Icmeler Online Holiday Forum & Reviews - Turkey

Is Icmeler as busy this year as last .only everone you speak to say there are going to Turkey on holiday .
We have been for the last 4 years and last year did seem quite in September ,we are due again in September .

We were in Icemeler from mid-June for 2 wks. It was not busy. We had been in 2 wks Sept 2010 & it was busier then. A lot of the restaurants were empty, dont know how they will survive & a lot of the hotels were not full. We spoke to one hotel owner & he only had 7 rooms filled so he was hoping for business to pick up July & Aug. Our hotel manager told us that he was lucky as his hotel was full but the ones beside ours were not. My son is there at the moment, he said a lot of the restaurants are not busy. Sad but I suppose its the recession. My daughter is going August so it might be busier then with schools on holiday. We are off to Alanya in Sept so it might be busy down that end as more continentals go there.

Must agree that Icmeler was very quiet this year. I was there for a week mid July and there were only about 5 apartments being used out of a total of about 20ish. Although they did say they were full in August. Walking round in the evening I certainly noticed how quiet it was compared to previous years. Even the locals were saying the same. Lets hope that the restaurants etc survive especially on the canal as they were even quieter due to no canal stalls and I know they were saying that it had affected their business as no passing trade now. Still had a great time though and cant wait to book for next year.

Ive been going to Icmeler 15 years and this season is quietest ive ever seen - i was over in April (dead understandably) and thought July would be better (not!) - canal is really suffering. Why put the new neon sign and mini "waterfall" at one end but take away all the stalls !! the new bar Kanarya? (used to Korsan) i never saw more than 2 or 3 tables, the Leyla Sultan (was Lemon Tree) - never saw ANYONE even likes of venice & majestic were busy, but not the normal waiting for tables. Had 1 meal in champagne and it kind of felt like they had given up already, lads couldnt be bothered to dance or anything, and was only half full
I really hope it picks up but cant see it, everyone i spoke to said it was one of the worst seasons ever.
Def. didnt see as many people wandering and some parts of the beach were practically empty - Marmaris beaches were even worse!

We were also there mid-June and felt it was a lot quieter than previous years. Like others have said, some bars and restaurants seemed to be busy, even packed - while others were very quiet indeed, to the extent that we never saw a soul in certain ones.

When we booked for August there were very few hotels available as were all booked!
Let's hope that's a good sign.
Chris

Something has to give sooner or later, as JT said on a post a while back there are far to many restraunts in Icmeler, it doesn't make economic sense to have that many, the problem is though what do you replace them with, empty buildings are a big eye sore...there's enough of them in this country now. The worlds in a mess financially so I can't see anything changing for a few years yet, massive shame for all those who work their butts off over there though, I couldn't do them hours.

The reason the restaurants and bars are empty is because too many people are paying peanuts and going all - inclusive - we were there in May and heard many times "we are all-inc so dont need to go out for drinks or meals".
Sad to say but true....

I totally agree, AI is killing the trade everywhere, especially where families are concerned, they pay their 'peanuts' and if the kids want, they get, knowing that its all paid for. Such a shame for the hardworking businesses. I, for one, will never book AI, as i want to experience the whole place, not just be couped up and at the mercy of one place. After all, you could be anywhere in the world - i appreciate, each to their own..... just my opinion.

Its not just all inclusives,I flew out from Manchester last month and there was lots of empty seats both ways

According the one of the paers in Scotland one of the reasons may be that the Scots have fallen in love with Spain again and bookings to Spain are well up on last year. I certainly expected Turkey to busier this year with less people going to Tunisa and Egypt, due to the troubles there. We were there late May early June and our apartment owner told us that he was very quiet until July. Only around 6 of the 22 apartments were taken. many restaurants were very quiet.

We seem to blame AI for some of this but is there a lot of AI in Icmeler. I can think of l'Etolie and some of the Marti and Aqua, but there are many more hotels and apartments that are not AI

Stewart

Peanuts? How much is peanuts? Me and my wife and our 18 year old son are travelling to Icmeler tomorrow night (29th) We are staying all inclusive at the L`etoile and its costing me approximately three grand. People get different things from their holidays, I do not enjoy wandering around each night looking for somewhere to eat but I know that many people do enjoy that aspect of the holiday. I will however, enjoy visiting as many bars as I can in 14 days/nights! Last year we went to Hisaronu self catering and although when eating out I did not experience a bad meal,I can honestly say that I didn`t eat an outstanding one either. I usually find that the cost element of all inclusive plus some local spending is roughly the same as self catering and eating and drinking in the local restaurants and bars. 24 hours to go, bring it on, cheers!

pedro your right all inclusive over 2 weeks self catering works out same you cant blame all inclusives there to many bars restuarants in a small town im sure august september will be make or break for some places

Just got back today after 2 weeks staying in the Bonjour. It was very quiet, last time we went to Turkey was last week of May 1st week of June (4 years ago) and it was banging. I'm sorry to say the recession is biting, having spoken to the locals it's not just brits but all nationalities. It's a shame but we went peak season and it was quiet quiet quiet, we still had a great time though

We were there in the middle of June too, and found most of the places very quiet, quieter than usual for that time of year.

As for All Inclusive, I personally wouldn't go there, as I like to go out and about, and there is only myself and my Husband, but if I had Children, then I would definitely use All Inclusive, as the price of soft drinks in most places are ridiculously priced. Just my opinion.

And another reason people are choosing all-inclusive is budget. At £50 per night for a meal and drinks the costs quickly adds up over 14 days. Add on to that the cost of breakfast, lunch, a few beers by the pool etc and the it's not hard to end up with £700+ just for food and drink.

We're going all-inclusive this year but we will still be eating out fairly often, that's half the fun of Icmeler after all. But at least we have breakfast and perhaps lunch plus all the drinks by the pool covered and paid for.

We really struggled to afford a holiday this year. In fact, until a few days ago we had decided we weren't having one. We didn't set out to choose an all-inclusive but within our budget it offered the best value and means can relax a bit without having to worry that we have enough cash to cover food and drink for two weeks as well.

icmeler is not busy
all the restaurants and bars are struggling a bit this year as everyone seems to be going all inclusive
xxxx

Thanks for all the infor on is Icmeler busy ,we have been for the last six years and its has always been busy in September ,so we will have to wait and see .It stills seems good value for money and the Turkish lira is at an all time high ,or for as long a i can rember We always go SC we like to barter between ourselves to find good places to eat with awards for the person with the best results ie quality of food ,service, how long we have to wait .This all adds up to a bit of fun when we are on holiday.HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL

Maybe its not the fault of All Inclusives, or the fault or there being too many restaurants, or the courts fault for taking the canal stalls away, or The Venice's fault for having different shows this year.... Get my point here

Maybe....just MAYBE brits have decided to go to other resorts in the world. I went to Icmeler in May, spent 3 weeks there, with, spends, cattery fees, insurance, fights, accomodation, transfers, etc etc it cost me almost 2 grand

When I weighed it up I could of gone on a cruise for less or to the Carribean etc etc etc

Maybe people are spending there "peanuts" elsewhere.

I hear All Inclusive in Benidorm is very popular this year.

ok the bars/restraunts are empty blame this on ai but the truth lies in how busy the shops/wed market are our first visit many years ago on wensday market day it used to take forever to walk the length of the market realy crowded over time noticed not as busy very sad occasion