When i heard that i was going on holiday to Turkey 2 years ago, all that went through my mind was "Is it close to Iraq?!?" I thought of this due to the emense fighting that was going on in Iraq at the time i was going. I also thought "What if Turkey isnt fun?".
May 21st 2003, was the day i first went to Turkey with mixed emotions i boarded my plane from Birmingham to the Airport nearby to the resort of Marmaris named Dalaman.
+~ ON THE OTHER SIDE ~+
Dalaman is about 1hr and 30 mins away from the actual resort. Upon entering the terminal you have to have your passports ready straight away as you have to pay a visa, From the UK this price is £10 but it varys from place to place. The main terminal building is small but your luggage usualy come round quite quick, and the cost of a luggage trolly is about £1. Outside of the airport will be a coach awating your arrival to take you to the resort and to your hotel, the coaches are usually numbered and to find out your coach number to take you to the correct resort and hotel there are representatives of your travel company awaiting you.
~+ THE RIDE TO MARMARIS +~
It may sound like a long way to travel to get to the resort but time still flies. The route is amazing, with mountainous views and trees soaring high. The roads wind and twist through many rural villages where many locals can be seen living a Turkish Villagers life. Marmaris is over a mountain, the roads close to the edge, but with the thought of Marmaris witihin your head fear is clouded. If you have small children dont worry about them
getting restless as the coach will make a 15 minute break at a small "welcome break" sort of place in the middle of nowhere, where you can purchase drinks and food and also use the toilet facilities. Further on within the journey you will see a huge place thriving with life!.... Marmaris! With the crystal sea sparkling (even in the night) and the people lining the streets....this is where your holiday begins!!!!
~+ HOMING FACILITIES +~
The hotels within Marmaris are all clean, some may look shabby on the outside but i can guarentee on the inside hey are completly clean. One of Marmaris's top hotels is the "Hotel Pasa Beach" with its Gym, Turkish Baths, Whirlpool, Sauna and Massage parlours, this is a hotel to die for! But if you arent willing to splash out on such luxuries the Self Catering Hotels and appartments are just as good. From personal experience the best Apartment building of which i have stopped in is called "The Erdenhan" with clean rooms (which are cleaned daily) A huge pool with a childs splash pool, a snooker table, darts board and massive bar area - what more could you ask for ?. The closer you are to the beach, the closer you are to the noise. So if you like the peace then stay further away from the beach, but if you dont mind then go for it - after all after a few drinks you wont have very far to walk!.
~+ NIGHTLIFE (BARS) +~
The bars in Marmaris are what add to its reputation! The promenade of Marmaris is lined with many bars, nightclubs and everyones favourite - KARAOKE BARS!!. There is always something going on in each and every single bar, the one problem is that there will always be a member of staff trying to koax you in, if you dont want to go to that bar just say "No thankyou" or "We will come back another time" there no neeed to get angry after all their only being friendly. The drinks are cheap but some may be pricy such as the famous "Fish Bowl" which costs arounf 70,000,000 Lira which is around £30 but it is fun to have if you like cocktails and are up for a laugh with friends or family. The bars are open all day and night! They usually close at around 5am, but the music cannot be booming out at this time, so the bar has to have the sound proof doors closed, and the party can still go on!
~+ THE BEACH +~
Marmaris beach is situated right infront of the bars and the sunbeds are mainly free depending on if you buy a drink from the bar behind you. The beach is only a thin strip of about 4 rows of sunbeds, and unfortunatly the sand isnt very good for young children to build sandcastles with, but theres always the sea as it is quite shallow until you get about 10 metres out. The sun is shining upon you for the whole day which is an advantage becuase this means the sea will be warm. A range of activities can also be done at the beach. Such as Paragliding, Jetskiing and you can rent out a Pedlo. A water park is also found on the beach front.
~+ RESTAURANTS +~
The restaurants in Marmaris are situated near to the beach and each serve an excellent menu. There are restaurants on the promenade, within the streets going from the beach, The main Street Running from Marmaris to Icmeler and within hotels premises. Most restaurants serve English Cuisine, but some sell Turkish, Italian, Chinese and Indian Cuisine aswell. Food in Turkey is very cheap it costs aound £2.50 for a main course but prices vary in each individual restaurant. The restaurants may have their own entertainment within them to keep you pleased and withih the premises. The most famous entertainment is of course the "Turkish Night" with Turkish Cuisine, Turkish music and Bellydancers all putting on an impression of the place. Within the resorts bazaars (shopping centres) are kebab shops (Kebabs are a Turkish cuisine). The kebabs come in a sort of pitta bread wrap and are mouth watering and also cheap to buy. I would recommend a restaurant named "The Beefeater" which is situated on the promenade near to a bar called "Bar-X" here you can eat many different meats including a 20OZ T-Bone Steak, which is one of the restaurants popular meals and comes with a sauce of your choice for just 20,000,000 Lira.
~+ SHOPPING +~
Marmais is very well known for its "fakes" of many top brand names such as D&G and Von Dutch. The prices are very cheap but you can knock down the price by hagging with the shop owners, some may just give you a good deal. The bazaars are the "market" like stalls (here most haggling happens) and they contain many different fake brand goods, from shoes to belts they have it all. These shops are very good especially if you have a tight budget or you want to buy people many things and not spend much money. Upon the main road to Icmeler lie many many jewllery shops! Which makes this street glitter. Turkish gold is one of the best made golds in the world and as Marmaris is in Turkey the prices of jewllery items is pretty cheap! Diamonds of all sizes, rare Saphires, Rubies, Cubic Zirconias you name it you will find it, and jewellery of different shapes and unusual shapes can also be found. Most jewellers will give you a good deal if you buy more than one item, or if you take a design into the shop and tell them what type of stone or stones you would like to be set within the mount of your choice, and type of gold/silver, they will more than happily make the good for you. You may also trade one of your own items in for money or they can knock the value of which it is worth off an item of which you would like to purchace.
~+ THE PEOPLE +~
Turkish people have been given a reputation of being Flirtacious and cheats, this is some what true. If a young girl walks into a bar or a restaurant supporting a mini-skirt and skimpy top a Turkish Man will look at her and as soon as she has got to the bar, approach her then be all over her for the rest of the night. It is the same with a Group of middle aged women and young girls within a family. After all there after 1 thing - A passport to England. But, not all Turkish Men are the same some are just friendly and want to make you feel welcome within your time at the bar or restaurant, or they are there to entertain you by making you have a laugh or they sit there and get to know you. You will not see a lot of Turkish women around Marmaris. Most of them stay within the home and clean the house or look after the children, this is due to their religion - Muslim. A lot of the Turks will not drink due to being Muslim, and many Mosques are found witihin the resort (you may hear the call to prayer - earliest is 5am!) The main Turkish people found are Teens, Youths and Men.
Getting around Marmaris is easy! There are buses that run from Marmaris to the neighbouring resort of Icmeler, Taxis and Taxi boats which Travel from Marmaris to Icmeler on a daily basis every hour from the main Harbour which houses a prehistoric castle and many restaurants, it is also home the the biggest shopping centre in Marmaris. To get around on foot is also very easy - you can not get lost.
All in all Marmaris is Turkeys most popular resort, with its sparkling sea, golden sands and glittering streets! And with the friendly locals i can guarentee you will keep coming back from more of the jewl that is - Marmaris.
Hours of Travel = 4hours Price pp =around £400 - S/C BASIS - 2weeks where can i book ? = Any good travel agents.
Phrases = Merhaba/Selam- Hello/Hi = MER-HABA - SEL-AM teşekkür- Thanks = TES-SAK-OOR Bira - Beer = BI-RA Nasılsınız? - How are you ? = NAS-IL-SIN-IZ Iki - one = iki
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Jul 25th, 2005
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