Icmeler Online Holiday Forum & Reviews - Turkey

Hello,
I am writing this to ask if other people are finding Icmeler very expensive. Eg.The apartments we are staying in have just put there beer up from 5.75 lira to 6.25 lira. I know that taxes have gone up this past week here in Turkey but im afraid these price rises will put people off coming here, making the resort A L. which will see loads of businesses close down. Everywhere we go apart from a few places have increased there prices, i love this place but wont return if they start to rip off. Bars seem to be closing, loads of apartments are being sold and i know of at least 2 other bars that wont be here next year.
What are other peoples views.
Thanks.

Bars are paying over 3 lira for a beer, taxes are then paid on this, electricity, water and gas, then add staffs wages and also their insurance monies that are paid for their health services.

Rents have to be paid to land owners and after all this the bar owners have to make a profit otherwise why would they be in business, they are not here just to provide a service to the influx of visitors to the resorts, they are there to make a living and there will be quite a few this year who wont be there next

3 lira is at the moment £1.03p and 6.25 lira equates to £2.15 so before ALL of the above is taken out before profit they have made £1.12p on each bottle

Turkey is not a cheap country to live in, taxes are high, this is not a 3rd world country with very cheap prices

Petrol £8 per gallon, electricity going up all the time, red meat very very expensive hence all places advertising cheap chicken meals to entice people in.

Now I am not knocking people if they cannot afford to eat out all the time on holiday but I do know of a few people who because it is cheap they spend their time moving between harry rams as it has a 15 lira /£5.17p fish and chips offer to other places that do the 15 lira chicken offer, I even saw today in a bar near me, 12 lira/£4.13p meatballs chips rice meal.

Some people just go on holiday to drink and don't care what they eat or even if they bother changing out of the swimming shorts they have been in all week to go out in the evenings.

Everyone is different and all looking for something else from their break in the sun and it all makes for people watching day and night and there are lots to watch.

I have just had a few days in Rhodes, cheapest beers worth drinking are 3.50 euro a bottle and meals generally 15 euro each but you can do the same there as Icmeler and have a 2.50 euro gyro.kebab and a few cheaper beers.

All down to what you want to spend.

I haven't been to the UK for a while but I am sure that a pint of lager is now more than £2.15p so why do people actually think that it should be cheaper in a country where other stuff is more expensive than the UK.

Kalkan and Kas are resorts along the coast and a beer will cost you minimum 8 lira before the price rise but the place is packed with people.

This post is not aimed at you hackwood but so many people mention this in the resorts and on forums so I thought I would add a first hand view on it all

Great post JT
And TBH, like a lot of othe folk, I'd much rather spend my hard earned dosh in Icmeler than any European resort, even if it was cheaper there!
Must say I really do feel for folk who live in Turkey as far as cost of living goes!!!

I really dont think off it as a rip off...... more like a sorry we cant afford to do it at those prices anymore, for me it will just mean one less drink and a few more cheaper places to eat

JT u can start flogging holidays here Tailikstan 29 pence a pint Panama 31pence a pint Bhuten 36 pence a pint Burundi 37 pence a pint North Korea 38 pence a pint not sure if u can get a cheap flight
JT i spotted a pint for £1.80 in a rough looking boozer in Glasgow city centre, its £2.20 in Wetherspoons

Greenland its £7.25 a pint

Also lets not forget that in reality businesses here run for 150 days of the year but they need to be making enough money to get them through the winter and then they need to have enough money to get ready for the next season coming up. Under these circumstances, it is impossible to do both even at a price of 7 Lira for a beer and/or at 20 Lira for a meal.

We all know how to do the math but obviously the govt in power dont have a clue.

Here are some of the fixed costs of running a restaurant in Turkey

Wages : minimum of 1000 lira per person on the floor
Minimum of 3000 Lira for the cooks.
Minimum of 2000 Lira for barmen
National Insurance: minimum 400 Lira per person
Electricty: Minimum of 3000 lira per month
Water: minimum of 1000 lira per month
Rent: minimum of 40,000 lira for the year but its actually 150 days as mentioned above
Council Charges: Starts from 3000 Lira per year
Accountant: 4000 Lira per year
Gas: variable but about 1000 lira per month
There is clothing, wear and tear, decoration costs, internet, telephone, marketing/advertising and most importantly the long hours put in to make it happen which in my opinion is worth the most.

And then we have the cost of goods, normally and that should be 1/3 of the sales price however based on JT's math, it does not work that way for the most consumed products does it?

After all lets not forget that each establishment has to show a profit of some sort at the end of the year because other wise they will get black listed and soon enough they will go under assessment. So at least another 10,000 Lira for taxes on profits (not) made paid to revenue TR

I am probably forgetting many items here but I think the figures above are well enough to do the math.

There you go feefee

Panama City Dos Mares hotel on a B+B basis £116 per person

Glasgow Euro hostel room only £93

Based on 7 nights 2 people sharing from 29th September 2012

I would go for the Glasgow option to keep costs down as there is no flight involved

I believe a lot of this is down to perception. years ago Turkey was a very cheap place to go on holiday, drink and food were very lowed priced. people still believe that Turkey is a cheap place to eat and drink however in reality food and drink prices have been heavily taxed and this has increased prices.
Turkey is the 2nd most xpensive place in the planet for example for fuel, so cost regrettably will go up.

In Glasgow it is typically £3.20 for a pint in Icmeler just over £2. A set chicken meal in Icmeler when i was there in May was typically 20 Lira around £6.50. So jujst looking at these 2 items I would say that is great value for money. To be honest i dont think prices have increased greatly in the past 2 years which i found very surprising. the exchange rate is also very good at the moment so all things considered Icmeler is still excellent value.

Only expensive thing i am finding is the flights, which is what i think will puit people off from going to Turkey. As a result less toursits, which will have an effect on the bars and restaurants

we were in gumbet in may and the cheapest effes was 6lira cant speak for set meals as allicl .dolmus prices are dearer than icmeler. will be there on monday we are alincl again but looking forward to seeing old friends and having a drink in some of the bars will make a effort to se tommy up in old village as well as others

Have you guys tried eating and drinking in the UK??? I have just got back from a fantastic holiday in icmeler. Went for two weeks ate out every lunchtime and evening, we were eating in the better quality, more expensive restaurants ie Champagne, Majastic, Waterfall, Ida, Bonjour, Natalie (marmaris), Tiffanys (marmaris). Drank my body weight in vodka, wenting to turunc, bar street, ambience, eastenders. Brought Uggs and was buying ciggys everyday and paying for sunbeds. I only spent £700! Bargain. You could triple that in Greece or Spain! Icmeler is still really good value for money! Come on guys we are in 2012, these people have to made ends meet, just like we do

we do worry about our beer prices,do,nt we,that price increase would typically mean to me about a pound per day extra.we were in ovacik this june and paying 6 tl,yet going out for the two weeks we were there,and having various meals with drinks at different restaurants,and yet i do,nt recall it costing any more than £20,thats for two people.and do,nt forget the turkish cooking is so nice,who would want to go to turkey AI,not me.then add the difference in culture,the charming people,relaxed atmosphere,the weather,the clean sea,the countryside,the markets,and this year we,ve had the good exchange rate,i do,nt think we can complain too much,do you?if the rising costs in this country do,nt beat me,we for sure will be back to lovely turkey next year.

Don't think that we can complain about the prices as there is such a variety of prices and it is up to you whether you have a cheaper or a more expensive holiday. The problem will arise when the exchange rate goes back down especially if it hits 1.9 as it did in 2008.If this happens it will affect many of the bars and restaurants and even the most popular ones will probably have to increase their prices or cut corners to survive. It has already begun this year with the decreasing number of restaurants providing complementary lavaş. As more and more people are tightening their belts even the people who can still afford to go on holiday are more careful about how they spend their money. The cost of everything seems to be on the increase in all countries.

Quite a few people seem to think Icmeler is more expensive this year- we were there for 2weeks in july,
didnt really notice much change in prices and we were self catering.
If you think it is more expensive you want to try Istanbul went on cruise end of august which included 24hours in Istanbul, went into a bar didnt think to ask prices we were charged 24Lira for 2 pints of draught effes,asked
barman if they had one price for locals and another for tourists we are still waiting for an answer- needless to say we finished every last drop and left.
All i would say is find out price before you drink

I really don't think it is at all. You only have to look at the change office boards in Marmaris to see straight away that you get more for your money in Icmeler. A couple of weeks ago it was 2.80 in Marmaris when we were getting over 2.90 in Icmeler, and that's before you start looking at the price differences with just about everything. We were chatting at Dalaman in early June to a couple who were delighted at the great value breakfasts they got in Ovacik - 10tl - the same in Icmeler for 6tl tops. In comparison to other resorts, I do think Icmeler is incredibly competitive indeed.

As to whether it's cheaper than elsewhere - we've spent 40 days with 2 of us this year, another 15 days just my OH. Our average spend per day over that period (with 2 of us) £62.50. We don't hold back, we have what we want, go on trips, drink what we want. Earlier in the year we had a day and a half in Barcelona and spent almost £500. I know where I'm spending my money next year!

There is no doubt that the prices are increasing. A few years ago you'd pay 3 lira for a bottle of efes and 20 lira for a steak, now it's 5 or 6 for the efes and 28-30 for the steak. Whilst this doesn't sound like very much, just for your evening meal with one drink it's an increase of approximately 330 lira during a two week holiday for a couple. (A few years ago you could get a flight for that amount). When you're self catering the increase is a lot more. This year it's been fine because of the excellent exchange rate but this could change at any time. Even though the prices are increasing I still don't think that you can consider it expensive especially when you compare it with a lot of other countries.

are you paying the same in the uk as you were 'a few years ago'... why do you think prices should not increase in turkey. having travelled all over turkey, icmeler is a cheap resort. i stay in dalyan these past few years but had a trip for a few days to icmeler last year, everything is cheaper, boat trips etc etc. why do people always want something for nothing. read the entry re overheads, says it all.

Yes, the prices in Icmeler have gone up, like everywhere else, but it's still one of the cheapest places in Turkey. We've been to most of the the resorts, Istanbul and Cappadocia, and we definitely get more for our money in Icmeler. Meals, drinks etc are slightly cheaper in Marmaris, always have been, but we wouldn't want to stay in Marmaris these days. It's a fact of life that the cost of living, and holidays, goes up year after year, but when you compare the cost of a good meal and a few drinks to what you'd pay at home, it's still a bargain.

I went to Dublin for 5 days last year, just days after returning from Icmeler, and I could have had 2 weeks in Icmeler for what it cost me for the 5 days! Main evening meals in an average type of restaurant started at 20 euros, breakfast in a small cafe was 8 euros, (in the hotel it was 13 euros) and beer was about 5 - 6 euros a pint. I won't be going back there anytime soon.

To be honest, when we were in Icmeler in August, I could honestly say I didn't really 'notice' the price increases - because I am lucky to be able to get away for 2 weeks in the year and I am really not that concerned about paying a bit extra.

My personal opinion is that I have worked hard all year to have a worry free fortnight!

How can the bars be ripping you off if taxes have gone up? You cannot expect prices to stay the same year after year and look how much prices go up with every budget here in the UK? I don't mind paying a bit extra, alcohol is not essential like food, I would rather sacrifice for months to save more or drink less on holiday than not go to my beloved Icmeler. I also feel sorry for the bars and restaurants trying to keep their businesses going so I dont mind paying more at all- better that than have an all inclusive ghost town.

Agree mostly with what others have said, and don't think we can honestly say we've ever felt we've been "ripped off" - some places have "chanced" it over the years - weak drinks, exchange office etc, but that's not hard to deal with or very common. Simple - we vote with our feet and don't frequent that particular place again.

We've also noticed food portions getting smaller, but that's no prob cos they used to serve wayyyy too much to the extent that we left quite a bit of it - felt soo wasteful (think that's just cos of the way I was brought up haha). It's nice to be able to clear my plate now

Fully accept that prices everywhere go up, but the good exchange rate's gone a long way to offset that.

Our biggest bain though is the price of soft drinks - can't see any justification or sense in that at all!! And to make that worse, some places put them in thin, tall glasses with LOTS of ice!! Definitely less for more

We're also going through hard times, so we watch our pennies more than we used to - even on hol, so while I feel for the folk in Turkey, I hope they understand that we've not got endless pockets or they could end up losing out to the pide/kebab shops

Fanny we still think the portions are too big.
Every meal comes with chips, which isn't needed.
We asked last year why they put chips with everything. The reply..."because its what the British want"!
Now us personally, we go to turkey to eat there cuisine, so chips are the last thing we want.
I know potatoes might not be expensive, but they could save and make money at the same time.
Don't put chips with every meal, but offer a small portion at a low price if that's what people want!
In the end this year we were asking for no chips, as we didn't need them.
As for soft drinks, well we just asked for no ice, got a full glass of coke, then after a few sips asked for a couple of lumps!
Chris & Anita