NOT SPENDING MONEY IN APARTMENTS

[majie]

so you are agreeing that Icmeler is too cheap, and the minimum rent per night should be £50 and people should not drop room rates.

[ScouseFitz]

We stayed at Club Sun Village in July. Highly recommended. No hassle from anyone about eating out at night. Having said that, we spend most days around the pool spending on lunch, beers, soft drinks and an endless supply of ice creams plaus we always stay up for a couple of drinks when we get back, so no wonder we had no grief. I also didnt hear or witness anyone getting any from the staff while we were there. You can read more in my blog, but as I say, I'd highly recommend it. Hope you enjoy your hol, Paul.

[JT]

Peli

You could have got an apartment to sleep 4 people in May this year, cheaper per day than what you would have paid for one beer at that apartments bar as in £12 for the week for the apart and £5 lira per beer at the bar, work it out

What was mentioned to me the other night, actualluy has been mentioned a few times lately by different apartment owners and tourists at the apartments

A lot of the people who used to go to a certain place regular are now staying in the cheapest apartments they can find but then going to use the facilities of the nicer more expensive places, complaining to people around the pool and to the apartment owner there about lack of cleaners and towels and bed linens at their the cheap places

So having these places so cheap, the more expensive one loses his customers to the cheaper one but then gets them back by his pool drinking his beer, the paying guests of the more expensive one are a bit miffed that there are now lots of people at their pool.

The cheaper place has lost out firstly by going cheap then by losing the revenue at the bar which was the reason in the first place of the Turkish mentality, drop the prices they will all come and they do but spend nowt there

The more expensive one is then in the dilema of gaining more money behind his bar or maybe lose the good paying guests he has because of the overcrowding

Round and round it goes

[Harrishawk]

Hi all
We just got back on monday
We stayed at the melita we had breakfast or lunch there most mornings depending on what time we fancied eating we bought drinks around the pool and always had a couple of drinks on our way out at night if it wasnt too late we would have a couple more on our way back in but this still didnt satisfy the head barman we could return at 3 in the morning and he would walk backwards in front of us blocking our path wanting us to buy drink even though we had a 13 year old who wanted to go to sleep
No excuse was good enough until one night on our way back he tryed to man handle my son into a chair to try to make us sit at the bar
I understand they need to make money and i can take hassle and banter when its aimed at me but when sombody starts dragging my son around its a step too far i wont put on here what was said but lets just say it never happened again we go self catering to go out if i wanted to be tied to the hotel i would go all inclusive
Cheers

[jackonews]

I have got to agree that John Toohey has summed it up exactly has I see things have been developing in the last couple of years.
People say they " could not get in to this apartment" yet this July where we stayed it was 50% empty for about 6 days and I must say we did not have problem with beds we would have done later in the day.
This problem of where is the nicest pool? Or where an we go to a pool etc has been raised a few times on here ths year.This is how those with inferior accomodation make there way to those known prize pools

I believe those hotels /apartments should give priority to there residents because the following year they may well not return short term sin is long term loss

[JT]

Jacko how did you know which place I was talking about as in the more expensive one

Oh and by the way All of our rooms were full so it was thomson that elt the rooms go empty and I wish I had them

[MUSTAPHABUN]

I wasn't going to comment on this as i can see both points of view.What it all boils down to is how much you are prepared to pay for a holiday.Flight prices and supplements are killing the market. Baggage,transfers,sitting together on the plane, meals,under occupancy, credit card charges ,these are all hidden fees that hike up the price.While I have every sympathy with the hotelier who has to slash his prices to try and fill his hotel, a full hotel makes more money than an empty one.We will spend money at the bar and eat a few meals in the apartments as we always do but unless the cost of getting to Icmeler comes down we will still look for bargain accommodation. All our other spare cash will be spread round the resort as usual.My annual donation to the efes profits,and Turkish leather bag and purse industry.

[Sami]

I do agree that you get what you pay for. I once paid a very low price for an apartment, and I mean really low. I only did it because I was going alone and it saved me a lot of money. I also went lower on the transfer as well. Not only did the transfer driver not know where he was going but ended up dropping me at Ozzy's old restaurant (only because I said 'stop I'll walk from here!'.
Arrived at the apartments and got hassled from the moment I arrived. I did drink at the bar and I ate there because I felt I had to. But I did promptly tell the manager that the food was crap and I would not eat there again. I then started sneaking out all the time and used the bar at another apartment complex. I've never felt so uncomfortable before on my holidays in Icmeler and I will never stay at these particular apartments again.
I am lucky enough to be able to afford to stay at the place I want to, whenever I want to and yes, flights have gone up considerably but I would pay the price no matter what. I am forever hearing people talk about the apartments where I stayed before and they are constantly complaining, either that they have been put in an attic room or that they are being hassled etc.
But yet they are sitting at the bar in a more expensive apartment complex spending money behind that bar. I think that I would rather have all round satisfaction so I had no moans and groans to make.

[sunseeker2011]

Firstly I will apologise for raising up a a fairly old (ish) thread but would like to add this:

Two years ago my wife and I stayed in a hotel in Akyarlar called Hotel Bizimtepe (look up the reviews on TA).

We paid around £800 for both of us and that included flights, luggage, transfers and accommodation for 2 weeks B&B at the beginning of September.

The hotel was an absolute disgrace and very dangerous - plugs hanging out of walls with bare live wires, stains on bed sheets and bed, dirty smelly toilet and shower area, tiles around pool chipped and broken, glass around the pool area, mozzie nets on windows with holes in... you get the idea!

There was a group of regulars there while we were there and they just sat by the pool ALL day and ate and drank there 24/7 - The hotel owner loved them and he was all over them like flies. We, however, went out quite a bit and we obviously didn't 'fit in' with the chavy louts (sorry but they were) and shunned by them and the owners.

We vowed never, ever to 'go cheap' again, don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the holiday mainly for the sun and quite a few all-day excursions and lovely restaurants nearby or a small dolmus ride to Turgetreis.

Last year at the Grand Aquarium, we felt we had made the right choice, everything just perfect for us and my daughter. We ate in a few times but also went out quite a bit and never felt uncomfortable or shunned...

That's why we're going back this year

[Sami]

We have stayed at Rhodes apartments several times and have never been made to feel uncomfortable about going out elsewhere to eat and drink, in fact, Tango will always wish us a good evening. Mind you, the food there has been so good we have eaten there loads, especially during the day.

I stay at Rhodes nearly every year and Tolga never makes you feel uncomfortable about going elsewhere to eat or drink. I spend all day by the pool unless I am going on a trip so I spend my money at beer o'clock!

[geordiedave1964]

We are at avlu 1 in sept I hope thet are ok and dont shun you if you eat elsewhere

[kez&sue]

hi all having read all the posts on this subject i feel the old saying if something seems too good to be true it usually is seems most apt having styed at the miray hotel the last three years i read the reviews with interest and quiet often disbelief at the end of the day its a 3 star hotel and certain people go for a 3 star hotel and then complain that it doesnt have 5 star facilities for me if your hotel is clean and the staff are friendly that makes you want to at least have a few drinks in the hotel bar and maybe ameal or two and i for one will eat and drink where i want to and i certainly dont respond well to pressure and i think most turkish owners and staff realise this very quicly and just have a bit of banter and a laugh so be polite and respectful and you usually get treated the same way and if you want 5 star service pay for it or dont complain

[geordie1970]

hi all having read all the posts on this subject i feel the old saying if something seems too good to be true it usually is seems most apt having styed at the miray hotel the last three years i read the reviews with interest and quiet often disbelief at the end of the day its a 3 star hotel and certain people go for a 3 star hotel and then complain that it doesnt have 5 star facilities for me if your hotel is clean and the staff are friendly that makes you want to at least have a few drinks in the hotel bar and maybe ameal or two and i for one will eat and drink where i want to and i certainly dont respond well to pressure and i think most turkish owners and staff realise this very quicly and just have a bit of banter and a laugh so be polite and respectful and you usually get treated the same way and if you want 5 star service pay for it or dont complain

I agree, we never get hassled for not eating or drinking in our Hotel? ... It is YOUR choice where you want to go or do, but we do enjoy getting to know the staff where we stay etc and don't mind having a casual couple of drinks, snacks, the odd lunch etc ... but much prefer going away from the Hotel on an evening.

Roll on June the 28th!!!

[Caltonian]

First time we went in 2006, we never ate once in the hotel and couldn't wait to get away from it, day and night.

Last year was.....night and day compared, pardon the pun. We had more breakfasts, lunches and dinners in the hotel than we did elsewhere. Not because we felt pressured to do so, but just because we enjoyed the company in the hotel. Some of their meals were the best we had all holiday and I daresay we will spend as much time (and money) with them this year as we did last.

[daveywill]

My wife and I are staying at Blue Rainbow (AI) in June for 10 nights,but have no intention of eating or drinking there every day.We booked it purely because it was similarly priced to SC.

Having been to Icmeler numerous times,staying in different hotels/apartments we have never been shunned for not eating/drinking where we have stayed.The idea of a holiday to me is to get out and about and try different things and places.
PS...can't wait for the 4 or 5 boat trips we'll be going on too ....roll on 14th June