The Jewel in the Crown (Icmeler)

Name: spangle359

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Product:	Icmeler
Date:	10.05.01 (5402 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: people, weather, affordability

Disadvantages: can be too hot

Oh, I really didn't want to go to Turkey, but I was out-voted by my husband and two sons aged 6 and 10. This would be our first trip to the country and I reluctantly packed for 2 weeks in the sun or what I very mistakenly thought was going to be two weeks in a relatively under-developed, somewhat dirty and greasy country.

I have never been more wrong in my life.....

We arrived at 3a.m. after a pleasant if uneventful flight from Newcastle and after paying our £10 per person visa (Only English £10 notes accepted), we were met by two very cheerful and chatty guys who led us to our transport and, after personally gathering the remainder of our fellow holiday-makers, set off in our air-conditioned coach to the resort of Icemeler. The coach journey takes around one and a half hours, but, halfway there, we stopped for toilets and coffee.....that was very much appreciated. We re-commenced our journey and the entertainment from the two Turkish couriers continued. We reached Marmaris and dropped off several of the guests at their accommodation, noting that the couriers ensured that everyone was introduced to their hotel/apartment owners or caretakers.

At this point, I was quite surprised at the town of Marmaris, I just never expected it to be so big. Another 7 or 8 miles along the road and we reached the town of Icemeler.
We had booked the Dursun apartments and had no idea what was awaiting us. Apart from a brochure picture and short description, we knew of no-one who had stayed there. Our coach was met by two of the most charming guys we have ever met. They welcomed us with open arms and, before we could help them, had taken our luggage up to our first floor apartment. They made a great fuss of the children and eagerly showed us around our very clean and spacious apartment which would be our home for the next two weeks. You do have to remember that this was now 5.30a.m. and they were laughing and joking as if it was 2p.m. It was v
ery refreshing and certainly made us feel welcome.

A quick nap and two very excited children later, we ventured down to the pool area where we found the bar and restaurant. The complex only has 12 apartments and a lovely small but certainly adequate pool. The two lads who met us a few hours earlier were now part of the pool/bar/restaurant staff and they introduced us to the owner and the other three members of staff. We were given free coffee and juice for the boys. We sat and chatted with them for a while and two of the lads kept the children entertained with chat, games and the playstation. After a while the children wanted to go into the pool and the lads from the bar gladly dived in to entertain them. Within a couple of hours, we felt part of this lovely family, who, from the very first until the very last day, catered for our every need. They somehow managed to make every guest feel special. Our children suddenly had adopted big brothers who kept them amused for many long hours by the pool.

The town of Icemeler itself was an absolute delight and we were so glad to have chosen it over Marmaris. The centre of the town has a canal running through it and in the evening, is beautifully lit. This is the main area for restaurants and bars and the atmosphere is so friendly and welcoming. There is also a small but bustling market where you can buy almost any designer name garment, cd or playstation game. Lots of souvenirs and gimmicks are also on sale. Our evening meals were eaten in that vicinity most evenings and after a quick tour of the market, we would head back to the apartment around midnight.

We did take the wonderful boat trip, stopping off at several places along the way, and as our boat was hired through the apartments, we had the benefit of knowing all the other guests and the boat owner made us the most wonderful meal. That was one of the best days, we had lots of fun diving off the boat and everyone really got to
know one another.

We also took the opportunity to have a Turkish Bath (twice) and it has to be said that no-one should go there and not experience the most wonderful sensation that a Turkish Bath offers. From the initial de-scaling of the skin to the final oil massage, is the experience of a lifetime and one we would thoroughly recommend. This cost around £6 .

The beach in Icemeler is soft shingle, not sandy, and the sea has a gently sloping entry but most hotels and apartments have lovely clean pools.

Food in this part of Turkey caters for all tastes and is of a very high quality. The premises were always spotless and the personal attention we received was second to none. The food may sometimes have take a little while to arrive but the children were always entertained during their wait. The amount of food we received was initially quite daunting, I don't think I ever completely cleared a plate. Childrens' tastes were more than adequately catered for and most often they ate free of charge. The most we paid for a meal for four(the night when we decided to visit the most plush looking restaurant) and including drinks was £24. We had three courses and were in the restaurant for 4 hours.....after the meal we were encouraged to participate in some Turkish Dancing. This was the Ephesus Restaurant and was so much fun. We could have eaten in a different place every lunchtime and evening for two weeks and we would still not have visited half of them.

As I have already said, Icemeler has it's little seafront market but it also has a weekly visiting market where you can buy just about anything and the prices are unbelievable. Be prepared to haggle though,these people do it with such style and lots of laughs, and seem to enjoy it. This is a very large market but is only about a quarter the size of the weekly one in nearby Marmaris which is reached by either water taxi (costing £4) or dolmus - 70p (local mini-bus servi
ce, which will stop wherever you ask the driver to stop).

Marmaris is a busy, bustling town, with a strange mixture of being a holiday resort and a centre of business. There is a large bazaar with many gold and leather shops. Although we enjoyed our few trips to this bigger, much busier town, we were always glad to arrive back in Icemeler.

We travelled during the first two weeks in July and found the resort to be relatively quiet but was certainly beginning to get busier by the middle of the second week. Temperatures soared up to 140 degrees while we were there but air conditioning in the apartment certainly dealt with the humidity. Those temperatures were exceptional and are normally around 95 degrees mid summer

In summation, I would say that this was the best family holiday we have ever had (and we have been abroad many, many times) but apart from the cleanliness, the quality of the food and the general feeling of being special, it was the genuine kind hearts of the people which would make us return again and again. There were many tears shed when our coach arrived to take us back to Dalaman....every member of staff and all the guests came out to hug us and wave us off.

Yes, Icemeler is certainly the jewel in the crown and one which will sparkle for many years to come. Expect to leave a litttle bit of your heart there (even if only as an excuse to return to retrieve it) because you will fall in love with Icemeler, that is guaranteed.

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