade the other half! I'm sure I can! Sure I will speak to you again over the next few days - oh, enjoy your holiday on Thursday! Nicky

thanks nicky although with this dam chest infection feel like going to bed not on holiday

i got £120 cashback on my car insurance last year

let me know how you get on, if he wants you to go ahead and book dont worry about me, i need to book a room in akyaka for a few days anyway hence mam getting me a quote from kordon apts as thats quite reasonably priced , shes booked our apt and it overlaps my holiday by a few days

Hi Karen - will let you know how I get on. Hope you feel better soon.

I do apologize for my longish post and admit that I did not read all the pages of this thread..so if this info has already been given I do apologize..

As for Diving the best spots in Turkey are;

Uçan Balık, Kaş
Büyük Resif (Great Reef), Bodrum
Afkule, Fethiye
Delimehmet, Ayvalık
Kalkan
3 Adalar, Tekirova
Bebek and MinnoÅŸ rock islets, Saros
Sivriada, Istanbul
Kocadağ, Gökova
Hisarönü, Datça

http://mymerhaba.com/en/main/content.asp_Q_id_E_1867

Check out Tekirova Olympos or Adrasan for diving. Cirali / Olympos Adrasan is about 90kms southwest from Antalya.
Tekirova is about 50kms from Antalya. Drving times by car to either of these locations are just about 1-1.5 hours..

http://olymposdiving.com/olymposdiving/index_en.html
http://www.aquaage.com/

Most diving schools will arrange pick ups from where ever you are staying so that is not a problem... also Kas is famous for it's diving...

for a complete list of diving in Turkey..here is a helpful link....

http://www.dive-centers.net/diving_search.html?query=turkey

The diving locations are around the Kemer area including the wrecks Paris and Patty.

Twelve diving places are available. On the daily tours you can choose between the "three islands" six different diving places can be discovered, among other things the fantastic dripstone cave. On the daily trips to "Adrasan" you can discover an untouched underwater world for example the "Bat Cave". The dives are supervised in principle by a diving teacher and/or a Diving-guide and there is a depth limit of 30 meters.

There are over 25 dive sites that are easily accessible from Kemer to Kas. It's possible to dive on wrecks, to explore walls, canyons and caves and to enjoy virtually all of the marine life found throughout Turkey 's coastal waters. Logger head turtles are a highlight, as are the groupers, jacks, barracuda and stingrays that can be seen at Flying Fish Reef. Moray eels, calamari and octopi are regulars around many of the local sites and you wont have to look too hard to find some of the many amphoras that make intriguing subjects for photographers

And lastly I can recommend another small area in Turkey that might be of interest to you..and diving from here can be arranged through Olympos and even non-divers can accompany the diver on the boat for a day trip. last year the costs we 70 liras for one dive 100 liras for 2 dives ( in one day ) and 35 liras for non-divers.

..however diving in Cirali / Olympos is forbidden as it is a protected historical area. Snorkelling, sea-kayaking, hiking, biking, scuba diving, nature walks, exploring the vast ruins, a walk up to the flames of the chimaera just to name a few..

If you want to see a place were time has stood still in Turkey and experience what Turkey used to be like about 15 to 20 yrs ago before the influx of all-inclusive and package holidays of the last decade, then Cirali is the place for this..

Cirali is a great little village, nice clean beach and a mix of sand and pebbles, ruins of Olympos and the flames of "Chimaera" the world's oldest and best-known natural "eternal flame".

No mass tourism or 5 star hotels. Just nice family own hotels and pansiyons. Small shops, quiet bars, restaurants, and no discos. It is more of a place for nature lovers and chilling out. It can be too quiet for some if you are looking for more in the way of nightlife..

my photos ;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom/sets

Cirali is centrally located between Antalya and Kas and you can travel farily easily to visit nearby historical areas.

Thanks Caretta - will pass this on to my boyfriend who will be thrilled!

you are very welcome and now I have read the entire thread.. off to get a coffee now..

where ever you decide to go have a fab time..

Caretta, I think I will be on the beach while my boyfriend disappears diving - perfect! Enjoy your coffee!

nicky

most of these places are too far away from akyaka, i think Kocadağ, Gökova will be the nearest as akyaka is in the bay of gokova

Thanx Karen

Hi Karen - think I have totally lost the plot! Is it best to buy Turkish lira in the UK or get it over there and if we have to get it there where do we go?! Probably basic questions to you but I have no idea! Nicky

the rate is better in turkey than the uk, we found all restaurants , bars etc changed money for us, there is an exchange office but the rates were better in the restaurants, most let us pay in sterling too . we changed about £50 into lira in the uk just so we had some.

not sure if you are aware you need to pay £10 each in sterling for a visa in dalaman airport, so make sure you have that handy, they will take a £20 note for the both of you, but make sure you tell them thats for both visas

karen

Karen, thanks for that, think we will wait til we get there then! Thanks for the tip about the visa too!

nicky

im assuming you havent been to turkey before, the people are so friendly, the bigger resorts can be a bit in your face , if you go to marmaris for the day you will see what i mean. the dolmus runs twice a day and is only a few lira each way, the bus stop for this is on the main street , you have to walk up the hill a small way and its on the right hand side, think it goes in the morning around 10 ish and returns around 6 , this will be the most economical way to go to marmaris , taxi will be about £20

karen

Hi Karen - no this is my first time, so don't really know what to expect, although I think you have given me great tips! I'm very excited, already counting down the days! So do you plan to move out to Turkey?

yes we were going to , but plans have now changed due to the interest rates in turkey dropping from 20% to 10% so we cant afford to live there without working now, also mam said electric has doubled in price too . maybe 1 day when we are at retirement age lol

How lovely, wish I could persuade my other half to move abroad - so fed up with the weather and economic climate here!

Karen, now I've booked our holiday to Yucelen Hotel, I keep reading about packs of dogs on the beach! Help!

i have seen a few dogs wandering around the beach but never seen packs of them and they dont come near you as its so hot they usually lie under an empty sun bed or tree, if you dont like dogs and 1 approaches u then ask 1 of the waiters to get rid of it , so dont worry , this is common in most places in turkey, there are quite a lot of strays everywhere in turkey, dogs and cats