Reviews of Turkey

If any of you have not been to Turkey before for a holiday, you must read this. If you have, but just not been to Marmaris you should go there.

Marmaris is one big resort! It is well established and is surrounded by lovely green mountains in every direction.

The main road, where the majority of the shops are runs parralell to the beach, about 100 metres from it.

Marmaris is full of shops. Gold and leather are the best buys. Gold is 14 carat and can be bought for as little as £6.00 a gram, which is very good value I assure you. If the price seems too high....haggle! Also I found that gold in some of the smaller family run shops tends to be cheaper than the big shops.

This is a Turkish way of life. This way you also end up with a good bargain. The turkish currency is the Lira, and about the tuime of writing there are nearly 2,000,000 Lira to the pound - Yes 2 Million. Coins are very scarse in Turkey, mainly banknotes are used nowadays. The beach in Turkey goes on for ages and stretches all the way round the resort from one end to the other. At the one end there are palm trees dotted all along the side of the road!

During the day it can get very hot in Turkey. Ignore the holiday brochures! Temperatures in Marmaris can reach anything up to 50C, and can be as hot as 30C at night. Air conditioning is installed in virtually every building though.

Trips out are very cheap and should be taken, unless you just like lying on the beach. Tour operators all around the resort are offering all sorts of trips from Safari Jeep treks, to scuba diving (highly recommended), to boat trips and 2 day trips to Pammukale (Cotton Castle).

The boat trips from Marmaris are excellent. A trip to "Turtle Beach", the place where logger head turtles breed, costs about £10 with lunch included. That lasts all day.

Diving will cost you around £20, but that includes all the equipment, lunch and 2 dives with instructors.

Further inland is Ephesus, the ancient city where Tom Jones has played, and Pammukale. This is magnificent! Calcium enriched water has over time flown down the side of the mountain and formed shallow "pools". It looks just like ice!

From Marmaris a 2 day trip here is the usual though, but the operator usually puts you in a 4 or 5 star hotel over night. My advice is don't book trips all in one go. After a couple, go back and they usually offer you a discount due to your good custom.

At night there is something for everyone. You can just enjoy a quiet drink in the hundreds of bars away from the beach front, where a pint of local beer, Efes, will cost about 50p. Also available is Tuborg, again about 50p. If you're looking for a bit more action though head for the beach front and especially "Bar Street". Although this is quite narrow it is exactly what it says it is. Full of bars! Prices here though tend to be a little more expensive!

Be prepared for the constant hassle in Turkey. Although the law has been tightened recently Turkish people will do virtually anything to get you to buy a drink, have a meal and so on.

You learn to live with it though after a few days, but certainly adds to the holiday. You miss it a bit when you get home!

Meals can be very cheap in Marmaris if you take time to look around. A typical meal can cost about £2.00.

One place not to be missed is Alexandra's Steak House in the centre of the resort. Just try it out! You will not be dissapointed!

The transfer to Marmaris from Dalaman airport is fairly long, about an hour.

Overall though this resort must be seen!