Batihan, Kusadasi

Advantages: Value for money, weather, atmosphere
Disadvantages: the odd stray dog

...Before my first trip to Turkey I was basing my expectation on stories of very forward locals and some generally unpleasant rumours.I could barely have been more wrong. As a group of 15 people, 21-22 years old, I can safely say for everyone that our holiday couldnt have gone better. We weren't looking for an Ibiza type holiday, and Kusadasi is perfect in that it offers good nightlife, cheap food and beautiful beaches, but allows you to relax and unwind without worry of hugely drunken tourists. The excursion boat trip was the highlight of the holiday, for around £11 we spent 8 hours in glorious sunshine with free drinks and food, topped off by dolphins racing the boat home. The locals were extremely friendly, especially the staff at Halikarnas on Ladies Beach, who were picking us up from our villa and driving us to town by the end... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Beach, sun, restaurants, main town
Disadvantages: (only sometimes) the people

...We arrived at Bodrum to a hot morning as it was only 5:30am and the temperature was 18-19C. When we arrived at Ladies Beach in Kusadasi it was about 6:30 and the temp was just on 20C. Ladies beach is renowned in Turkey for being the most beautiful beach of all. The sand is so warm that your feet just literally melt in the sand. So once you arrive in Kusadasi, what is there to do? Well, first of all you could visit the main town which is bustling with shops, restaurants and bazaars where your always bound to find a bargain on a lot of the time, knock off goods but a good quality anyway. Now the only disadvantage are the people. If your not a very tolerent person, well, turksih people arent gonna be your friends for long. Saying people, its just the men who are very friendly and can act a bit too friendly. Just remember, ALWAYS... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: something for everyone
Disadvantages: the shopkeepers and stallholders who hassle you incessantly

...Kusadasi is a tourist-dependant large town/small city on the south western coast of Turkey. It is about an hour and a half's drive from the nearest airport at Dalaman, and is very lively and friendly, with plenty of things on offer to occupy your time. There are many hotels and villas in Kusadasi, with prices that range for all budgets. The hotels there tend to be quite big and the rooms and apartments are average-sized. Because tourism is such a vital part of the economy there, everything is fairly close together, and the hotels are packed with people. This can sometimes be slightly claustrophobic, but it's not that bad and you get used to it. Kusadasi itself is a bustling place, with a market held every day late into the night, and special clothes markets on certain days, such as Fridays and Saturdays. These markets are very cheap... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful