I live in sunny Blackpool and Icmeler is nothing like Blackpool in my opinion. I wish it was, it would save me some money each year
I agree it is geared for tourism but I have alway found the turkish people lovely, another thing that's different from Blackpool.

How does Turgutreis compare with Icmeler and Marmaris?

Turgutreis has loads of British restauraunts also particularly in the center.

for what its worth i would also recommend akyaka its cheaper than the icmeler/marmaris because turkish people holiday there themselves. also dalyan is worth a mention, it is also in a conservation area, there is no building on the beach because of this and there is no hassle, the town council will not allow it, you only get 'good evening' from the waiters front of house. as others have mentioned everyone expects something different from their holiday but i revisited icmeler the year before last and nearly crowned the boys in the bar in our apartments.. they are still playing the same music they played when i first went donkeys years ago... and they played cha cha slide 5 times in a row... its more than anyone can stand !!! i mentioned that it was driving everyone nuts, they stopped for a while, then it was back.... we had deliberately stayed in the old village to keep away from the front but it seems you cant escape the sound of 1995 !!!! having said all that... we had a great time and the reason we went was the package deal was too cheap to miss !!

We went to Icmeler for the day last week and liked it so much that we have booked to return for two weeks next year,I wasn't too keen on Marmaris,too many shops and all the traders were trying to sell the last of their stock,no nasty hassle though and we met some lovely Turkish people.We also went to Ephesus on a day trip,it was a fantastic day although rather a long one.Our guide was soooo informative and had a great sense of humour.We also found that trips were so cheap,we paid £45 each for three day trips,one of them was Ephesus,much much cheaper than Cyprus,we paid over £100 for a jeep safari,no water fights,and no lunch for the three of us,a beautiful day but not as good as Ephesus.We can't wait to go back to Turkey!!T.

Ortakent is also cheaper than the big resorts and it has a lovely beach. It is only 45 minutes from Bodrum airport.

We may well look at Ortakent another year,flights from our local airport only fly into Dalaman and as we are limited to dates next year we decided to just go from there,it is only five minutes away and my husband works there so no parking charges.This forum is so informative and helpful,I'm so glad I found it,thanks,T.

is ortakent quite a quiet place kedi

rwb46 wrote:

Turgutreis has loads of British restauraunts also particularly in the center.

Does that mean is commercialised or does it still retain its Turkish feel

we found turgutreis as touristy as icmeler but its not as big, but lots of bars and restaurants advertising english breakfasts etc

Yes majie, Ortakent is fairly quiet, there are some nice restarants and cafes and maybe a couple of bars but no busy nightlife.

My friend/ who always holidays in Greece, went to Turgutreis this year (only because Turkey is a euro free zone) and raved about the town, the restaurants/bars, beach (never mentioned it was commercialised but I did think it might be after hearing about a bar called Nutters ). I suppose you've got to visit yourself and form your own opinion

Akayaka is stunning, we visited it while we were staying for a month in Icmeler this summer. We decided to go on the dolmus which was NOT an easy task with a 4 year old and a 7 year old but WELL worth it!! We ate in a traditional restaurant which gave free bottled water and the food was to die for, although we only visited for a short time we will definitely return, no hassle and REAL Turkey. Thanks Ellie-meg xxxxxxxxx

We also visited Akyaka for the day this summer while we was staying in Icmeler,what a lovely place,loved the beach at Gokova.I was surprised how much cheaper it was in the restaurants,so laid back and no hassle from anyone,looking forward to visiting it again next year.