Icmeler Online Holiday Forum & Reviews - Turkey

hi everybody, its my first time to turkey/icmeler and was just wondering is it best to take sterling cash or travellers cheques heard a rumour they dont like travellers cheques is this true many thanks lorridens.

you don't get a great exchange rate for traveller's cheques so I would avoid taking them if possible.

I normally change about £50 into lira - that does me for tipping the transfer driver and anything i need urgently when i get there - then change money at one of the markets when i pop out to get bits and bobs for the apartment. I have taken my whole spending money in cash with me and I have also taken some of it in cash and then when that runs out used the ATM to withdraw as and when needed

cash is best
just make sure you purcahse a safety deposit box when you arrive at your hotel or apartments
then you can keep your cash in there and only take out the amount you want to cash
xxxx

I've always got the same exchange rate for travellers cheques as for sterling, and never had any problem cashing them. I like the protection of knowing that if the cheques get lost or are stolen you get them replaced within 48 hours. If you're taking sterling you won't be covered for loss or theft, most insurance policies will cover up to £500 cash but I'd imagine you won't get this money till you get back to the UK. I'd still recommend taking a mixture of travellers cheques, sterling and lira. Also if you're withdrawing cash from ATM there's usually a charge for each transaction which can mount up unless you have an account which doesn't charge for withdrawals abroad, but you'd need to check with your bank before going.

mant thanks for your replys still not sure what to do.

The first couple of times that we went to Icmeler we took about £20 worth of Lira and then the rest in a mixture of £5/£10/£20 notes. Then we went again and got robbed. Our money was in the hotels safety deposit boxes and they were emptied so now i just take my bank card with me, which is kept with me at all times and i draw enough money to last us each day. I have a Nationwide bank account so it costs me nothing to draw the money, and i feel safe knowing that i only have a little bit of money on me at any one time. If you don't want to run the risk of card fraud then you could draw the money out of the bank rather than the cash points but tbh i've never had a problem with the cash points.

When we were there last year my Bro in Law had travellers cheques and he got the exact same rate when he was exchanging them as family who were exchanging cash.

Be aware though, just because you have a safety deposit box doesn't necessarily mean that your money is safe!

dotty wrote:I've always got the same exchange rate for travellers cheques as for sterling, and never had any problem cashing them.

Same here dotty. You get same exchange rate with travellers cheques as you would if you exchanged cash. Travellers cheques are soo much better in my opinion as they are insured, as long as you sign them as soon as you recieve them then they can be replaced and delivered to your hotel within 24 hours. Especially as i am going for so long, i don't want to be taking too much cash with me

Same here I always take sterling travellers cheques and get the same exchange rate as I would changing cash in the mini supermarkets. I do take some lira for the first day or so and some in english notes for the last min saving

I'd do whatever you feel comfortable doing, I've not had a bad experience with the safety deposit boxes

Alison

rachel06 wrote:Be aware though, just because you have a safety deposit box doesn't necessarily mean that your money is safe!

I'm 99% sure that a hotel we stayed in when we went to Marmaris (thankfully the only time we went to Marmaris) the cleaners had a key to the safe, as a couple of times, i'm sure when i did a count up, i was £20 down each time. I'm a real stickler for getting my figures right, and not to be big headed, i'm never usually wrong (as are most men tbh )

I then left a little trap and I knew someone had been in the cupboard, and near the safe.

Complained to Hotel management who couldn't give a flying ....

Probably all in it together.

thanks again for your replys,i will take a little lira and sterling travellers cheques just for peace of mind.everybody have a nice holiday i cant wait for mine staying at club sun village.

sirkyboy wrote:

rachel06 wrote:Be aware though, just because you have a safety deposit box doesn't necessarily mean that your money is safe!

I'm 99% sure that a hotel we stayed in when we went to Marmaris (thankfully the only time we went to Marmaris) the cleaners had a key to the safe, as a couple of times, i'm sure when i did a count up, i was £20 down each time. I'm a real stickler for getting my figures right, and not to be big headed, i'm never usually wrong (as are most men tbh )

I then left a little trap and I knew someone had been in the cupboard, and near the safe.

Complained to Hotel management who couldn't give a flying ....

Probably all in it together.

It was the same with us, we were sure that it was the hotel owners that had something to do with it, or the night watchman. We couldn't prove it though. We were in the Mandalin Hotel and the safe system was that we had a key but then you also had to get a key from reception to get into your safe. There was a group of 8 of us staying in the hotel and to save money hiring out a safe we all used the same one. The night we were robbed someone let themselves into my parents room because they knew where they key was kept (in my dad's bum bag) stole the bum bag but nothing else really (my mum's hand bag/camera/camcorder/mobile phone were all easy to take but they just wanted cash). So they had the two keys for the safe. They got the best part of £2k in cash, passports/flight tickets some insurance documents.

It had to be someone who knew where we were keeping the key and the bum bag, and on occasions when we'd been getting money out of the safe reception staff had watched us.

Its awful when anything like that happens.I use the hotel safe but never leave my key anywhere,and always take it with me.
One thing is for sure is that English airports are normally the worst rate when changing money.Last year for example
the rate at Birmingham was 1.18 .

That's another reason i always take travellers cheques. they are no use to anyone once you have signed them