It's not Turkey and Tinsel you know! (Olu Deniz)

Member Name: pilchierox

Product:	Olu Deniz
Date:	25/11/08 (286 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful resort, gorgeous wether, nice people.

Disadvantages: Not as cheap as you would think.

I've been to Olu Deniz with my boyfriend for the past 2 years now and I've loved it there both times. I'd never been to Turkey before so was really dreading it as I'd heard all the stories but I felt very comfortable in Olu Deniz.

The resort is about an hour away from Dalaman airport and is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains. It is a small resort but that doesn't mean it's boring. The resort is a haven for paragliders, which throws you a bit when you first get there and see this HUGE thing in the sky above your head or when you're walking near the beach and paragliders are landing all around you. Looked fun but I don't fly without the aid of jet engines, thank you!! The beach is gorgeous and very clean, with sunbeds and parasols but also a couple of bars and toilets. There are also plenty of bars facing the beach. One of the most popular, particularly at sunset is Buzz Bar as, if you sit upstairs, you get the most gorgeous view of the sun going down. At night there are places to drink near or on the beach where you can sit on bean bags and smoke hookah pipes.

If you want to venture further down the road you could walk down to the Blue Lagoon, which is a nature reserve and has an entry fee but once there you can go to the lagoon side or the beach side to chill out. There is a charge for the sunbed and parasols but if you move from one to the other they don't charge you.

If you want to venture even further there are other places such as Sugar Beach, which is about 20-25 minute walk from the centre of Olu Deniz but they will collect you in a bus if you get the hotel to contact them. Here you can chill out and have drinks and food brought to your sunbed or you can go and sit at the bar. At lunchtime they also put entertainment on in the bar, which is nice if you want a break from the sun. The sea is really warm here, almost like a bath!

When you've done with sunbathing there is plenty of night life in Olu Deniz with loads of restaurants and bars including Tequila Bar, which plays rock music and Shadows, which is a karaoke bar. There is plenty of choice if you want to chill out or want something a bit more lively and if you want it REALLY lively go up to Hisaranou. This is where the louder nightlife is and it's about 15 minutes away from Olu Deniz in the mountains. You can get a dolmus there very cheaply or a taxi if you'd rather. The dolmus runs every 5-10 mins to Hisaranou and Fethiye and is just along the road if you keep the beach on your left from the main resort. They are now heavily regulated so gone are the days when you shared with chickens, goats and sheep!!!

If you want to be more adventurous go up to Fethiye and look around and go to the market while you're there. You may pick up a bargain! You could also go to Kaya Koy, which is the ghost village. There are a couple of nice restaurants up there but it's very quiet.

As with all tourist resorts there are people trying to sell you trips. We've been with several companies and they were all good value but just shop around before you book something. Don't believe the rep who says they're the cheapest/best value/are insured. Our experience is they can charge up to double for the same trip. Look on websites such as this one, or www.tripadvisor.co.uk to try and find the best deals before you go or check the prices in the resort including the tourist places off the beaten track. We went to Ephasus and Pamukkale this year and it was excellent value for money and well worth it but very tiring.

The Turks in the resort are usually very friendly and you can engage in a bit of banter as, when you first get there they hound you a bit about buying from them but they do settle down after a couple of days and accept a 'no thanks, not today'.

All in all I love Olu Deniz and would have no hesitation in going there again although now I'm a bit braver I may explore a bit more of Turkey first.

Summary: A gentle introduction to Turkey for newbies and a haven for the regualr visitors.