Well there are plenty of alternatives to Lara beach, in fact I don't think Lara would suit your needs anyway. There is not much there apart form the hotels so it your 13 year old proabbly wouldn't like it there.

Do you want a hotel, if so which board B&B/HB/AI ? If you are looking AI then it will be expensive to go to a decent one and the cheap ones rally aren't a very good standard so I wouldn't advise that.

You could also have a look at SC, there are some very good value apaprtments, which would give you extra space.

As for area I will tell you about the part I know most about and I'm sure others will come on to recommend other places.

We spend a lot of time on the Bodrum Peninsula, there are a number of different resorts ranging from lively to very quiet. You could have a look at Gumbet, there is plenty to do there, the beach is decent enough and there is a good water park close by. If you prefer a hotel you could look at Parkim Ayaz, they have entertainment and probably kids clubs but I can't say for certain. If you prefer an apartment have a look at Tropicana Beach. There will be plenty of teenagers around if you go in the school holidays and there are also some good day trips which your kids may enjoy eg a boat trip or a jeep safari.

You may be able to get your holiday cheaper by booking flights and accomodation separately so don't just look at packages.

I hope this helps
Kedi

Kedi

Brilliant advice. Thanks. It's a good job you told me that because I was certain that everyone would recommend Lara Beach etc. The main thing is that the Kids enjoy it, especially nightimes.

Thanks

Hi welconme to HT bobbentos As Kedi suggests also have a look around the bodrum side . There are loads of decent A/Is popping up all the time in that area too . Turkey is made up of 3 regions . You can normally tell by looking at the airport you would be flying to . Antayla - also known as the Med coast for the likes of Lara beach, side etc . Not as scenic as other areas. Bodrum- also known as the Aegean coast for bodrum, /gumbet, tugetreis , bitez etc. Dalaman - Also known as The turqoise(sorry spelling ) coast for Olu deniz, Marmaris ,Icmeler etc.

I think in any of these big A/I's there will plenty of teens for your son to make friends as long as you make sure they are not too European and reviews suggest plenty of English . (some are not) There should be loads of activities for him to get involved with should he be the type . All will have evening entertainment and some a disco/nightclub although he may be a bit young for that Many will have waterslides etc. with the exception of side, if you are within walking distance of the town there I think most of the antayla region will be hotel based if that's what you will be happy with and the more facilities the more you will pay.

Our favourite area is the Dalaman section but I am becoming a little out of touch with all the new A/Is springing up. There are plenty now in the bodrum Area which we also like and kedi has suggested.

We stayed at the WoW Bodrum Resort a few years back when our 'Kevin' was a teenager. This was a Thomas Cook hotel I think and was AI with great family duplex rooms. The hotel had a choice of included resstaurants, its own private beach and they did lots of activities with the teenagers as well as the younger kids; banana boat rides, day trips out, etc. We all had a really good time there - worth checking out as the Bodrum peninsula is a lovely scenic area.

WOW Bodrum is actually on the edge of Gumbet, it is a very nice hotel.

That's been on our list for a while but it's been very expensive the last couple of years. It's got to the point that those I really like are now costing as much as it is to go to the caribbean . In some cases it's cheaper . Minione has been and loved it . Think she's going back this year.

Ah, must admit I haven't checked the prices recently We have a house in Turkey now so don't price up hotels there any more - I'm probably out of touch! I know what you mean with the Caribbean though Lynn - we planned originally to go to Egypt this Feb half term but it was working out so expensive for 3 adults ... eventually ended up in the Dominican in a 5* hotel AI for less money. Crazy

Yes, Lyn is right I'm back at the WOW this summer. It is expensive but I take the view you get what you pay for. I have always found Direct holidays the cheapest for this hotel. There is loads to do there for any age. It has it's own stretch of beach with lots of watersports,fun activioties like building your own boat and then racing it! Evening entertainment is good with a show in the ampitheatre followed by a live band or belly dancing competitions etc; The food is excellent as is the service and the views are spectacular. It's a 15 minute stroll along the beach in to Gumbet and a 10 minute dolmus ride away to Bodrum. We have been to Turkey several times now,all good quality hotels but this is the best.

Hi Peeps

Some brilliant advice there. WoW has gone right to the top of my list now. I have just looked at it in one of the Thomas Cook brochures we have. It looks brilliant.

I hope you don't mind me asking a couple more questions?????

1. I know I've mentioned this already but it is vital that there is something to do with the 13 year old boy. Otherwise our life will be hell forever and the Holiday will turn into our biggest nightmare, lol. Our two younger kids are not so much a problem as they are happy with Water, Water & Water.

2. Where is the best place to book this/what is the best site? I tried direct Holidays but it's not coming up with anything for WoW resort. I have no problem booking the flights and Hotel seperately but could do with some advice on this (Meaning, if I book flights & Hotel seperately are our kids excluded from activities?. Ie. Are the activities run by Thomas Cook or the Hotel?). Like a lot of people, we are on a budget so I'd be grateful of advice on how to book this as cheap/economical as possible.

Thanks again everybody.

No your kids wont be excluded by activities . Everyone booked into the hotel gets exactly the same . The wow is certainly not exclusive to TC group and even if it was many people book flights and hotel seperately even if it is the hotel booked through one of TC companies and flight with Easyjet .

We have done DIY to Turkey just as many times as booking a package . I just do whatever is the cheapest at time of booking but the key to a Turkish DIY bargain if this is over the main summer holidays is a flight booked very very early to secure a good price on that. It's highly unlikely you will get a decent flight only price now over july/aug.

What dates are you wanting to go . I have a direct holidays brochure here and it's in there . Maybe it's sold out for the dates you want with them but if you let us know we will have a look around for you .

A couple of others that may be worth a look if wow works out too much are the Kadikale resport and The Aegean dream resort both in Turgetries . They wont be as good as Wow but we have been to Aegean dream resort and it's a short stroll into Turgetreis and over the summer they offer free watersports . Our kids had a great time there . The pool scene is fairly lively and they have another pool with waterslides etc.

It really depends on your budget and the difference in cost .

Our son was 15 when we stayed at WoW Resort. They have an independent dive school at the beach and he took his Advanced Padi exams whilst staying there so we didn't see much of him! There were plenty of organised activities for teenagers and when we stayed (June) there were many European and British teens for him to hang out with when not diving. The activities were part of the hotel as opposed to Thomas Cook's own clubs so booking direct, as Lynn said, won't preclude you from using them.

We are going back to Lykia World at Olu Deniz this Easter. It is a fabulous hotel with amazing facilities for kids, too numerous to mention but they have their own clubs with some fab activities and you would not see your 13 year hardly. Mine are 14, 11,8, 8 and I know they are going to have a fabulous time. The downside is that it doesn't come cheap.

Good luck

Hi we went to Asena Village Hotel in Hisaronu, Olu Deniz. Our son was in year 8 at the time and going into year 9. He is a typical typical teenager! They did not have slides then but they do now! There were so many other kids (teenagers from 11 to 16) that we did not really see him. They have bean bag chairs near the shop where they all hung out! He was also allowed into town as it was a 5 min walk and not dangerous. In the evenings the hotel had entertainment and one night all the staff and the teenagers were dancing - amazing night and place. They are great with teenagers I could not highly recommend it enough!

Hope that helps.

Redcrop x

Good cheap companies that we have booked with before are Travel Republic, On the Beach and Flightline. With these you can tweak your holidays and choose your flight times and accomodation.

We have 4 children and have found that in order to get a better deal we have booked with First Choice/Thomsons - although they appear expensive intially once they knock free child places off the price comes down. We have saved £1000 doing this the past 2 years. Plus you can pay a smaller deposit as often you have to pay quite a big chunk with companies like Travel Republic. Howevre these sell out very quickly so often you have to book as soon as the brochures come out.

Lou

My son is 13 and last year we went to the Royal Dragon and in October their sister hotel the Royal Wings. He had a great time. They have the funfair and aquapark, which also open early evenings and made lots of friends. Fantastic all-inclusive hotels. Would highly recommend although building work going on currently next to the Royal Dragon. Not sure if they stop working during summer season.