Hi can somebody tell me if there are things to do for both teenagers (2 x 16 year old girls) and a boy of 9 in Side. We are hoping to book at the beginning of July for 1 week as a last minute deal. Also, I am confused now with people saying Turkey is not cheap anymore. As I have never been to Turkey, how does it compare say to Spain, Greece or even Bulgaria? Where are the best places to go, things to see, etc.

Thanks and best wishes, Carol.

I Love Side! it depends what your kids are into really, but there is plenty to do. in Town there are lovely restaurants/shops. there are discarded roman ruins EVERYWHERE including a fantastic roman baths. The amphitheatre is good, but not a lot to see. Same with the museum in Side

further afield there is the fantastic amphitheatre at aspendos, and the archealogical museum in Antalya is well worth a visit. Manavgat falls are lovely and set in lovely gardens, even if the place itself is a bit of a toilet. the best method for getting to manavgat falls is by boat trip. you sail along the coast and then up the river, where you can see turtles and pelicans. you then trasfer to a scary mad bus drive up to the falls.

another great day out is the dolphin island boat trip- where we did actually see dolphins . you can jump off the boat and swim in the sea- although i found it a little cold .
if you want to know any specifics please do ask.

hello!
me and my boyfriend went to Side last year when i was 17. It was our first time to Turkey and i was thinking what you are. "What will there be to do apart from sit next to the pool." How wrong was I!??

I loved it!
We went into Side town centre the first few days, saw the ruins, it was ok, saw the museum, it was ok But not as exciting as we hoped. Beautiful! But not exciting.
But then we saw all these tour operators in a long line. They all came to their doors, asking us in for drinks and a sit down away from the sun.

In the end we ended up going on all these trips!! At first we were a bit nervous, but as soon as we got on the coach (which picks you up at the hotel) we were fine!
We ended up going White Water rafting, which you may think the "oldies" may not enjoy, but i happened to be the second youngest on my raft, beaten by a four year old boy! Its truly amazing. You go on a coach ride up the side of this huge mountain, then when you reach the top you see masses of people there doing the same thing, of all ages! But its not too crowded as there are millions of rafts there. And the river is huge! Its beautiful. You start by having your photo taken in front of this gorgeous spring, then go on to have the opportunity to jump of this 30 - 40 foot cliff edge into a lagoon below. Suprisingly i actually did it. Such a sense of achievement.

We shared our raft with a qualified instructer, 1 child, and the rest were about 40 - 50 apart from a 60+ year old lady. But it was so funny, everyone talks to each other as you have your included meal at dinner. Its such a laugh!

Also we went to an Aquapark, ok i have to admit there were two and they sent us to the wrong one, but we still had an amazing time.
On the main beach in Side you get the opportunity to do that paragliding pulled by a speedboat. Yeah i did NOT do that as you can tell. No heights for me!

Theres banana boat rides advertised everywhere, jetskis, boats for hire, boat trips and soooooooo much more!! It really was a fun packed holiday. But none of this was pressured onto you, you can lie on the loungers all day at the beach if you wish! Perfect holiday!

I really hope you get the chance to go! I wanted to go again but decided to explore more of turkey and so have decided Ovacik this year.

Have fun!
PS I realise I have babbled A LOT here so if doesnt make sense just PM me! Sorry!
Cookie xx

ooo yeah and on the price front,

2 turkish pizzas (huge)
2 cans of coke
salad, turkish bread, yoghurt, dips, melon,
huge basket of fries
huge basket of chicken wings
2 bottles of water

cost us the grand total of £7 in a cute local restaurant near our hotel.
it was lovely and the service was second to none.

also in side town center we went to a shop for 2 bottles of water, went to pay, took out a pocket of change and the shop keeper shook his head and only took 8pence off us for them.
he knew we were struggling and helped clear our pockets of pointless pennies. Only after we left we gt the trusty converter out and realised he charged us practically nothing!

how lovely the turkish are!

cookie xx

cookie what was the name of the restaurant you mentioned near your hotel,sounds ok.what hotel did you stay at, we go in a week

Ray, where are you staying, in the old town or on the outskirts?

either way make sure you make the effort to go to the old town, as when I was there last year the old town was suffering due to people who were staying at the big hotels on the outskirts didn't bother to come into the old town.

an excellent restaurant in the old town is Gul. and another one that I do not know it's name, but if you ask someone to point you in the direction of "the soup kitchen" tehy'll know it. excellent, two course meal & 2 beers (for 2) about £5-10.

Thanks for the tip Lisa. We're of to Side on the 3rd of July and although it's AI we'll still be having a few meals out.

hi ray.

i stayed at a lovely mainly english hotel called The Bern which was only 1* but really clean and the staff were great. it was about 10 - 15 mins walk from the main beach in Side.

the restaurant was directly opposite the hotel but i cant remember the name for the life of me. it really was cheap but my god the portions were huge! i didnt eat at all the next day!

Cookie xx

thanks for the info,we are staying at the kervan hotel.Was this near where you stayed cookie,if you have not heard of this hotel,any directions you could give me to try this place out.cheers

it doesnt ring a bell im afraid ray. according to reports on http://www.holidays-uncovered.co.uk it looks like youre on the main dolmus route to side.
so a short journey will get you there no problem.
sorry i cant be of any more help, but there are loads of amazing restaurants in Side for you to try!
cookie xx

help folks going to side in 3weeks and taking our 6year old girls is it all bars and restaurants or is there places you can go with kids at night also has anybody stayed at or even heard of the hotel selge.tried all the reviews and nothing is mentioned.cheers and thanks for all the replies re my question on currency

All I know is that Sunset sell it and so do Jewel in the Crown,according to JitC it has had a re-vamp in recent years - looks ok to me Ron

Hi, I'm trying to find out how near to each other the Papillon Muna and the Melas Hotels are.
Is there a map of Side hotels I can access, or does anyone know the location of these two properties.

Many thanks

Hi myself and my family are of to side in turkey on the 19 of july. I am after information on the best places to eat / drink and also prices. This is our first time to turkey and would appreciate as much information as any body could give us please. Thank you very much to who replys.

WE ARE ABOUT TO BOOK OUR HOLIDAY IN SIDE TURKEY TODAY CN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE US ABIT OF INFO ON IT PLEASE.
WE WANT TO HAVE GOOD BEACHES NICE FOOD AND BARS. WE ARE A YOUNG COUPLE BUT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PUT OFF BY TURKEY

Please do not post in Cap's further posts in this way may be deleted Briar

I travelled to Side last Febrauary- It`s a wonderful resort - lots to see and do. I stayed All Inclusive so didn`t eat out - but i`m told that there are lots of great restaurants. Beach was lovely, much better than Icmeler beach.

Side is a year round resort..lots to see in the area. its not a big place very compact. it has a good night life is great for shopping has a good beach with greek temple remains on the beach..very romantic. there always archaeological digs going on in the area if you're interested in history. hope you have a great time.

I went to Side years ago it was wonderful ,had a lovely time .

Has anyone been to Side in late November,early December?.I was last there in May 1994 and have always wanted to return.