turkey -pros and cons

bestyman

My experience of Marmaris was this.

At times it would be non stop hassle to the point where it was impossible not to be left alone, as you got rid of one another came. In the end I just ignored them. Not the way I would choose to spend a Holiday .

More than once I was overcharged, a common thing was if something was 19,000 they would say 90,000 and see if you gave them it . If challenged they would just say no I said 19,000.

They advertise breakfast at say £2... then charge you £1.50 for a cup of tea to go with it .

I wont be going back .

CraigDavid

One of the worst experiences of my life was a so called 'jeep safari' in Marmaris. Not a happy memory at all. Combined with the constant hassle that you get from restaurants/market traders and they will not take no for an answer. It's not a country that I would go back to.

SOUF_OF_THE_RIVER

Whizzkid
hi,
i've heard so many mixed reports about turkey that i really don't know what to think !

is it a beach holiday place or a sightseeing place or both ?

a list of pros and cons of a holiday to turkey would be much appreciated !

Hey,

I've travelled all around the country, from the most remote regions to the most touristic so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Regarding whether its a "sightseeing or holiday place", its most definately both.

If its sightseeing your after well your spoilt for choice, if the "ancients" are your thing, there's "Troy", "Ephesus", "Aphrodisias", there's alot, some of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World, I mean there's some serious history you could just be walking around and come across some old Roman amphitheatre, infact there's so much they havn't even restored everything, you can walk around it for free as if you were the first one to discover the area.

Then there's the religous sightseeing, the church of St.Paul and Mary, the Blue Mosque, SanliUrfa where they say Prophet Abraham's from, Suleymaniye, Selimiye.........there's loads.

Or natural sightseeing, mountains, rivers, lakes...two places I think are great and quite easy to get to are

Pamukkale - literally Cotton Castle
http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&safe=off&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-18,GGLD:en&q=pamukkale&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

And Cappadocia

http://images.google.co.uk/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2005-18,GGLD:en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=cappadocia&spell=1


Theres loads of nice beaches, Bodrum, Mamaris, Fethiye-Oludeniz, Dalyan, Kas, Kalkan, Patara, Antalya, Alanya are some of the nicest one's.

If there's any specific details you wanna find out just ask mate. Really it depends on what your into, do you like touristy commercial areas? more cultural tourism? do you want to experience authentic life? is nature tourism more your thing? or adventure tourism? etc etc

Nobjocki

Then there was the time in Turkey I was sat at the bar chatting to the barman about the reputation of Turks being untrustworthy.
" Total nonsense " he said,or words to that effect .... as he filled up empty Perrier water bottles using tap water.
No wonder the Greeks can't stand them.

Cullumpster

If you go to one of the main tourist places then you will get hassle as it is there living.

Go to a place called Dalyan, the loveliest people youwill ever meet, no hassle loads of things to do, we go every year and have made some fabulous friends.
Don't let people put you off but if you don't fancy Skeggie then don't go to Marmaris and the main tourist places.

jumpingjackd

I took my 14yo daughter to Turkey last year and we loved it. I was a bit worried about her but needn't have been. We got hassle to come in at shops and restaurants, but a polite "maybe later" was mostly enough to stop them, except in the indoor market at Marmaris where they were a bit more persistent. We stayed in Icemeler which is a bit quieter than Marmaris. I would definitely recommend going.

We are going to Alanya next month and so looking forward to it. Any hints or tips gratefully received.

SOUF_OF_THE_RIVER

JumpingJackD
We are going to Alanya next month and so looking forward to it. Any hints or tips gratefully received.

If your going next month the weather should be pleasantly hot and the sea warm.

As your going out of the main touristic seasons it will be less busy.

The main beaches are, Cleopatra, Damlatash and Eastern beach.

They're public beaches, Eastern beach is near the city centre, however, it gets deep quickly and the waves can be big.

Cleopatra beach is lovely, seen as though you have kids it would be more suited as it stays shallow for ages.

There's an old castle, walls, citadels and classical museum if architecture is your thing.

There are some large caves you can visit and boat trips to other caves.

The tourists are generally more from Germany and Russia however, there is a fair share of Britts aswell, most shops, cafes, bars, restaurants will speak some degree of English.






http://wowturkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=46348

More Alanya pics here

http://wowturkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=24217

nollag2006

Turkey is the only place in the world where I've been mugged.

Had something put in my drink in Istanbul, and had my credit cards emptied. Cost me over £1,000

Really terrible experience, and from speaking to others, not uncommon either.

There is a reason behind the expression "Never trust a Turk"

Nice beaches - but visit the place at your peril

milkydrink

roddydogs wrote: »

Cheap everthing-but one Huge drawback- Moslems have a "call to prayer" every 2 hours, including right thru the night u will be woken by it;)

I think you will find there are about 3 a day. One about 5am, one about lunchtime & one about dinnertime.

And its never woken me.

Yes you do get hassle, but its less than Egypt. Just make minimal eye contact & don't get drawn into conversations if you're not interested in the shop or bar. Just say "no thank you", DON'T SAY "maybe another time/later", they will hold you to it.

I really like Turkey. Its got all things for all people. It can be cheap & nasty, or pay a couple of quid more & get fantastic value, far better value than Greece.

SOUF_OF_THE_RIVER

nOLLAG
Really terrible experience, and from speaking to others, not uncommon either.

There is a reason behind the expression "Never trust a Turk"

Its actually uncommon, most Turks I met have been very hospitable and helpfull. Crime rates are below London.

"Never trust a Turk", well its the first time I heard such an expression, anyway I don't agree with stereotypes full-stop, there usually nonsense.

You can get mugged anywhere, in any country, its unfortunate if it happens to you but there's no point taking it out on everyone, getting robbed in London doesn't make us all responsible.