I've just booked Gumbet in July (first time in Turkey) for a family with 2 young teenagers (14) & looking for some tips.
I wouldn't mind a nice quiet meal a few nights, is there any personal recommendations?
Should i not let the 14yo girls out of my sight day & night or can i relax a bit?
Wouldn't mind booking a trip or two (Ephesus etc) is there a certain place in Gumbet which gives a good deal rather than booking through the tour rep.
Staying at the Green House which now after looking at a few mixed reviews, has me a little wary. Anyone got any personal experience of this place..?
Thanks........
For Gumbet have a look here, but please remember that everyone's opinions vary :-
I used to live in Gumbet and still visit every year so I should be able to answer your questions.
There are some very nice restaurants in the resort, my personal favourite is Seray Zetas, they serve the most delicious traditional Turkish food around and the prices are vry good. It is just a few minutes from Greenhouse.
You should be fine to let your girls have a little wander off during the day but not at night. Not that Gumbet isn't safe but I just wouldn't let them go off anywhere on their own at that age. You will find that the Turkish men are very chatty and flirty so warn your girls just to ignore them, they are pretty harmless but they can be a bit persistant (I should know as I am married to a Turkish man )
Don't book any of your trips through the rep as they will be a lot more expensive. Most of the tour agencies give pretty much the same price, there is one very near Greenhouse but you can compare prices etc if you just walk around the resort. If you want to book a boat trip though, the best place to go is to one of the little booths along the beach, they should cost around £10 for a day including lunch.
Greenhouse is a nice place to stay, close enough to the resort centre and the beach but fairly quiet. I used to live opposite there for a time and I would go in and use the swimming pool most days. There are 2 swimming pools there actually and the back one is a little quieter. The apartments are very nice, some of them on split level.
If there is anything else you want to know please just ask and I will try to help.
Kedi
The Greenhouse apartments are in a good location - not in a noisy area but close enough to everything. There's loads of choices for meals. In the area where you're staying you'll find Bizim Ev (Our House), Chinatown, Bombay Cottage (if you like Indian food they do a great buffet). There's loads of places where you can book trips, quite a few of them close to the Greenhouse and they'll all give you a brochure so you can take your time in looking at them.
Opposite the Greenhouse there's the Radio Bar and then Cheers/Mascot and they're both nice for a quiet drink - Cheers does cocktails to die for (I should know 'cos we have a house in Gumbet and Cheers is my local and I think I've sampled most of the cocktails ).
JAK xx
@ Jakki - I'll definately give Cheers a visit & force myself to a cocktail or two... Bizim Ev... is it actually your house/restaurant or is that Turkish for 'our house'?
@ Kedi - If Seray Zetas is good enough for a local then it'll do me as i'd like to sample some traditional grub, does it serve just Turkish food? (thinking about the girls)
I believe tipping is expected but how much, say for a meal in a restaurant?
I always enjoy visiting the local markets to see if i can find a bargain, what day & where abouts is the one in Gumbet & is there any others local that are worth a visit..?
I gather that haggling is the done thing in the markets/shops but what about the restaurants/bars, for example, asking the touts wanting you to eat at their place for a free drink etc with the meal...
Thanks for now...
Turgetreis,Jakkie will correct me if Im wrong Which was on a Saturday.We had a couple of meals in Cheere which we could not fault,excellent food and service.
Around 10% is the usual for tips for a meal, if you are just having a snack or drink just a few coins is fine. If you get a taxi anywhere just round up the fare for a tip.
There is a big market at Turgutreis on a Saturday, it is about 30 minutes on the bus. There is also a clothes market in Bodrum, above the bus station, on a Tuesday. Gumbet does have a small market on a Sunday, mainly fruit and veg but there are some stalls selling clothes, tablecloths etc. they are actually rebuilding Gumbet market this winter so it may be bigger this year. It is worth a wander round anyway even if you just want to get some lovely fresh fruit.
On the subject of food shopping, if you want to buy supplies for your apartment, food, soft drinks, beer, toilettries etc, then the best thing to do is jump on the dolmus (minibus), it will stop right outside Greenhouse, you just have to look out for a little green bus and stick your hand out. You can get this bus to the big supermarket, Carrefour, just outside of Gumbet and everything is a lot cheaper than the little markets in Gumbet. Then you can just get fresh bread and water from the local shops.
Yes, definitely haggle in the shops and , there is a post I did a few weeks ago called "Haggling for Beginners", which may give you an idea of how it is done. You can certainly try asking for a free drink if someone is trying to get you into their restaurant, a lot of places will offer a free bottle of wine (usually not the best but ok for free).
Kedi
Just had a thought, if you want eat where the locals eat, try Adana 01 and some of the other restaurants on Ismet Inonu Caddesi which is the road going out of Gumbet towards the main road into Bodrum. You'll find it when you're in Gumbet - it's the road past the Windmill in the centre of Gumbet. It's amazing how many visitors to Gumbet don't bother to walk up that road - there's some great kebab shops up there as well and Gumbet's Sunday market is also off that road.
We used to enjoy cheers and smilies, great fun and friendly staff.
A few more questions...
Do i just jump on a dolmus to Turgutreis & how much is the dolmus to here & to Bodrum & Carrefour..?
A Turkish bath might be an experience, any recommendations on one close by..?
The sunbeds on the beach - i believe the hotels own most of them, can you just use any of them even though you aren't staying there & just buy drinks from the staff..?
Thanks again everyone, i just want to be as clued up as possible before i go...
Last year the dolmus was about 1.7 lira I think to Bodrum (about 75p), it will be the same to Carrefour. I'm not sure how much it is to Turgutreis but it is pretty cheap to travel anywhere by dolmus.
Although I haven't been myself, the best Turkish bath is Nirvana, just across the road from the Parkim Ayaz hotel on Bar Street. They will pick you up from your hotel and take you back too and it is highly recommended.
Sunbeds - yes, you can use any of them and as long as you buy a drink or some lunch you can stay there all day.
Kedi
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Edited by
Kedi Yavrusu
2010-03-07 21:43:20
One other thing, should i top up my mobile before i go (i'm on O2 & is 99p per min) or can i buy phone cards there which work out cheaper....
Ta......
It will work out a lot cheaper to buy a phone card, you can get them anywhere and they last for ages. Just use your mobile if you really have to.
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