Hi.

We spent time in Marmaris and found this to be ideal except i personally was disappointed with the beach, our hotel was situated away from the main part of town which made for a peaceful retreat when things got a little hectic.
We went self catering and found prices to be very competitive and value for money, however since our visit i heard people say prices have gone up but still the resorts are cheap.
Many of my friends and family have done Turkey and the following resorts have all had positive feedback from them all, Altinkum, Bodrum/Gumbet & Olu Deniz.
Cheers Ken.

Thanks any other sugestions?

mamaritious sounds good tho

Marmaris is a great place - for all ages & tastes. Whether you want it quiet or want to party all night - there are places for all

As gopher says the beach is not too good - But other aspects of the resort make up for it - Water parks, water sports, day trips and shopping, shopping and more shopping!!

If want to know anything more specific - ask away!!

Cheers

LA

Personally... and I'll get shot down for this... I wouldn't go to Marmaris.

It's a BIG, BIG very busy mega-resort. Icmeler, just along the coast is more toned down. Turunc is more tranquil but has easy access to Marmaris and Icmeler.

Then there's Bodrum. My own personal favourites include Daylan and Gocek, but I appreciate there's not much to keep young kids occupied there.

I personally would go for olu deniz or icmeler if you dont want things too loud - both resorts you will find plenty to do but not full on and great for families.

lyn

Hi I personally liked Alanya, staying at the Grand kaptan Hotel. It is a half board hotel with a lovely beach front location and situated in attractive gardens with 2 pools one with waterslides and a private underpass to the beach. The resort centre of Alanya is about 3km away but the hotel lay on a courtesy bus which picks you up from the hotel and brings you back to the door after. There are lots of bars and restaurants a short walk away which is nice on an evening when it gets a bit cooler. We stayed in the annexe part of this hotel which was very big and had lovely sea views.

Time to shoot Rich down..... haha!! Fair comment, friends/family of mine have been to Marmaris and hated every minute of it - I appreciate its not for everyone - Depends what you look for in a hol - I have been to Dalyan, Turunc & Olu and whilst i really liked the resorts i wouldnt go back as too quiet for me. Alanya is another big resort - but again not one that i would go back to.

One thing that i always ponder is Icmeler - everyone groups this as a quiet wee resort - Over the years it has grown so much so that i think of it just another Marmaris - not much difference at all - apart from a nicer beach!! (time for me to get shot down by the Icmeler fans!! )

Ste - let us know what you decide - Wherever you go you will enjoy!!

LA

if you are looking for a quiet beach holiday you wont get better than the a/inclusive hotels in belek ,stayed in the sun zeynep twice last year ,and we are booked up for twice this year ,great hotel right on the beach ,great food,staff ,and it is spottlessly clean

bluepeterno1

Hi ste123, look no further than Babadan Apartments, Icmeler(through Thomsons, see brochure or website). There is a discussion Forum running on it plus check out the Hotel Reports. It is located 5 minutes walk from the centre but is far enough away to not be affected by Bar Noise. It has two swimming pools and a large play area for kids. The rooms are kept immaculate. The beach is no more than 15 mins walk and caters for all. You are spoilt for choice of Restaurants, you can eat in a different one every night of your holiday, there is so much choice. This year, we took some recommendations from this website and didn't have a bad meal in the whole fortnight. Look forward to hearing what decision you make.

leighanne, where's my gun ?!!? Icmeler catching up with Marmaris as regards having a lot of noisy Bars? I don't think so !! Let's be truthful about this, in our experience, there are really only two main Bar areas both of which are well away from where i've recommended ste123 to stay. Marmaris is more like Blackpool(no offence intended to whom it may concern). If Icmeler were like Marmaris, we would not still be recommending it to people and wouldn't be returning there for holidays. As regards to personal preference, it is each to their own. If you like a lot of Night Life, then Marmaris is for you, if not, then somewhere like Hisaronu/Olu Deniz or Icmeler is ideal.

CC

Personally i dont go the the main bar/club areas in Marmaris (the beach & bar street - which i agree are a bit loud/busy) Once you are away from those areas, you get some real nice chilled places- Same as you said for Icmeler
You should try the Armulatan area of Marmaris for a night out - some lovely bars/restaurants around

For a small, quiet & peaceful resort in that region you should look at the likes of Turunc & Gokova - I really dont place Icmeler in that category anymore

And this is my 'truthful' opinion

LA

Hi all,

Just catching up from my Hotel in Tenerife and this discussion caught my eye. Hope it doesn't turn into a " my resorts better than your resort" discussion. Every resort has it's good and bad points and the bit of the resort you see may not be a true reflection of the entire resort. Marmaris is so big it can go from the hectic to the tranquil, Icmeler has everything you need and when I went to Turunc I thought it looked stunning. Way back I thought Kusadasi was the business. Each to their own.

Wilson

Hi Wilson, it is highly unlikely that this website will deteriorate into a my resort is better than yours, the Moderators wouldn't allow it !! Leighanne was having a lighthearted moment with Rich C and so I returned the compliment to her. This website is all about speaking as you find, relating our experiences, if it helps someone to decide where to go for their next holiday and it turns out they have a great time, then we have done our job. If we have a little bit of fun a long the way doing it, then so much the better !!!! It is all about giving people an insight as to what to expect, which is why you have Forums about different Resorts and Hotels e.g. I went on the Kalkan Forum and asked for information and got it. In addition to Kalkan, we are also going to Kusadasi this year, both are areas we've not been to before but our reasons for going here are threefold. 1, Holiday 2, The Cultural History 3, To look at property with a view to making a permanent move out there at a later date. Just for the record, we also love Turunc and Hisaronu.

CC
Didn't mean to cause offence and certainly none intended. I have been a member of this forum for quite a while and know that the Mods keep an eye on things. I am also one for humour, that said, over the years several posts have 'deteriorated' through unfair and ill informed resort comparison before the Mods can do their thing. It's the honesty of this forum that keeps me hooked (and taking an hour out of the Tenerife sun), so as I head back to my poolside sunbed I intend to close my eyes and think of Marmaris in July ..

Wilson

Hi Wilson, no offence taken, you have my respect. In the short time i've been a member, i've been aware of some of your contributions. Let's hope that ste123 has obtained some helpful hints from us all. Don't get too browned off in that Tenerife sun while us back here in blighty freeze our assets off !! Some of us have got to return to that four letter swearword institution on monday, having had two weeks rest. Have a gooooood one.

Hi to the new user, if you are looking for a family friendly beach holiday you should definately look at Bitez, there is no need to go all inclusive in Turkey there are so many lovely restaurants to choose from, including the one at the hotel link below. Please have a look for yourself at Bitez.
http://www.manuelahotel.com (just for your information)
Argie

rich c.cant agree more stay away from marmaris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!he gives good advice.friends of mine go there every year,but until last summer we decided to go to icmeler but visited marmaris.what a hole!!!!!!!!!!!!
my friends love it! but they have been going for years and have got to no everyone there.however they did say had they have gone to icmeler for the 1st time they prob would still be going there now.marmaris is worse than blackpool,the turks never!!!!!! leave you alone there,forever hassleyou.too pushy,for me.cramped,beach rubbish.
however icmeler is a smaller lovely pretty resort,with lots of more what i call family entertainment.dont get me wrong they all still want you to spend money in there pubs etc,but you just say"no thankyou" and keep walking and they dont run after you and try to drag you in.they are lovely people!!!!!! we are going all inc for the 1st time at the e.toille hotel,we visited this hotel last year as we were staying over the road at the effendi hotel.we got a bargain 2 wks 5th july £550 per person,so we got 12 going now and its going up.we paid that for s/c last year.all the music stops at 12am in icmeler not like marmaris,so if you got young kids thats a bonus.as the resort stretches quite far back i would be careful though of how far away from the front you are,there would be certain parts of icmeler i would not stay.happy hunting!!!!!

laingy

Icmeler is definately the place to go. I have only been to Icmeler, it is a real "family" resort, there is only two nightclubs in the resort, most of the entertainment being based in the restuarants. Its close enough to Marmaris if you do want more "life". With regards to Marmaris, we only visited once in the evening, it is really really busy, but I would say that Bar Street is well worth the visit, even if only for the sights and sounds. Just walking up there is an eye opener. The marina is lovely, lost of restuarants there to try, but I must say its a relief when you get off the Dolmus at Icmeler - after 12 peace and quiet, no cars honking or loud music. Dont get me wrong, you can drink late if you want to, but is peaceful and relaxed.

You must consider to visit Alanya too