i agree with Dazbo - you may need a little more than that. For 3 of us (2 adults 1 teen) I budget on 200 lira a day and take a little extra for excursions

Ok thanks Alizda, I'll budget for around 150-180 Lira then, I suppose if the exchange rates stay the same (or better) than they are now, that's only around £850 - £1,000.

By the way, I just need to say I absolutely love this forum, I'll be coming here for every holiday I go on, will also recommend it to my friends, keep up the fantastic work

great isn't it! been here quite a while now myself lol! x

your new budget does sound a bit more realistic x you don't have to go overboard don't get me wrong, we have our "cheapy" days but it's always best to have that bit extra for if you want to treat yourself or if you have a craving for cocktails one night lol!! x

enjoy!

Hello Sunseeker.
Bizimtepe Hotel is not actually in Turgutreis,it is at Akyarlar which is roughly 15 minutes on the bus from T.Reis centre.It's a nice place and a pretty little village with STUNNING views out to sea -you could almost row over to Kos Island The bus into Turgutreis is cheap and frequent but if you want a very late night in town you may need to use a taxi after around 23.00,ask in the hotel about this.
One of the biggest budget blowers is alcohol.Most things here are very reasonably priced but alcohol is roughly the same price as you will pay in the UK.To help this along have a look in the airport duty free on your way out.They usually have a special offer on spirits such as Smirnoffs,Gordons etc of 2 litres packs for around 20GBP.This way you can have a your favourite tipple on your balcony before going out in the evening
Eating out can be as cheap or expensive as you choose to make it.In Akyarlar village there are quite a few small lokanta's(small restaurants)where you can get a simple but very good meal cheaply.In Turgutreis there are some lovely places along the seafront offering free sunsets!but of course they are slightly more expensive than restaurants set back from the seafront,who offer equally good food ...but not the views.
At lunch time you can buy a 'half ekmek doner'.This is literally half a bloomer loaf filled with salad and either roast chicken or roast beef and costs around 5TL which is roughly 2 quid...cheap and it'll keep you going until evening dinner.
Again in the evening look where the local people eat,if there are plenty of Turks you can be sure it will be very good food,very clean and very cheap.If they have a good selection of mezes(little starter dishes)then you can order a selection of them between you to share and this is often enough without needing a big main course.When you have had a cheap day then perhaps you can splurge some evenings too.
Local public transport is incredibly cheap and an easy way to get around the peninsula.They are small buses called dolmus(dol-mush)and you could have days out to Ortakent(Camel Beach),Gumuşluk,a lovely fishing village or go round to Yalıkavak a lovely small town which is a resort in it's own right.Also in Turgutreis on the harbour side you will see people selling daily boat trips.This is a great day out,very lazy and also cheap too,around 12GBP including lunch.
All in all a budget of 150TL per day should be enough if you are sensible.Some days you will spend only half of that allowing a little extra for other days.Basically make your holiday fit your budget not the other way round,you can have a good time within a small budget and of course the great thing is you won't be paying off credit card debt for the next 6 months after you come home The peninsula is lovely,have a great time!

Wow, thanks sarikanarya, that is very informative, may have to print that off to take with me.

One more thing, while I love my meat, my wife is a vegetarian, is there much to offer in the way of vegetarian food in Turkey (she has it in her head that everyone in Turkey eats meat and so nothing for her to eat lol)

Once again, thanks for the reply

SunSeeker, have no fears - you will have no problem whatsoever finding plenty of vegetarian food in Turkey. Most places will have vegetarian dishes on the menu, and you'll find that if there isn't anything she fancies, they will be more than happy to make something for her.

Turkey is an ideal place for a veggie to come as so much of traditional Turkish cuisine is vegetable and /or pulse based and very little meat is used.As Blondiescot says most places offer veggie options and these can include veg casseroles,pasta dishes,vegetable kebabs and pizza's.Don't worry she won't go hungry!
Most mezes are meat free and there are also things like cheese borek,little crisp pastries filled with cheese and herbs or she could have pide(pi-day) which is similar to a pizza but long and narrow and served cut into strips.This can be meat or cheese you just tell them what you want on it.Meals are usually served with rice pilav or often bulgur(cracked wheat)pilav in addition to chips.
Then there is always a huge variety of fresh vegetables,salads and fruit available all year round.The flavour of fresh produce here is just amazing,you will never taste tomatoes like they have here
"¦and then of course there are all the fabulous puddings and desserts to contend with but that's another subject.Please don't come back and shout at me if you put weight on"¦.
On the subject of eating;buy bottled water for drinking.The tap water is fine for washing with or cleaning your teeth.The water here is not dirty but it does have a high mineral content which can upset some people's stomachs.Ice is made with purified water and so it is safe to have ice in drinks but go easy on it-a very cold drink on a very hot tum isn't a good thing.
BTW;remember you will need to buy your visa on arrival.Simply have a ten pound note in each passport ready and go to the visa desk BEFORE going to passport control.They'll put the sticker in and then you go to passport control where it will be stamped in and that's it ,off you go.
Any other info you need please feel free to ask away.Anything you ask may also help other travellers too.

Thanks to both of you for fantastic answers, I'll pass these on to my wife, I'm sure she'll find it reassuring.

Can't think of any more questions (yet) but I will definitely ask if my wife or I think of anything.

Thanks again,

Justin.

Hi Gumbet Jakkie
I am sure we will pop into your local. My son thinks he is a great pool player only one problem with him is he wants to play all night. Hope we will see you there.
Luv Mags

We're off to Turkey for the first time In April for Easter (3 days annual leave for a weeks holiday bandwagon!!) , Parkim Ayaz, 2 adults 1 child, 1 week Half Board transfers luggage etc £850

Seems like a good deal there Dawn, who did you book through? make sure you get your Lira soon as prices are at a very good rate right now (highest since June 2009). Bet you're really looking forward to it, I'm going to Akyarlar in September and can't wait... Enjoy (and yes I'm slightly jealous you're going before me lol)

It was through Direct Holidays, the invoice etc has come through Thomas Cook - havent booked with a travel agent for years so thought this was a good deal - hence booking on the spot and researching later lol! Thanks for the money tip! x

We have just booked to go to the Mitos Apartments in Icmeler on 21st July for 2 weeks...171 days to go

We have just booked to go to the Mitos Apartments in Icmeler on 21st July for 2 weeks...171 days to go

Nice one, if we're starting to countdown to our hols, I have 212 days to go lol, still a while to go but at least it gives me time to save for spending money, already bought 400 Lira

Going to Baia Lara on 5th April for a week, anyone been there?

nrg2604,

Welcome onboard
You may find members hotel reviews for the Baia Lara Hotel useful.

Darren

Mags - look forward to meeting up with you in WOW. Can't wait now..............seems so far away. Where are you flying from?

Hi Jaccie we are flying from Glasgow on the 25th June. We have horrible flight times we do not leave Glasgow until 11pm. Coming home we have a 6am flight. We are thinking of booking a room for one more night as it is a long time to be out your room. Hope to see you there.

Mags - our flights not great either. Going out not too bad - 6pm flight. Coming back - we arrive in Belfast at something like 4.30 am!!! But we had no choice so take it or leave it! Will keep in touch - see you there.