Turkey tips

[Fad011]

definatley take mossie stuff with you, epecially if you go to Kaya koy ..

food is gorgeous in Turkey & not really spicy unless you order it that way, the have gorgeous vegetable dishes, lots of stews with onions, tomatos etc .. Turkish bread is devine, Pide (kinda like a turkish Pizza) is well worth trying if you like crispy bread.

Its Ramazan while you are there, so some places will be quieter / closed during the day time, although in touristy areas you shouldnt be affected to much (except for being woken before sunrise by the man banging his drum to tell people to eat)

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

definatley take mossie stuff with you, epecially if you go to Kaya koy ..

food is gorgeous in Turkey & not really spicy unless you order it that way, the have gorgeous vegetable dishes, lots of stews with onions, tomatos etc .. Turkish bread is devine, Pide (kinda like a turkish Pizza) is well worth trying if you like crispy bread.

Its Ramazan while you are there, so some places will be quieter / closed during the day time, although in touristy areas you shouldnt be affected to much (except for being woken before sunrise by the man banging his drum to tell people to eat)

We normally go to Malaysia for Ramadam so know things will be quieter, although I doubt they'll be as quiet as the Malaysian islands we go to - by the sounds of it anyway.

b/f loves stews so hopefully we'll find plenty for him to eat

 

[selamlar]

Going to Turkey and staying in Ovacik.

Haven't had time to buy a guidebook so just after a rough idea on prices and tips for eating out etc.

Depends. Hirisonu is full of eateries of various types (including pub food and a chippy),prices and qualities, from a few quid up to whatever you want to spend.

Obviously we'll be going to Hisonaru and Olu Deniz. How much do buses cost to each. How much do taxis cost? What time do buses stop running?

Dolmus (shared taxi, but effectivly a kind of bus fares are a couple of lire (about £1-£1.50) per trip. They don't stop running in places like Oludeniz. Taxis should be metered

Are we likely to get food poisoning?

Pot luck, I'm afraid

What's the mossie situation? I'm reading conflicting reports.

Plenty of mossies

Are there plenty of cashpoints around?

Yes

Are we better off with Sterling, Euros or Lira?

Take a minimum of cash, and use cash points to draw lira. Exchange rate is shitty at the mo, unfortunatly

How much do you tip taxi drivers etc.?

Don't tip the taxi driver unless he has helped with bags etc. Meals, drinks etc are 10%, but check to see if service charges are included.

Is the ice safe to have in drinks or should we steer clear of it?

Should be alright. It'll be tap water, but tap water is generally safe to drink.

Probably got loads of other questions, but my bath has been run for the last 6 hours so I'm off to top it up and get in

Kaya Koy - deserted village?

Yup, and very much worth a visit. If you don't fancy a guided tour, negotiate a day/trip rate with a taxi driver in advance, and get him to ferry you around

Its Ramazan while you are there, so some places will be quieter / closed during the day time, although in touristy areas you shouldnt be affected to much (except for being woken before sunrise by the man banging his drum to tell people to eat)

Not in Ovacik you wont.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Cheers Selamlar

Prices certainly seem to have increased. I was told by a few travel agents that buses were around 60 or 70p and a taxi to Olu Deniz would be a few quid. That info seems to be well out of date from what I've been reading.

What's more, the resort we're in doesn't even allow you to bring your own water or food in. I can understand the food bit, but barring people from taking their own water in is a bit mean.

Anyway, as I can't rely on my cashpoint card, as the last few years they've both stopped working after a couple of withdrawals, I need back up. Not sure whether to just take sterling or TQs.

Do you know much about Ovacik?

 

[selamlar]

Cheers Selamlar

Prices certainly seem to have increased. I was told by a few travel agents that buses were around 60 or 70p and a taxi to Olu Deniz would be a few quid. That info seems to be well out of date from what I've been reading.

What's more, the resort we're in doesn't even allow you to bring your own water or food in. I can understand the food bit, but barring people from taking their own water in is a bit mean.

Anyway, as I can't rely on my cashpoint card, as the last few years they've both stopped working after a couple of withdrawals, I need back up. Not sure whether to just take sterling or TQs.

Do you know much about Ovacik?

I don't know masses about Ovacik, more Hisaronu, Fethiye and Gocek TBH, but have been through the place a couple of times.

It is usually ok to drink the water, although if you are only over for a week or so it might not be worth risking a dicky stomach over.

With regards cashpoints, I have been living over here for nearly 4 years now, using an ordinary visa debit card in cash points, and have not to date had any problems. Honestly, they are everywhere. TQ's (travellers cheques?) are hard to exchange, and the sterling cash exchange rate is shitty. That said, lots of places around there will accept sterling (notes) as payment at a fairly good rate, so it may be worth having some as a back-up. You can always spend it in the duty free on the way back!

Its really bloody hot at the mo, so bear that in mind.

Have a great time!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I don't know masses about Ovacik, more Hisaronu, Fethiye and Gocek TBH, but have been through the place a couple of times.

It is usually ok to drink the water, although if you are only over for a week or so it might not be worth risking a dicky stomach over.

With regards cashpoints, I have been living over here for nearly 4 years now, using an ordinary visa debit card in cash points, and have not to date had any problems. Honestly, they are everywhere. TQ's (travellers cheques?) are hard to exchange, and the sterling cash exchange rate is shitty. That said, lots of places around there will accept sterling (notes) as payment at a fairly good rate, so it may be worth having some as a back-up. You can always spend it in the duty free on the way back!

Its really bloody hot at the mo, so bear that in mind.

Have a great time!

Maybe it's just a problem with the Malaysian or Thai banks then although neither of them could figure out what the problem was.

Think we'll stick to bottled water.

Think we'll also take some sterling as a back up.

I've had a look at the weather and it looks like it's in early 30s. I usually go to Malaysia which is incredibly humid but we're not normally pretty much on the beach so able to cool down. I'm guessing though that up the mountain it'll be a few degrees cooler. Is it a muggy heat or dry heat there? (Just curious)

Looks like I'll have to restock on my anti-mossie sprays etc.

I've heard Dalaman airport is a massive rip-off, worse than UK airports

 

[lang rabbie]

I've heard Dalaman airport is a massive rip-off, worse than UK airports

Food and drink - horrific mark-ups - pick up something at the local bakers before catching the bus, although as most return flights to UK are absurd hours in middle of the night this may not be practical.

Duty free - not too outrageous

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Food and drink - horrific mark-ups - pick up something at the local bakers before catching the bus, although as most return flights to UK are absurd hours in middle of the night this may not be practical.

Duty free - not too outrageous

Flight's at 6.40pm so hopefully not too bad.

 

[Detroit City]

Flight's at 6.40pm so hopefully not too bad.

how long's the flight? i hope they're still serving meals on BOAC

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

how long's the flight? i hope they're still serving meals on BOAC

4 hour flight. No free in-flight food or drink. It's with Onur Air - a 2* airline according to airline ratings

 

[Detroit City]

It's with Onur Air - a 2* airline according to airline ratings

better take a couple parachutes just in case

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

better take a couple parachutes just in case

*adds parachutes to shopping list*

 

[lang rabbie]

There are two deadly rival seafood restaurants in the bazaar in the middle of Fethiye, which is a good location for eating outside for a romantic dinner for two.

From memory, the one with better food but slow service (which isn't a problem if there are just two of you dining!) is the Megri, and the one with quick turnaround but mediocre food is the Gunes.

If you and your bf likes Germans/German food then some of the better options for "non-spicy" food are the places that cater to cheap and cheerful German tourists, but their menus are likely to only be in German and Dutch.

[Sorry, too lazy to do all the keyboard shortcuts to type those names with all the proper Turkish diacritical marks in them!]

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

There are two deadly rival seafood restaurants in the bazaar in the middle of Fethiye, which is a good location for eating outside for a romantic dinner for two.

From memory, the one with better food but slow service (which isn't a problem if there are just two of you dining!) is the Megri, and the one with quick turnaround but mediocre food is the Gunes.

If you and your bf likes Germans/German food then some of the better options for "non-spicy" food are the places that cater to cheap and cheerful German tourists, but their menus are likely to only be in German and Dutch.

[Sorry, too lazy to do all the keyboard shortcuts to type those names with all the proper Turkish diacritical marks in them!]

Neither us are mad fish fans and he was in Germany for a while years ago and got sick of the sight of sausages

 

[Detroit City]

almost ready to go MtM? gettin' excited?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

almost ready to go MtM? gettin' excited?

No and no

 

[blooper]

God almighty. Going to back a suitcase full of food that 'ain't foreign muck' as well?!

You'll be fine. It's a beautiful spot. Perfect English spoken throughout, superb food, loads of cash points, a dolmas going past every minute, dirt cheap transport, great beaches, clear sea, safe water. If you worry like an old woman you'll have a terrible time. If you relax and stop being so scared you'll have a great time.

Enjoy it, it's beautiful over there

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

God almighty. Going to back a suitcase full of food that 'ain't foreign muck' as well?!

You'll be fine. It's a beautiful spot. Perfect English spoken throughout, superb food, loads of cash points, a dolmas going past every minute, dirt cheap transport, great beaches, clear sea, safe water. If you worry like an old woman you'll have a terrible time. If you relax and stop being so scared you'll have a great time.

Enjoy it, it's beautiful over there

I've heard Olu Deniz is shingle

I think you'll find the price of everything has gone up as well

 

[Detroit City]

NOW are you gettin' excited MtM? Its god damn 4am here and i'm tired as hell so you better respond quick and in the positive

 

[Chairman Meow]

I've heard Olu Deniz is shingle

I think you'll find the price of everything has gone up as well

It is shingle. Doesn't stop it from being an incredible beach though. And I am a complete beach snob.

 

[selamlar]

It is shingle. Doesn't stop it from being an incredible beach though. And I am a complete beach snob.

Sandy shingle, mind.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

NOW are you gettin' excited MtM? Its god damn 4am here and i'm tired as hell so you better respond quick and in the positive

Nope

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

It is shingle. Doesn't stop it from being an incredible beach though. And I am a complete beach snob.

probably painful for b/f to walk on, he'll just have to keep sandals on

Any sandfly problems there?

 

[Detroit City]

Nope

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I've started packing, if you can call sorting out all b/f's meds out for the week so I can chuck the boxes and not have such a bulky load coming back

Have decided not to put any extra in, so better hope our flight departs on time

 

[Detroit City]

I've started packing,...

good

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

good

I'm normally already packed a week before

Haven't even started on clothes yet.

Have all the paperwork to do before I can do all that.

 

[_pH_]

haz anyone mentioned turkey is nice with stuffing and roast tatties?

*leaves thread*

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

haz anyone mentioned turkey is nice with stuffing and roast tatties?

*leaves thread*

my b/f just keeps speaking in Turkey

all I hear when I phone him is gobble gobble gobble

 

[_pH_]

my b/f just keeps speaking in Turkey

all I hear when I phone him is gobble gobble gobble

heh