ill try and help you as ive been to tunisia,morocco and been visiting turkey for 25 years and loads of different areas. firstly i didnt like tunisia as found the hassle unbearablebut that was hammamet so other areas might be ok, morocco we were there in jan and loved marrakech, but alcohol was in short supply and its more a cultural place and didnt have a beach although agadir is supposed to have a good beach, quite a lot of hassle again but we did love it. i think you are right picking turkey, antalya does have a lot of german,dutch, russian visitors and in my opinion not as nice as some of the other places in turkey ive visited. olu deniz is beautiful and isnt too party like, the scenery is stunning lots of trips and places of interest to see, a ghost town, great gorge, boat trips lots of water sports,it has an absolutely stunning lagoon area then if you want some louder bars, clubs , more shops etc hisaronu is only 5 mins on the dolmus. we love akyaka it would tick some of your boxes as in cultural town ,good beach but sadly lacks in the shopping department but a gorgeous scenic place, marmaris is 20 miles away if you want to have a day shopping. icmeler might be ok in sept it is busier than olu deniz and not quite so pretty but has good shops and in sept should be a lot quieter than the main summer, its tricky trying to find somewhere thats got all your requirements, ie shops but not clubby or too many british clubbers, i think olu deniz would be your best bet, it does tick all the boxes

Well I haven't visited Antalya but I can say that Olu Deniz and Marmaris are poles apart in terms of size and pubs/clubs. Olu is quite touristy but is not lager lout territory by any means, it's just not geared up for that. As has been said it is well located for some great trips and photo opportunities are all around you (you will love Sakklikent gorge, I promise you).

So far as being veggie is concerned, Turkey is an excellent choice. Far from being meat/kebab obsessed I have had the best veggie choices there of anywhere I've ever been. Don't think that quieter places (less toursity) won't have the choice where vegetable options go, cos they are generally grown locally and fresh.

Antalya is great, but it is a big city. It has most number of attractions (castles, waterfall natural parks, roman ruins, best preserved roman amfitheater, waterparks, beaches) in and near the city (you might need to rent a car for daily excursions). But it is a city of 800k pop.

Fethiye/OluDeniz has the best nature. You can paraglide off its mountaintops.

Marmaris and Fethiye are not crazy party places at all, I actually go to Marmaris to relax. Marmaris also has more shopping and active life although populationwise it is same as Fethiye (50k or so).

If you like smaller calm places, Akyaka village is a good suggestion with traditional look and nice landscape.

The Antalya coastline is beautiful and some many wonderful areas to visit that it is really hard to choose from. The entire coastline of Antalya ranging from the city of Antalya to Fethiye is a wonderful way to spend a vacation. Here are some great places to visit on the Lycian Way after Antalya - Phaselis, Olympos, or better yet Cirali, Myra, Kekova, Kas, Kalkan, Xanthos, Telmessos, Fethiye, Oludeniz, and Kayakoy. Great for history and a photographer.

As for Antalya if you choose to stay in the bigger city there are many wonderful and small hotels located in the center or the Kaleici. You most certainly can stroll around the old city area called the Kaleici. Wonderful little shops for souveniers and then down to the marina and historical areas. Nice little tea gardens and the old ottoman fishing houses etc. Take an afternoon or morning exploring the Antalya museum or combine the day with a trip to Termessos.

Go down to the Konyaalti Beach Park area some nice restaurants. You can do a day trip to see the ruins at Aspendos and Perge. Antalya is the place I recommend for shopping over the toursity towns like Kemer. Better prices and more selection.

This is my opinion. My personal favorite beach is located in the authentic village of Cirali. I myself am bit biased however because I have the opportunity to spend a lot of my time in the village of Cirali as well as the city of Antalya. Cirali is a small village located about 1 hours drive from Antalya and boasts a beautiful secluded 4 km beach, the ruins of Olympos, the flames of the Chimeara, as well as a protected area by the WWF for the nesting of the Caretta sea turtles. To read more about the sea turtles here is a link.

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/on_the_ground/index.cfm?uNewsID=15149

Cirali is a wonderful place for families and the mature traveller and is one of the last remaining villages on the med. coast that has not been taken over by mass tourism. Unfortunately mass tourism has changed the faces of so many beautiful areas along the coast with the build up of so many all-inclusive resorts with holiday packages tours. Because of its central location you can take day trips to some of the surrounding areas like Antalya, Termessos, fish restaurants of Ulupinar, Kekova ( sunken city of Simena ), Kas, Kalkan, Arykanda etc.

A daily boat trip is a nice relaxing day to the surrounding islands. Cirali only has a few quiet bars playing turkish folk music and restaurants on the beach and in the village center. No discos, or big hotels just nice liitle family run hotels and pansiyons. For more info about this area do a google search for not only in the forums for CIRALI or if you have more specific questions about this area I can help you.

Lastly a picture tells a thousand words so if you would like to view some photos of Cirali look to my flickr web site page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canmom

Where ever you go in Turkey you will have a super time.

I got to agree on Olu for the scenery & not at all lager loutish ot blackpool on sea.
Plus you can jump off the mountain & get great photos.
You got the gorge, the ghost village, the lagoon, the island boat tours, xanthos, the mud baths, turtle beach, patara beach, river cruise........ect ect ect

If you like photography and nature then you'll be happy in Dalyan. The beach is a 30 minute boat ride away but you'll be too busy with the camera to notice and up on the lake there are plenty of birds to be snapped.

Dalyan in September is excellent, it won't be too busy but if you want some nightlife we now have a few clubs for dancing the night away but there are plenty of quieter bars and restaurants around the town and on the rivers edge.

Have to add my vote for Olu Deniz . It is stunningly beautiful , wrapped in mountains and definately not for the clubbers and pubbers . it is a small /medium size resort . It is more aimed at the tourist but in a very laid back way with enough shops /bars/resturants to satisfy you for 2 weeks . fantastic people and plenty of excursions to go on from here + the paragliding and boat trips . if you want a little more nightlife on the odd night you can go into hisaronu a coupleof miles into the mountain.

Got to go along with DALYAN... love the place to bits... i'll also be there in September not to mention June,,, and also next week..4th May..packing nearly done ,paperwork sorted,..roll on Friday evening flight but then thats the only downside...apart from the early morning flight back home......still i think i'll suffer that... give Dalyan a try photographers paradise,good restaurants,25 minutes from the airport,fantastic beach,historic sights, hotels on the wonderful river location,and great people as in most of Turkey... you'll love it... WAKI xxx

Waki I'm going to Dalyan on 18th June for a week followed by a week's gulet. Not been before (other than boat trip to the mud baths and beach) but really looking forward to it! I'm just dying to sit there on the hotel decking on the riverside watching the boats go by with an Efes in my hand. Bliss.

Sand c... you'll love it so much that you'll be back for more.. i'll be there 4th June till 11th so will be back home a week before you go..anyone interested in a quick getaway Thomas Cook are doing a great deal for 11th May to ASUR hotel ( fantastic place) B&B 7 nights £370 for 2 people.. from Stansted...check out their website,,, for TURKEY /DALYAN.... WAKI xxx

I would vote for Oludeniz, its got everything, and great for photography

You must go to Olu Deniz, you won't regret it I promise you. Although its not a clubby/boozy place, its not without its lively bars where you can definately dance and have get a drunk (if you like) The bars take music seriously and most all have a DJ . Have a look here
http://www.oludenizbeach.com/bars.html
Its a beautiful place, full of couples!

If you go to Side/Alanya area you can visit Cappadocia which is a photographers dream.Theres no place on earth like it and you will see the real Turkey.

And if you do the paraglide into Oludeniz take a camera, you will not belive the pictures when you look at them later

We are really interested in Paragliding, any idea of the costs, time in the air you get. We are going to Marmaris in June and would deffinatley take a trip to Olu Deniz to do that.

I too have to put my vote forward for Olu Deniz.

This is the third year running we are going to Olu Deniz (In June and i carnt wait! ). Im 22 and my partner 23.

We have visited Marmaris too but enjoyed Olu Deniz more as it was closer to what we were looking for. More cocktails bars and restaurants than fast food and clubs.

Kate

Phil I did paragliding the other year with I think they were called Sky. It was great, really worth doing. I think we were up there for about 30-45 mins. Once you get airborne your pilot will check with you whether you want a long or short run (long for me - I think it's cos sometimes people find they are not so keen once they get up). He will also ask you if you want to do any spins (yes for me again!). Wonderful views and really not scary at all (I didn't think), although the run off the mountainside is quite hairy I have to say. The drive up there is good also.

We even sparked up a cigarette each whilst we were up there. Had a good landing as well, he said we were aiming for a carpet on the walkway off the beach and we got dead centre.

I paid £70 but I booked through my hotel and am sure you can get cheaper.

Thanks SandC,

Ill certainly put that on my list of things to do

Time in the air depends on the time you fly and the quality of pilot best is 1pmish and I reckon sky sports have the best pilots but may be £15 more money but its all about safety (going up the mountain as well as flight)