Don't know about Olu Deniz but Marmaris is big and busy, but does have quieter areas, Icmeler would probably tick all the right boxes and Marmaris is 10 mins away by dolmus. It is all about personal choice so it's hard to recommend any resort without knowing you personally, but in general Turkey has something to suit for everyone.

I personally think the Gran Pasa in Marmaris would be ideal its really nice good food dont get mixed up with pasa beach this is Gran Pasa if you book you wont be dissapointed at all x

Armutalan area of marmaris..we stop there every year..its got lots of restaurants and is very quiet compared to the main marmaris beachfront....and you can walk into the centre of marmaris in about 20mins,,there are also quite a few places in armutalan that have entertainment but they are not rowdy places..hope that helps

Hi Kook, Have a look at Hisaronu and Ovacik, these are quiet places but only a short dolmus ride away from Olu Deniz. Hisaronu has got some shops and very good restaurants. Go to Fethiye and you've got a huge weekly market, whilst there, you can enjoy a lovely stroll around the Marina. On the restaurant subject, check those out which say,"Lokantasi", these are very cheap(the locals use them) and provide excellent quality food, also have a look at those which say Sofrasi, there are two of these on the Fethiye road out of Hisaronu.

Les

Hi all,
I hope you don't mind me using this topic to seek some advice of my own. I'm after a recommendation too. We've been thinking about booking Kefalonia (we love the Greek islands) but the Euro's putting us off. We've decided that maybe we'd be better off going somewhere in Turkey. We've been once before to Gumbet and had a fab holiday although the hassle took a bit of getting used to.

Having done a bit of research I really fancy Olu Denis but my main concern is that it may be one of the 'pricier' resorts with regards to food and drink. As I'm seeking a cheaper alternative to Euro zone would I be better off looking elsewhere or do you think Olu is still a lot cheaper than Greece? I do have a few other queries but I'd be glad of a reply to this first, please?

Thanks!

Hi Shirley, Turkey can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. If you eat as i've recommended above, then it is very cheap but if you go to the more touristy establishments, then you will pay more. Example, we recently returned from Altinkum, at one restaurant we had a set 3 course meal with a soft drink for £16 for the two of us, on other nights we were having just a main course and drink for £20. Admittedly these were touristy places but when we go back out in September we will be looking to eat in the non-touristy establishments and expecting to pay half this. We always go Bed & Breakfast as it tends to work out cheaper, plus you are not tied to meal times and can explore the country at your leisure. As i've said in my post to Kook, I would recommend Hisaronu or Ovacik to you, Olu Deniz is only a ten minute ride away on the dolmus.

Les

hi shirley h
Cruisecontroller is right turkey can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be but for the mugla region is mainly known for its friendlyness i would give it a go forget greece for a year see what turkey has to offer then you can always go back to Kefalonia when the euro picks back up
thats if turkey dos'nt take a hold of you

The exchange rate is even more favourable at the moment. We went at the beginning of June and were getting around 2.30 TL its now around 2.50, so even better value. As other members have said if you eat with the locals you'll get some lovely food at a good price, but if you eat in the tourist places by the sea, you'll pay a bit more, but still great value. Olu Deniz may be a little more expensive than some resorts but it depends what you want. The bigger,louder and more commercialised places like Marmaris are where you get the real bargains, which is great if thats the kind of holiday you are looking for.
As for the hassle not sure about all resorts but around the Marmaris/Icmeler/Turunc area they have really cracked down, so if that's true of all areas you shouldn't be bothered by it.
We used to go to Greek islands as well, but we find Turkey so much more friendly as Maverick says.

having been to most resorts in turkey we found the resorts around bodrum area, bitez, turguetreis more expensive than other areas.

olu deniz is lovely, its quite a small resort with a lovely lagoon area, scenery is gorgeous. marmaris and icmeler are a lot bigger and arent as scenic, the beaches arent as nice as the lagoon beaches either

belcekiz beach, lykia world , olu deniz resort hotels, these hotels usually get excellent reviews in the olu deniz area, 2 are all inc and lykia is full board + , and lykia is fab, the food there is exceptional and there are 2 adult only pools and an adult only restaurant aswell as loads of others , we are going in oct

have a good read up on the resorts as different resorts suit different people, i like icmeler and some parts of marmaris but prefer olu deniz

thats if turkey dos'nt take a hold of you

Many a true word spoken in jest

Hi again, thanks for all your replies. Yes, we loved our first Turkey holiday but can't see us keeping going back as we do to the Greek islands. I forgot to mention that I'm looking for next summer as we're already booked for Dom Rep this year. Olu Denis has really taken my fancy which is why I asked if it's one of the more expensive areas. We like to use the traditional restaurants/cafes/bars rather than the 'touristy' ones but will there be enough of them and will we have to look hard to find them. I'm worried that if we have to mostly use the touristy eateries that I may as well have gone to Kefalonia.

I realise I'm in the Turkey forum so I know you all love Turkey but some impartial advice on whether I can do a 'cheapie' in Olu or not will be really appreciated. Just to throw in another statement - I quite like the look of Altinkum as well

like me you would have to travel into fethiye for true turkish food, you can keep the tourist food and there tourist prices i like my turkish food

Olu Deniz is very touristy but its also very beautiful and not built up. The bars and restaurants are cleverly concealed by trees. If you arrive at Olu Deniz by boat it looks totally natural and tourist free.You will find some really authentic turkish restaurants at Kaya Koy which you can get to by Dolmus. (You change at Hisaronu).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/madjap/3694159190/?eOrig=2272722634

Thank you all for your replies.

Still not sure where to go. It's difficult to break a habit and Tenerife does offer the promise of good weather all year. However, we have noticed that it has got more expensive.

I think our priorities for a AI hotel would be: 1. good food, 2. ability to sun bathe (eg good weather) & 3. relatively peaceful around the pool/hotel.

Will have to give it a little more thought.

but its nothing like tenerife i would say its better but that is only personal choice and yes i have tried both north and south tenerife had a great time but this is just stunning