I agree with you it is such a shame, it was my favourite place, it seems to get worse every year. I suppose it is what some people want but not me. I have flights booked to Dalaman next year but even though I want to give Olu Deniz another try I think I might regret it just don't know what to do!

I was lucky, I first went to Olu Deniz in 1990 before it got ruined.
The bay actually did look like the travel posters in those days, before they paved the beach with plastic sunbeds and pedalos.
I've been back last two years - 2009, 2010 for late breaks, particularly because I really enjoy visiting the town of Fethiye.
However Olu is getting worse year on year, it gets noisier and noisier.
It will be Turkish Benidorm soon.
So I'm not going back.

I visited Olu Deniz back in about 1990 too and it was beautiful. I don't think I would like to go back now!

unfortunatly it has become a victim of its own making wanting more and more ( greed ) but its natural for tourism when it first takes off
olu is still stunning its just got to big

I too visited Olu Deniz just for 2 days in October, a previous visit was about 10 years ago. I loved sitting on the beach and swimming although the cost of the beach beds was astronomical and prices in general were much higher than I am used to in Turkey. We were surprised at how trashy the town had become. It could have been any touristy resort anywhere in the world as it seemed to cater only for foreigners and we mostly heard English being spoken. They must think this is the way to make more money and actually for so late in the season it was very busy. Despite the beauty of the surroundings and the beach I don't think I will return there.

if your vist was in the middle of october it was the world air fest for paragliders this it what makes it very busy in this month

Hi All ,
Wife & I were in Olu in Sept - really looked forward to going but were not impressed at all we ended up going to Fethyie most days just to try and feel like we were in Turkey.

We all know (or should know) that the Bars etc are after our money but it has never been so obvious as it was in Olu.
One of the Guys calling hoilday makers into a Karaoke bar 1/2 way up the main street was openly racist towards black holiday makers and seemed to be encouraged by the other staff - sorry but won't be going back to Olu.

Toffeemen

We were there in the first week of October. I love Turkey and go all over the place but I do like to feel I am not in Europe and in Olu Deniz I did not get that feeling, it was so geared up for Europeans and Brits in particular. In its favour at least you can get away from all that when you go to the beach which was clean and gorgeous. It was not at all busy on the beach probably due to the high cost of loungers.

Toffeemen that does suprise me because the turkish as a nation are not racialist at all well only to (mr bush )
and not being on the right side of white have never had a problem and my turkish mate ali looks more african than turkish
but please don't judge turkey on this one bad experience,
it was probably just some idiot being jeered on