Hi we are going to Hotel Asena in Hisaronu and cant wait only 11 months to go lol we are saving money in a superglued jar and probably have £10 lol so that should help!! although we do have 11 months to save!

Redcrop x

we always go AI as we have 3 kids and just find it easier for them to be able to pick and choose their food. If they don't like something they can just go and get something else. Also handy with the drinks during the day.

REDCROP getting worried now
Petra mare last year and now Hisaronu next year!!!!!!!! ( same as us)
We will have to make sure we dont bump into eachother as my wife is getting a wee bit worried LOL
Hope you and your family have a good time.
Ginkster + family.

I am going A/I next year hemera side, the reason quite simply value for money. My eldest daughter is at college and will be 18 next year, it will give her freedom instead coming to us for money for drinks, food. She only has to try and save a small amout for odds and ends she wants to buy, my youngest daughter is in her teens and it will give her freedom to get soft drinks, snacks and ice when she wants without having to come to me for money and on top of that it means I can relax because I am not asked every five minutes for money. A almost stress free holiday. I hate walking the streets to find somewhere to eat and with two teenagers in tow its not fun at all.

If the resort bars and restaurants are pricing themselves out of business they need to lower prices, it happened in marjorca just after the euro, people voted with their feet and prices came down. I think when the hard lira was introduced bars and restaurants chucked in some extra price increases.

again to each their own but always the blame is put onto the restaurant and bar owners...ok..yes maybe some are out pricing themselves but dont forget that there are others that are just trying to make a decent living..

As an expat living here you all do not realize that things for residents are also not as cheap as they were before therefore reflecting price increases..here is an example... a 50 % increase in Electric costs in just one year ( 2008 )...

Turkey hikes residental electricity prices 9.07 pct as of October 1st..

The electricity charges saw a total price increase of almost 50 percent in Turkey in 2008 with this increase.

The cost of electricity to consumers has already increased twice in 2008, with consumers hit by the first 19 percent price hike in January, followed by a second 21 percent increase at the beginning of July.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/finance/9930647.asp?scr=1

The thing is it is not that we are blaming the restaurant owners as such and I am sure for people who live in Turkey prices have gone up (but then they have here too).

We are all just trying to do the best for our families, which I feel is a decent and respectable thing to do and for a lot of us that means going AI to get a decent holiday, but nobody seems to be able to respect that view. We do not owe the Turkish people a living.

Caretta

How much do you think gas and electic costs in the UK and the three or four 20% rises here each year, let alone how everything has gone up in the shops, people are struggling in the UK and one of the reasons A/I is popular, once the holiday is paid for they don't to take £2k spending. I bet you when the hard lira came in bars and restaurants when converting from the soft lira to the hard lira some how made the price in hard lira 20% to 25% more than the soft lira and maybe more in some cases.

Yes, utility bills are sky high in the U.K too. That's why we choose value for money holidays.

Well said doepsmc
It is my money and I will spend as I like .
I do not owe anything to the people of Turkey.

I choose to.

Ok ok...calm down everyone I was just trying to give you an example and no you dont owe anyone here..

but the problem with SOME ( and not all ) all inclusives are that you accept quanity rather than quality...what about the recent problem in Sarigerme ???? an all-inclusive..I know we have all read about that..and last year in Side....???

What do you mean about the hard lira ????? never heard that term before..there was the old lira with 6 zeros and then it changed to the Yeni Turkish lira ( YTL ) and where I live NO there was no changing in prices...

not all of the AI hotels are created equal...believe I am one of the last person to stick up for AI hotels but I dont read as many bad reports about the AI on Lara Beach ( Antalya area )..

The ones that seemed to have the most problems are usually located on the Aegean side of Turkey..Marmaris and many places similar to that resort....

Also why do we never hear too many problems about hotels, food costs, alcohol costs in say Istanbul, Cappadocia, and many other worthwhile places to visit in Turkey ?? Also we all know that Istanbul is one of the most expensives places to eat and drink in Turkey..

Yes but you quote the odd isolated but well publicised case, like the Pegusus Palace, I know I haven't been there so am not qualifyed to judge, but suspect there are also many people who have had very happy holidays there and it suits their families down to the ground. Particularly those with under 10's as it has an on-site water park thingy.

We are constantly being told there are hundreds if not thousands of these AI hotels all offering different things to different people, on different budgets with different needs in different locations. My gut feeling is they are here to stay.

Also as an aside not every private restaurant you go into is some wonderful dining experience. Unless you go back to the same place every year for 10 years (boring) so get to know an area, over a 14 night holiday you are just as likely to get 4 or 5 bad meals (either food or service or worse still both) along with the 9 or 10 good to average ones, and you cant go back up and get something else !

Carretta, you are correct in saying A.I's are not all equal.
This is why we look at star ratings, read reviews and take on board personal recommendations.
Wouldn't we be stupid not to?
We all have different views as to what makes a good holiday and mine are excellent food and service among others of course. Therefore we only choose good A.I's.
At the end of the day,you get what you pay for.
If someone chooses a lower rated A.I that is entirely up to them, they are obviously prepared to take a chance.
I prefer to spend my hard earned cash more wisely.

At the end of the day,you get what you pay for.
If someone chooses a lower rated A.I that is entirely up to them, they are obviously prepared to take a chance.
I prefer to spend my hard earned cash more wisely.

Well said...

Yes but you quote the odd isolated but well publicised case, like the Pegusus Palace, I know I haven't been there so am not qualifyed to judge, but suspect there are also many people who have had very happy holidays there and it suits their families down to the ground.

but what about the ones that are not well publicised ??? there are plenty more than just these two cases...one only need to read the reviews on the trip advisor...

and please lets not squabble...as yes you choose your holidays...and resort areas...and definately research before your holiday is soo important....so choose wisely..

caretta

I done my research and chose a hotel in side where the A/I are good but more expensive than say places like marmaris, but I chose the area for other reasons like a sandy beach and I would rather pay the extra compared to marmaris to get a better quality hotel.

The A/I gives everybody in my party freedom, freedom for my teenage girls to get what they want when they want, me not getting pestor for money every five minutes. No worry about budgets just take enough money for trips, to buy the odd thing and for few meals out side of the hotel.

I suppose it all depends on what you want from a holiday and what you're prepared to spend and accept as being "value for money". Personally, I wouldn't go AI for a variety of reasons (despite having two teenage children). Despite eating out for all meals while we were in Icmeler in June, we didn't spend a fortune - we ate a different places almost every time and didn't have one bad meal. I'd rather do that - I prefer to spend my holiday sampling different places and getting to know different people than staying put in the one place, and my children enjoy that as well. Like I say, it's all about what each person wants from their holiday, but I can only speak for myself, and I see the growth of AI as starting to have a negative effect on the Turkey I know and love.

blondiescot

We will stil dol the half board holidays, but with my oldest daughter turning 18 next year and having a lack of money bgecause she is a full time student I chose a holiday where my daughter and her friend won't be restricted to a budget.

I understand where you're coming from as my daughter is in exactly the same position, but I personally still wouldn't go AI, and more to the point, neither would she, from her own choice.

caretta i can name a bad 5* hotel in antalya we stayed in the divan talya, it was dire, holes in sheets, stains on carpet, yellow water coming from the taps, terrible food and the list goes on ,so you get good and bad everywhere you go

the all inclusive is an individual thing and suits some and not others, we do both but after the last 1 i think ill be sticking to sc but thats my choice and i certainly wouldnt say never, i loved lykia world and letoonia both 4-5* fab hotels, but i hate being hotel bound and even when ive gone on all inclusives we have still gone out and about and eaten out too. some all inclusives do things as cheap as possible , this is usually where the standard of food drops big time, which is what i found in the ADR this year, reading reviews later on looks like they improved things , food is very important for me and this is where i worry about all inclusives