A review.
Posted: 24 Jun 2006 08:26It's difficult to imagine, as I sit here watching the rain run down my living room window, just how hot and sunny it was in Icmeler. We arrived home last Sunday after a fantastic week of sunbathing and eating. Icmeler is the only place we have ever gone back to, and I have to say I think we'll be going again.
When I booked with ICR I thought it was too easy, and that something was bound to go wrong, but the holiday went like clockwork from touchdown to take off. We managed to negotiate the mad Russian queues for the visa, and came through the carrousel of death unscathed, to walk out into the bright Turkish sunshine and see my name on a board right in front of me. The drive to Icmeler took about 75 minutes; just enough time to get into the holiday mood. I would recommend the transfers to anyone. One of the things I always dislike about airport transfers with the big companies is the hot and uncomfortable coach that makes you feel like cattle. The ICR transfer is in an air conditioned car with a friendly driver and great Turkish music to get you in the mood.
We stayed at the Blue Rainbow which is in a great position for the beach and the centre of town. I'm going to trot out the same old clichés about this hotel; it was clean, the staff were very friendly and helpful and Tracy even got Mustapha to smile. From the outside the Blue Rainbow does look a little like a Soviet prison, but then so do most hotels that are a couple of decades old. I certainly wouldn't let looks deceive; I loved the place and would book here again. I had heard that the rooms were a little small, but I have been in smaller. For us the room is just about sleeping and having a refreshing shower, and this room fulfilled all our requirements, with an awesome view of the bay thrown in. Don't expect an English breakfast, but the continental breakfast was excellent and the scrambled eggs were perfect. All things considered I think the 3 star rating is well justified.
Not much to say about the beach really, it was nice and hot, except Tuesday when it rained, but that seemed to crank the heat up and it touched 40 degrees towards the end of the week. We used Ibrahim's lilac sun beds, they were only 30 seconds from the hotel and Ibrahim is a really nice bloke. On the first day I told him I couldn't sit in direct sunlight and needed to sit in the shade, he spent the next 5 days checking on me, asking if I was ok.
You may notice that the hassle you get has increased a little, it was certainly a little worse than our last visit in 2004. When we chatted to some of the locals we found out it's because bookings are down and the place is quieter than usual. I would urge anyone not to let this spoil their holiday. We chatted to another English couple on the beach, and they were really letting it get to them. If you treat it for what it is, a bit of friendly banter, you can't go wrong. How hard is it to stand for 30 seconds and have a chat ? We met some great people and didn't feel pressured once. The star of the holiday was Nuri. I can't remember the name of the restaurant; it was on the corner if you walk from the Blue Rainbow to the beach. He was so funny; we would sit on the beach during the day listening to him chatting to passers by. His one-liners had us in stitches. My favourite was "Excuse me sir, you have a beautiful moustache, your wife is a very lucky lady"
The main reason we went back to Icmeler was the food, and it didn't disappoint. We ate at several different places but the most notable were The Old Famous Kitchen, The Lighthouse, and lunch at Café Anne. I was absolutely gob smacked when we first went back to the Old Famous; some of the staff remembered us. It was almost two years since we were there, how many thousands of people have been through ? I can't tell you how nice that was. The food was excellent again, especially the Beyti kebab and the Adana kebab......... and the Ottoman wok kebab, and the Topkapi kebab..... ok, so I like kebabs. Wednesday was the party night, we got some great film of the belly dancer shaking her bits, in fact she was so accommodating to the camera I think it will need an 18 rating. I'm just glad it was Tracy filming and not me, I wouldn't have known were to put my face. Top night. The Lighthouse was also very good, perhaps a little better if you fancy a romantic meal for two. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was great. Tony Macaroni and Rose really looked after us. Lunch at Café Anne on the beach was just great; it's nice and shady with a lovely breeze to cool you down after sitting in the heat all morning. The food was good, but the apple pie was awesome, and just the thing to set you up for a hard afternoon lying in the sun.
Last time we went to Icmeler we booked with another company and got a poor hotel, the usual hot and sticky transfers and no in resort rep service. These are things that would normally make for a bad holiday, but the place and the people made us want to go back. This time, booking with a decent company, made it a real holiday to remember.
If I can motivate myself today I will put some of our holiday pictures on line and post a link.
Thanks to everyone at ICR, especially Sharon, and thanks to all those too numerous to mention in the resort who made our week a great one. We'll be back !
When I booked with ICR I thought it was too easy, and that something was bound to go wrong, but the holiday went like clockwork from touchdown to take off. We managed to negotiate the mad Russian queues for the visa, and came through the carrousel of death unscathed, to walk out into the bright Turkish sunshine and see my name on a board right in front of me. The drive to Icmeler took about 75 minutes; just enough time to get into the holiday mood. I would recommend the transfers to anyone. One of the things I always dislike about airport transfers with the big companies is the hot and uncomfortable coach that makes you feel like cattle. The ICR transfer is in an air conditioned car with a friendly driver and great Turkish music to get you in the mood.
We stayed at the Blue Rainbow which is in a great position for the beach and the centre of town. I'm going to trot out the same old clichés about this hotel; it was clean, the staff were very friendly and helpful and Tracy even got Mustapha to smile. From the outside the Blue Rainbow does look a little like a Soviet prison, but then so do most hotels that are a couple of decades old. I certainly wouldn't let looks deceive; I loved the place and would book here again. I had heard that the rooms were a little small, but I have been in smaller. For us the room is just about sleeping and having a refreshing shower, and this room fulfilled all our requirements, with an awesome view of the bay thrown in. Don't expect an English breakfast, but the continental breakfast was excellent and the scrambled eggs were perfect. All things considered I think the 3 star rating is well justified.
Not much to say about the beach really, it was nice and hot, except Tuesday when it rained, but that seemed to crank the heat up and it touched 40 degrees towards the end of the week. We used Ibrahim's lilac sun beds, they were only 30 seconds from the hotel and Ibrahim is a really nice bloke. On the first day I told him I couldn't sit in direct sunlight and needed to sit in the shade, he spent the next 5 days checking on me, asking if I was ok.
You may notice that the hassle you get has increased a little, it was certainly a little worse than our last visit in 2004. When we chatted to some of the locals we found out it's because bookings are down and the place is quieter than usual. I would urge anyone not to let this spoil their holiday. We chatted to another English couple on the beach, and they were really letting it get to them. If you treat it for what it is, a bit of friendly banter, you can't go wrong. How hard is it to stand for 30 seconds and have a chat ? We met some great people and didn't feel pressured once. The star of the holiday was Nuri. I can't remember the name of the restaurant; it was on the corner if you walk from the Blue Rainbow to the beach. He was so funny; we would sit on the beach during the day listening to him chatting to passers by. His one-liners had us in stitches. My favourite was "Excuse me sir, you have a beautiful moustache, your wife is a very lucky lady"
The main reason we went back to Icmeler was the food, and it didn't disappoint. We ate at several different places but the most notable were The Old Famous Kitchen, The Lighthouse, and lunch at Café Anne. I was absolutely gob smacked when we first went back to the Old Famous; some of the staff remembered us. It was almost two years since we were there, how many thousands of people have been through ? I can't tell you how nice that was. The food was excellent again, especially the Beyti kebab and the Adana kebab......... and the Ottoman wok kebab, and the Topkapi kebab..... ok, so I like kebabs. Wednesday was the party night, we got some great film of the belly dancer shaking her bits, in fact she was so accommodating to the camera I think it will need an 18 rating. I'm just glad it was Tracy filming and not me, I wouldn't have known were to put my face. Top night. The Lighthouse was also very good, perhaps a little better if you fancy a romantic meal for two. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was great. Tony Macaroni and Rose really looked after us. Lunch at Café Anne on the beach was just great; it's nice and shady with a lovely breeze to cool you down after sitting in the heat all morning. The food was good, but the apple pie was awesome, and just the thing to set you up for a hard afternoon lying in the sun.
Last time we went to Icmeler we booked with another company and got a poor hotel, the usual hot and sticky transfers and no in resort rep service. These are things that would normally make for a bad holiday, but the place and the people made us want to go back. This time, booking with a decent company, made it a real holiday to remember.
If I can motivate myself today I will put some of our holiday pictures on line and post a link.
Thanks to everyone at ICR, especially Sharon, and thanks to all those too numerous to mention in the resort who made our week a great one. We'll be back !
