Holiday Recs to Cyprus or Turkey

The review sites are a nightmare aren't they? They do my head in because no-one is ever satisfied. I quite fancied the Atlantica Sun Garden resort in Ayia Napa but it was just coming up too expensive, we've been hunting for Cyprus and Turkey too but just couldn't decide if Turkey would be for us (seems to be like Marmite, you either love it or hate it) and Cyprus is just too dear. We're doing the Algarve instead ?

Not much help to you but I thought i'd send you my sympathy ?

Oh, KB3 has recommended the Club Letoonia in Fethiye to me if you want to have a look at that. Reviews, in the main, are very good. Thomson/Portland and First Choice all do it.

Thanks Sunset, I've already looked at Club Letoonia and it's on my list but having problems convincing H as he wants to go to Cyprus. As you say though it's expensive and the last few holidays we've been on have spoilt us and the same standard of hotels in Cyprus are coming out very expensive.

Sez

We went to turkey last year and stayed in a all inclusive hotel in Bodrum called the Diamond of Bodrum - the hotel was lovely and the area was fab - fab food, glorious sunshine, lots of culture, plently of bars and cheap shopping

I was so impressed with Turkey we are going back again this year and staying in Bodrum again in a AI hotel called the Forever Club and have paid £600pp for 2 weeks which i think is a bargain.

I think you will be hard pushed to find a AI hotel in Cyprus for under £1,000 per person

MrSun and I love Cyprus, we've been to Ayia Napa a few times and Protaras and MrSun was the same, he really wanted to go to Cyprus this year but like you say, beyond our budget. I don't want to be stuck in a horrid hotel when we could get a beautiful hotel somewhere else for half the price.

I found some beautiful 4* hotels in turkey but like your H we just weren't sure. I hope you find something.

The two hotels I found were the Salamakis resort in Bodrum and the Royal Asarlik beach in Gumbet, reviews on both resorts were mixed which put me off but like you say, prices were fab. I'll have to take a note of those two hotels. MrSun and I do think we will have to try it at some point.

Right, i'll stop hijacking this thread now and get and do some work lol!

Well want he really wants is to go back to Cape Verde but I'd rather go somewhere different. You are right definitely nothing under £1,000, in fact cheapest around 4* is around £1200 each AI. Thanks for the recs will have a look at them.

Sez

If you are going to pay £1200 per person i would rather go to somewhere like mexico or dominican republic.

I dont think id be prepared to pay over £1000 to go to Europe

Me too but we want to go in Sept and H won't go when it's hurricane season. I found 2 weeks AI in St Lucia with Virgin for the same time and it was less than £1000...

yeah thats true,,, what about America?

Haven't really thought about America to be honest as I want relaxing, beach type holiday ideally.

Sez

Club letoonia isn't very far outside Fethiye and i think they have their own water taxis to pop you across to the town and back. It looks very smart from the gulets that i have gawped at it from.

IN that case i would persuade your husband that Turkey is a good idea.

Last year really was one of the lovelest holidays we have ever been on - at least with there you are guarenteed glorious sunshine and you dont need to rob a bank to go there.

Review sites make picking a hotel really difficult and i find the majority of people who write a review on a hotel write one because they have something to complain about. YOu are never going to please everyone.

There were a couple of reviews on the hotel we went ot last year where people marked down the hotel because the airport was expensive and because they got mosquito bites - both of which the hotel cant bloody help!

I tend to ignore review sites and go by personal recomendations

The Golden Beach hotel in Cyprus is stunning! My best mate stayed there when she got married last year. We stayed up the road in a throwback from the 1950's so would often sneak into her hotel and have drinks etc.

I think this is it https://www.cyprusbestcompanies.com/directory/lordos-beach-hotel.html It's on the outskirts of town so much quieter but you can get a taxi or bus for a few euros.

Thanks KB3, Golden Coast also on my shortlist but is over £1200 each for 2 weeks. Have found slightly cheaper 4* in Paphos (St George Gardens) but is smaller hotel and am bit worried that food choice will seem limited after last few holidays.

Nice to hear good things about hotels I've looked at though, thanks.

Sez

It all depends on what sort of resort you like going to really. Bodrum is my idea of hell as it's so touristy now and has club 18-30 type places there. ?

Olu Deniz is gorgeous - I've never done AI there as I don't see the point when there's so many cheap, gorgeous places to eat. I think there is somewhere called Club Lycia World that is AI though?

Another place to try is around Kyrenia in Northern Cyrpus - a company called Anatolian Sky do really good holidays there.

If you're tempted by the Caibbean, I can thoroughly recommend Cuba for beaches, culture, weather, people... We've stayed (AI both times, Cuban food isn't great) at Breezes Jibacoa and Paradisos Varadero. You can do twin centre holidays with Virgin and combine a stay in Havana too.

We ended up eating out 5 nights out of the 7 we were in our 1950's hotel. Even if it was just a kebab in town, we couldn't stand the same old rubbish coming from the one kitchen. They offered al a carte, it was a sectioned off area of the same restaurant right next to the heat lamps ?

Only go to Paphos if you like lots of neon, loads of English tourists, rip off prices and moodly locals. We went last year and hated it. We hired a car specifically to get out of there. We found Protaras to be much nicer.

Really? Paphos was recommended to us by a work colleague of H's who is cypriot and her parents live out there. I'm even more confused now.

Sez

Now this is just the trouble with holiday reviews isn't it? What's good for one is not good for another.

i hate that kind of thing and didnt find Bodrum like that at alll - all the bars were fairly quiet and we never saw groups of lads or girls.

the shopping area is quite touristy with people wanting to get their fake designer handbags and tops but thats about it!

Obviously this is just my experience of bodrum and our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the town centre

We would never stay right in the centre of a resort so hopefully we would be ok. We tend to do a couple of trips but H doesn't drive and to be honest I don't want to spend my holiday driving around I'm quite happy by the pool most of the time. Generally we'd only go into the resort during the day or maybe a couple of evenings for dinner.

Sez

We stayed at the Andreotis appts in Protaras last year and loved it. I think we're going to go back later this year. It was fabulous, and cheap!

Just noticed you want AI, sorry!

Did my first AI last week and it was OK but never again! I like going out for meals in the evening and a few drinks in a bar.

My friend stayed at and got married in the Golden Coast hotel, its gorgeous, but was expensive and she was only b&b. We stayed in Sunrise Beach, again we loved it but it was nearly 1k each for b&b.

We looked at going back this year and it was just far too expensive, going to the Dominican Republic for less than 1k AI and really good reviews on all the sites lol.

Have you thought of going SC or HB in Cyprus? It might work out the same or slightly cheaper and you would have more choice each night, Protaras and Pernera have lots of restaurants for all budgets. We loved it and really wanted to go back but it was just too expensive compared to the Caribbean this year.

Have you looked at booking an apartment and flights separately to Paphos? H and I have done it twice now with this company http://www.apartments-paphos.co.uk/ We have always booked flights well in advance to get a better deal, meaning more money to spend on eating and drinking out when we get there.

HTH

I can recommend this hotel in Icmeler in Turkey

https://www.icmeleronline.com/hotel.php?no=40

My uncle and aunty are staying there atm and are having a fantastic time

Thanks for the recommendations. We really want a hotel though and ideally to be AI.

Chids, did you book through a travel agent or direct?

Sez

Admittedly it was about 4 or 5 years ago now (and off season), but I loved Bodrum. The town at night seemed to be full of bright young turks (the most beautifully groomed women which made my somewhat unkemptness look most shabby).

My Favourite place in Turkey, though, is still Side, although the AI resorts are all quite a way out of town, whereas we stayed in a pensyion in town.

I wish i'd read these good things about Bodrum earlier, never mind, we will eventually try Turkey i'm sure.

Doughnut where was your AI? There's something unappealing about them (to me) but in-laws think we're mad for not doing them, esp. with a child. Like you we like to wander and drink at other bars, cost especially at the moment, for most people is a huge factor when choosing AI though, i'm sure.

We've booked direct through icmeler online when we've been before. I think that Direct Holidays goes to the Marti too.