Dodge's Review: 4th - 18th Aug 2013

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Dodge's Review: 4th - 18th Aug 2013

Postby dodge » 01 Sep 2013 19:11

Hi all,

Sorry this review is so late but after one thing and another, did not seem to have time to write it. This was our first holiday without our daughter Sam, who had opted to go on holiday with her boyfriend to Alvor in Portugal. We flew out from Manchester on Sunday 4th August with Thomas Cook, we had checked in online so just had to go to bag drop, no waiting around in queues which was a god send. Flight time 07:15 actually took off 5 minutes late. During the flight, we had an inflight meal, typical airline fayre, nothing to write home about. Flight was very good, leg room was fine. We actually arrived 10 minutes early. After picking up our luggage, we emerged into the brilliant sunshine at Dalaman airport to our transfer waiting for us. 1 hour 20 minutes later, we were having a drink in the bar of our apartments, the lighthouse, with out friends Tommy and Lin who had flown out 2 days earlier who were staying at the Ustun apts. After a couple of efes, we went to our room, unpacked and then went for our first swim. At the pool, we met our friends from Newcastle, Ken and Maureen. And yes, Ken is still wearing his budgie smugglers.

Our first night, we ate in the Lighthouse restaurant. This, in my opinion, is the best restaurant in Icmeler. The standard of food and service is second to none. After a walk round to take off the excess of overeating, we ended up in the Kactus bar for a few drinks. This is run by Oscar and Cem who are very good hosts and are very friendly.

This is our twelth time to Icmeler but despite plans to do otherwise, we always seem to eat in our favourite restaurants.
Places we ate: -
Lighthouse - as I have stated, this, in my opinion, is one of the best restaurants in Icmeler. It is extremly well run by Sulyman and Rose.
Titanic - another good restaurant, service is very good and the food is of a good standard.
Masala - this is one of the best Chinese/Indian restaurants in Icmeler. We have been visiting this restaurant since it first opened in Icmeler by the canal and is well worth a visit.
Alins Grill - this is the first year we have used this restaurant, if you are holidaying on a budget, this place is worth a visit. The food is extremley well priced and during our visits here, we noticed that 50% of the clientele were turkish, so that speaks volumes. I would recommend the set menus as it is excellent value for money.
Cupids - We went here hoping to find Alex (ex champagne bar) still working on the door, we have been told he is now living in Norway. The food was of a good standard and reasonably priced. Probably the best t-bone steak I had in Icmeler.
Don Corleone - Formally the black sea restaurant. This is a nice Italian restaurant. If you go, try to get a table overlooking the street. Good Italian food and again, reasonably priced. I can recommend a calzone.
Frier Tucks - Best fish, chips and mushy peas in Icmeler. Ate here twice and also attended a quiz night run by Chris. Unfortunately didnt win, must brush up on my trivia knowledge for next year. My daughter is a teacher and if she was marking our answers, she would have wrote must try harder. Chris has also started providing live entertainment on a Saturday night, something that the resort is lacking. So if you go to Icmeler, try to support her with a visit.
The Chef - Have been going to the chef for a number of years, again, one of the best restaurants in Icmeler. However, from when we ordered our meal, it took over an hour for our food to reach the table. I must say though, it was well worth waiting for.
The Holiday - The best range of set meals in Icmeler. His turkish meatballs are probably the best I have tasted. Again, really good value for money as all meals are a set menu and come as 3 courses. Mehmet and the rest of his staff are very friendly.

Bars:
Kactus bar - We always seemed to end up here for our last few drinks of the night. Probably because it is only a few yards from the lighthouse. Always nice to go in and have a good talk about football with Oscar. We watched the Galatasary vs Fenerbache match here and as Oscar is a Galatasary supporter, I had to give him some of Ian's blood pressure tablets at the end of the game.
Magic Garden - This is a hidden gem in Icmeler. A tranquil setting where you can go for a drink without the boom boom music. Mugay and her staff are very friendly and look after you.
Diva Bar - This is on a busy main road and is a great place to people watch.
Sports Inn - This is on the same road as the Diva bar underneath the Devalmi. Not as busy as in previous years but still a good place to go for a drink or watch the sports.
Eddies Bar - Another quiet place to go for a drink. A good place to just drink, chill out and have a good conversation with friends.
Romeo & Juliets - We have used this bar for a number of years but this year it did not appear to be busy at all. This, I think, is due to the ambiance of the bar being ruined by the boom boom music coming from the Istanbul and the 3 bells. They seem to be trying to see who can play their music the loudest.

Boat trips - This year we done 4 boat trips. All booked through ICR. Two trips on the Mehmet Reiss and two trips on the Erin. These trips cost £10 per person and include a BBQ lunch. These are great value for money and are very relaxing days. The owners of these boats do not pressure you to buy any extra food or drink and just leave you to enjoy your day. I would highly recommend these boat trips.

Negative points:
my kindle melted on the boat trip, not so cheap after all.
litter - there has been a previous thread about litter in the resort, this is our twelth visit to Icmeler and I must say that in some parts of the resort there is definitely a litter problem. This is a tourist resort and needs to be adressed.
Why do some men go to restaurants of an evening and do not wear a shirt? This is acceptable whilst eating around the pool of a day but while im eating my t-bone steak I do not wish to see some middle aged overweight person with man boobs. You would not go to a restaurant or bar in the UK topless so show abit of respect for your hosts, the turkish people and fellow dinners and put a shirt on.

Lira - when we first arrived it was 2.90 and by the time we left it was 2.99. This is the best rate we have ever got and long may it continue. We changed all money at Saddams, that is the supermarket underneath the ICR office. We call it Saddams because the owner looks like Saddam Hussain and he even answers to it now. I would recommend this a place to change your money as he never tries to rip you off and always gives a good rate.

Why is it that you save up all year for your holiday and yet it seems the quickest two weeks of the year. In the blink of an eye, it was all over and it was time to pack our cases and say goodbye. We were picked up by our private transfer and taken to Dalaman airport. Something needs to be done about the outrageous prices they charge for food and drink there, they would sell alot more if they lowered their prices to the same of the resort. We took off on time and landed 15 minutes early. Again, the flight with Thomas Cook was uneventful and I would have no hesitation to fly with them again.

In conclusion, once again, we had an excellent holiday in Icmeler and have booked to go back for 3 weeks next year, staying once again at the Lighthouse. Roll on 7th August 2014! To all those about to fly out, I hope you have as good a holiday as we have had.

Cheers Dodge.
dodge
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Joined: 04 Apr 2007 10:17
Location: lydiate

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