Ölü Deniz (Turkey) > Reviews (21)

Don't let the fact that Turkey neighbours Iraq put you off visiting this wonderful country. Although Eastern Turkey is best avoided, and despite the fact there have been a few terrorist attacks this year in other parts of the country, Brits are as safe in Oludeniz as in London.
Back in early June 2003, we booked a seven day 'allocated on arrival' late deal through Thompson, which included flights, transfers, insurance, half board, a balcony and a four star hotel for around £260 each, flying from Leeds Bradford (about 10 miles away from where we live). We thought his was an excellent deal, especially since our accommodation turned out to be the 4-star Montana Pine Resort in the mountains above Oludeniz.
As you might expect, the hotel was excellent, with beautiful scenery, lovely staff and good facilities. For example, there are three swimming pools, so it never gets too crowded. There is also a sunset bar, where you can watch the daylight fade with a cool beer in your hand.
The resort is very much for couples, and even though there were often about 30 people around the pool, it was lovely and peaceful, as most people were dozing or reading. So if you're looking for a nice relaxing holiday, I recommend the Montana Pine Resort. But that's not to say there's nothing to do at The Montana Pine; entertainment such as a singing, comedy and even aqua ballet was laid on every evening, and competitions such as table tennis and shooting were organised during the day.
Oludeniz itself is just a short bus ride away from the Montana Pine Resort. The hotel laid a courtesy bus on every morning, but we also caught a local minibus (Dolmus) back and forth to Oludeniz for about 80p each. The dolmus on a regular basis - there are no bus stops, you just flag one down and hop aboard. To get off, you just shout 'STOP' loudly! Most people pay the driver when they leave the bus, but there are no hard and fast rules. Dolmus means 'squashed' in Turkish and these buses can indeed get pretty packed and hot, but it's all part of the fun of being in a foreign country!
Once down in Oludeniz, you can choose to sunbathe on the very long, clean and pleasant beach - two sunloungers and umbrellas will cost you about £4 for the day. Watch out for the sand – it burns your feet during the height of summer! Also keep your eyes open for the paragliders who land on the promenade. If you fancy it, you can do a tandem jump from the snow-capped mountains above the beach and spend 45 minutes circling above Oludeniz before making your descent and landing. It looked great fun, and we didn't see any mishaps at all, although I was too nervous to try it! Maybe next time, eh?
You can also take full-day boat trips from the main Oludeniz beach - as you arrive you will probably be greeted by friendly chaps trying to get you aboard their vessels. Shop around for the best deal, but in general you will find booking this way much cheaper than doing it through your hotel.
In Oludeniz there are many shops and cafes where you can have something to eat and drink.

Some shops have tables and chairs, meaning you can buy a cheap can of beer and then sit down and drink it in comfort! There are also some lovely little shaded seating areas along the promenade, which keep you out of the blazing sun while still allowing you to watch what's going on.
A quick tip here; if you need the toilet while out and about, be prepared to squat over a hole in the ground. Most cafes and restaurants have English toilets, but you will still have to use oriental 'hole in the floor' ones from time-to-time, and this can be quite tricky. Just be sure to keep all clothing and long hair well out of the way! Seriously, I once heard a story about a girl who peed on her own hair while using one!
When you get dropped off in Oludeniz by courtesy bus or dolmus, if you keep walking along the road to the right (and past the rather scary gun-wielding gendarme guarding his post) you will come across a series of 'private' beaches that are actually open to the public. You are free to use these, but you are expected to buy drinks and perhaps some food during your time there.
In terms of the weather, I think the best time to go is early May. Although we managed okay in early June, the midday sun was far too hot to sunbathe in. I have quite a high heat tolerance level, given I used to live in the Middle East, but I sought shade from 12 noon to 3pm, when the sun was particularly fierce. There is plenty of walking to be done in the surrounding hills, but this is best attempted at the very beginning or end of the season.
It's worth noting that the tourist industry in Oludeniz (and the nearest airport in Dalaman) shuts down for the winter, so it's not really possible to visit much before May or much after September.
English is widely spoken in Oludeniz (you often hear 'awright mate' and 'lovely jubbly' from the Turkish men and boys working down on the beach), but the odd word of Turkish (like Marhaba, which means 'Hello') is always appreciated.
Don't worry about injections if you're going to visit Oludeniz, you really don't need any - unless you're planning on going off trekking to remote areas. Mosquitoes can be a problem, but we found some good anti-mosquito spray and an avoidance of deodorant and aftershave at night did the trick. There is no malaria risk in Oludeniz.
All the Turkish people we met were lovely and friendly, and we experienced no anti-Western feelings at all. Despite what you may have heard, the Turkish men are very respectful towards Western women, and I saw none of the ogling and harassing that I've see happen in some other foreign countries.
The money takes a while to get used to, since £1 is equivalent to just over 2 million Turkish Lira. Be careful when tipping - we were rather too generous on at least once occasion, simply because we mistook a 1 million for a 10 million note! During our holiday, we found Sterling readily accepted by many outlets such as shops and tour companies. My advice is to take around £100 sterling with you in £10 and £5 notes.

We lost out with one Thompson excursion because the price was quoted in GBP and then converted into Turkish Lira using a pretty poor exchange rate. We'd already paid to have our sterling converted before we left, so we felt a bit cheesed off by this.
Finally, I must give another mention to the toilet system. Although hotels have Western bathroom suites, the Turkish piping system is not designed to handle toilet paper. Instead, you must use the bidet system to cleanse yourself, and then toilet paper to dry. This is then thrown into a small bin at the side of the toilet. I know this puts a lot of people off Turkey, but once you get used to it, it's really not that bad. Honest!
So in summary, I found Oludeniz to be a wonderful holiday destination, and certainly one I shall be revisiting in the not-too-distant future. It’s probably best suited to couples or young families, as there’s not much in the way of nightlife there. And if you do visit, don't neglect to visit the nearby hillside ghost village of Kaya. But instead of visiting as part of a group excursion, catch a Dolmus early in the morning to Hisaronu and then hop onto another Dolmus to Kaya itself. We spent a wonderful morning exploring this abandoned village, and met only around one dozen other tourists. Climb up to the old chapel, admire the view over the sea and catch the cool breeze – it’s an experience that will remain with you long after your suntan has faded.