Has anyone been to this resort this year? Hubby and I are going May next year and I'm wondering what it's really like?
Have been reading some reviews and although some date from 3+ years ago, I do some questions which I'm hoping some of you will be able to answer.
We're taking our twin girls with us who'll be 17.5 months when we go. I've read that we'll need to take as many nappies and wipes with us as possible due to the hotel shop being small and not stocking things. Taxi fare is E50 return and the road is very bad, some reviews have said the bus ride is like a rollercoaster. The road being full of potholes doesn't concern me as I was 8 the first time I went to the Algarve and the main road from the airport along the coast was quite bumpy. Also nappies and wipes are expensive in Turkey as well according to some reviews.
How bad are the mossies? We were near Loch Lomand back in August and despite putting insect repellent on as soon as we saw mossies, our girls (8.5 months at the time) still got bit, luckily they weren't bothered by them.
Some reports have said that the hotel doesn't cater very well for English people as the majority of people staying have been Austrian, German and Russian (2007 reports) and don't know how to queue. Also staff not talking to English people.
What is the food like? Is there anything other than chips and nuggets for young ones, someone at one of the things I'm going to has said that they were in Turkey last year, she can't remember the name of the hotel or the town but said that the food is rotten and she got ill. Her suggestion is not to give the girls any of the food apart from fruit and ice cream, I said that I'd like them to try the local food to which she said only give them tastes. My husband & I are doing the 'junk/fast' food in moderation, once/twice a week rule. I know we need to be careful not to give them too much spicy food. I really don't want them living off chips & nuggets and ice cream for 2 weeks or are we going to have to do that? Some reviews have said that the cleanliness in the restaurant has been a problem. Also is tap water safe to drink or will we need to buy bottled?
Last thing which is only minor is that one review (2005) has said that although the hotel has internet access, it's very administratively restricted and the person who wrote it said that they couldn't access their bank account. I have to confess that my first thought was that maybe there could have been some issues in the past between Turkey & USA which meant that US sites were blocked until I realised that the same review had said that the 2 internet points that were working had youngsters on chat sites (most of which are US based) so I'm now wondering if his bank wouldn't let him access his account due ot the network not being secure enough? If there is free internet access in the hotel, I'd find it useful to be able to check my bank balance while out there.
Does the hotel have ATM for getting money out to pay for trips? There's at least one I'd like to do during the 2 weeks.
Thanks to anyone who can answer any of my questions.
Source for my questions: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g298658-d296938-r24828644-Club_Magic_Life-Bodrum_Bodrum_Peninsula_Mugla_Province_Turkish_Aegean_Coast.html#REVIEWS
Scroll down to #15 for comments about the internet
Okay, I'll try and answer your queries in some kind of order and hope that it helps a little. My granddaughter has been going to Turkey since she was 10 weeks old so we do have some experience of having a little one with us. To be honest, with two little ones needing nappies, I would buy them over there. Okay, it may cost you a little to get into town but you would only need to do it once - nappies and wipes are readily available in the supermarkets. There is a Migros in Turgetreis - and a new one opening in Akyarlar - where you can get supplies. This will save on space in your luggage. Prima nappies in Turkey are the same as Pampers over here, and the Turkish ones are okay as well. In fact, I buy the Turkish wipes over there to take off my make up as well as I find them better than some I have taken over.
The road is a wee bit pot-holey but it's not that bad. There's a steep drop down to the hotel but nothing to worry about.
May isn't too bad for mozzies but they are still around. Use an insect repellent and a plug in in the room - also we always spray our rooms with fly spray before we go out in the evening so that the mozzies have gone when we get back. Mind you, they're nothing like the midges at Loch Lomond (they wear tackety boots and carry spears!!).
You should buy and drink bottled water over there - even the Turkish people do and although they have recently laid pipes to take drinkable water to the peninsula, people say they will still use the bottled water. It's dirt cheap anyway. The problem with the water in Turkey is that it's full of minerals - you should see what it does to kettles and irons and washing machines!!
As for the food in Turkey - we've never had a problem with Chloe (now aged 2) eating anything over there. I think that the problem with all inclusive is that it can get boring and it does tend to stand around a bit. We've eaten everything over in Turkey and have never been ill with it. In Turkey, the vegetables and fruit are absolutely delicious - and so fresh that they taste so much better than over here.
Sorry I can't help much with the hotel as we have a house on the peninsula and live there for six months of the year so don't need to use hotels but if I can help any more, just give us a shout. May is a great time to visit Turkey - lovely and warm but not too hot that you're looking for shade all the time.
Jak xx
The road is a wee bit pot-holey but it's not that bad. There's a steep drop down to the hotel but nothing to worry about.
May isn't too bad for mozzies but they are still around. Use an insect repellent and a plug in in the room - also we always spray our rooms with fly spray before we go out in the evening so that the mozzies have gone when we get back. Mind you, they're nothing like the midges at Loch Lomond (they wear tackety boots and carry spears!!).
You should buy and drink bottled water over there - even the Turkish people do and although they have recently laid pipes to take drinkable water to the peninsula, people say they will still use the bottled water. It's dirt cheap anyway. The problem with the water in Turkey is that it's full of minerals - you should see what it does to kettles and irons and washing machines!!
As for the food in Turkey - we've never had a problem with Chloe (now aged 2) eating anything over there. I think that the problem with all inclusive is that it can get boring and it does tend to stand around a bit. We've eaten everything over in Turkey and have never been ill with it. In Turkey, the vegetables and fruit are absolutely delicious - and so fresh that they taste so much better than over here.
Sorry I can't help much with the hotel as we have a house on the peninsula and live there for six months of the year so don't need to use hotels but if I can help any more, just give us a shout. May is a great time to visit Turkey - lovely and warm but not too hot that you're looking for shade all the time.
Jak xx
Thanks for that, will take enough nappies and wipes to last until we can get to the shop. flight from gatwick is at 7am so I don't think we'll be wanting to go shopping until the day after we arrive. Comment about Turkish wipes has been noted, will probably use Prima nappies rather than risk getting ones that leak.
Pot holey road isn't a problem nor is the steep drop to the hotel.
Will get a plug in insect repellent for our room before we go. The midges at Loch Lomand are evil, worse than the ones in the Lake District with the exception of one section of path which those of us who walked it on D of E nicknamed midge alley.
We're going all inclusive and room will have a mini fridge with soft drinks in it so am hoping that'll include water or water will be in the room. Good to know that food is ok, the girl who told me not to give the girls the hotel food did say to give them fresh fruit.
I've asked the same questions on a couple of other travel websites I go on, someone on one of them suggested I ask on the other.
Pot holey road isn't a problem nor is the steep drop to the hotel.
Will get a plug in insect repellent for our room before we go. The midges at Loch Lomand are evil, worse than the ones in the Lake District with the exception of one section of path which those of us who walked it on D of E nicknamed midge alley.
We're going all inclusive and room will have a mini fridge with soft drinks in it so am hoping that'll include water or water will be in the room. Good to know that food is ok, the girl who told me not to give the girls the hotel food did say to give them fresh fruit.
I've asked the same questions on a couple of other travel websites I go on, someone on one of them suggested I ask on the other.
I agree with Jakki, don't take too many nappies with you and buy them there. Prima are a bit more expensive, other good makes are Molfix, Can Baby or Evy Baby, they are all decent and don't leak. I used to buy them for my baby when I lived out there and they are cheaper than Prima.
Thanks Kedi, will look out for the brands you've suggested. We've not had many nappies leak apart from Huggies once the girls outgrew the prem size (were 6lb 3.5oz & 6lb 1.5oz at birth), were only in them for 10/11 days. Am I right in thinking that Molfix are the non UK name for Huggies?
No, I think Molfix are different - like Kedi, we always use Turkish nappies without any problem.
Jak xx
Jak xx
Molfix aren't Huggies, they are a Turkish brand. You can get Huggies in Turkey too but they are still called Huggies!
My youngest daughter was only 5lb 9oz at birth, those size 0 nappies are teeny tiny aren't they
My youngest daughter was only 5lb 9oz at birth, those size 0 nappies are teeny tiny aren't they
Just a thought about the internet access. I had problems logging into my bank account last year. I found out after trying unsuccessfully several times that the keyboard was different and that ( i ) was somewhere else. Once you have tried the wrong password a few times you get locked out.
Dadooronron wrote:Just a thought about the internet access. I had problems logging into my bank account last year. I found out after trying unsuccessfully several times that the keyboard was different and that ( i ) was somewhere else. Once you have tried the wrong password a few times you get locked out.
I used to type things wrong all the time when I first moved out to Turkey, it took me ages to get used to the keyboard layout! Then when I came home again I had got used to the Turkish one and got mixed up with the English one
Where is the i on a Turkish keyboard? That's useful information for me. My interpretation of the person who said they had problems was that his bank account was blocked due to restrictions which the hotel had on what websites can/not be accessed. I'm still thinking that it wasn't the hotel that blocked the bank website but the bank not allowing the man to access his bank account due him using a network that isn't fully secure.
I've had problems when I've tried to use Facebook in the library in town (internet at home was down) and also on the ferry from Belfast-Stranraer.
I've had problems when I've tried to use Facebook in the library in town (internet at home was down) and also on the ferry from Belfast-Stranraer.
cate_taylor wrote:his bank account was blocked due to restrictions which the hotel had on what websites can/not be accessed
It's more likely the banks security system not allowing access from a foreign IP address.
Darren
You could be right there Dazbo, trying to get on Facebook on the ferry from Stranraer to Belfast, Facebook said I was trying to access it from an IP they didn't recognise. The really annoying thing for me was that part of the security process involved pictures from friend's albums being shown and I had to say which friend it was. Problem for me is that I've over 200 friends on my friend's list, several of which I only know through facebook, they've either sent friends requests as a result of discussions on groups/pages or are friend's of friend's and seen comments I've made on now mutual friend's walls. Got too many wrong as I only look at albums uploaded by friends I know in real life. I later found out that the internet at sea used on the ferry is done by a company based in Norway. Managed to access Facebook in library in town when my internet at home was down for a couple of days, again Facebook asked me to go through a security process which I got through ok.
While in Turkey, I will want to check my emails. if the WIFI in the hotel is free, then my Blackberry should be able to receive them unless my ISP objects to me trying to access my emails from foreign IP address. Is there any way round this?
While in Turkey, I will want to check my emails. if the WIFI in the hotel is free, then my Blackberry should be able to receive them unless my ISP objects to me trying to access my emails from foreign IP address. Is there any way round this?
I use the internet all the time in Turkey - on my netbook, my iPad and my iPhone - and have never had a problem. I use free wifi in a bar where I go regularly. Never had a problem with this and have gone onto Facebook and my bank regularly.
Jak xx
Jak xx
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