hi,a i think icmeler would be just about rite for you and your girlfriend, its a 4 hr flite from the u.k. and a 2 hr transfer if you go by coach, we always book private transfer, its about £70 return, but you dont have to wait for everyone else to be dropped off they take you direct to your accomodation and pick you back up when you go home, icmeler has all you mentioned, the beach is sand and shingle, clean and plenty of sun loungers, the sea is also clean and very warm, there is a big supermarket on the main road 100s of resturants, and bar,s we have been going there for 7 yrs, it caters for all your holiday needs, you can get some lovely meals at night, some do after dinner shows, [the bar men get you involved with the fun] , there are a cupple of night clubs, should you feel the need to roll about in the foam, all the loud music stops at 12 midnight . there is a weekly market, it is a 15 min bus ride in to marmaris also a water taxi takes about half hr, turunch is about 45 min away by bus, nerve racking, full of hair pin bends but the scenery is amazing, food and drink is really cheap, you can get 2 meals and drinks for less than £30. you can buy all your designer clothes, shoes and handbags all copies but you cannot tell the differance, gold and jewellery is also very good to buy, all in all i think you would really enjoy yourselves, icmeler is the only place ive ever visited that ive truely fell in love with and every yr it calls me back,,as for spending money, if you are going to do lots of trips, boat, jeep safari and re stock your wardrobe we go for 2 wks and usually take around £1500, [ but i do have a fetish for shoes and bags]

Either Bitez or Gumbet near Bodrum may be what you are looking for. They both have nice beaches, Gumbet is livlier than Bitez, with more bars and clubs (but a lot smaller than Marmaris) and Bitez is more relaxing with nice restaurants and a few bars all set along the beach.

Both resorts are very close together and you would also be near to Bodrum for shopping and sightseeing or for a night out, there are some lovely restaurants there you could take your girlfriend to.

There are lots of day trips; boat trips, jeep safaris, shopping trips, sightseeing etc. and you can also get a bus to all over the Bodrum peninsular very easily and cheaply, the buses are small minibuses and they run very frequently.

Food and drink is a lot cheaper than at home, a large beer is approx £2 and you can get a good meal with drinks from about £7 upwards depending where you eat.

I think most places are pretty similar in price although I found the resorts around Marmaris were abit more expensive than those around Bodrum.

I used to live near Bodrum so if you want any more advice about the area please let me know.

Kedi

I have to agree with Kedi although you could say I'm biased 'cos we've bought a house in Gumbet. The whole Bodrum peninsula is great and you can do a lot of exploring on your own. We love jumping on the dolmus to Bodrum and then getting on the first dolmus we see and getting off where we fancy. A lot of people say that Gumbet is noisy (although I would say more vibrant) and it can be but it can also be quiet - it depends what you want and where you go.

Hope you enjoy wherever you choose.

JAKKI

OP think about Olu Deniz

We are both 30 and find it just right , theres a couple of places to have a bit of a dance , a few bars , loads of restaruants
and the beach is chilled and you can gaze at the paragliders all day

Lovely place

Take a look at

http://www.oludenizmap.com/map.html

Dan

I would suggest Bitez as we found the beach to be far nicer than the one at Gumbet, however Gumbet is a very short dolmus ride away should you want a livelier day/night.

A boat trip and jeep safari are musts for trips

hmmm , i sense a gumbet and bitez bias here

I have a good excuse though - I used to live there

I would recommend Icmeler. Though it hasn't got a beach as such, I would also recommend Kalkan, from here you can travel by dolmus to Patara Beach which, in our opinion, is the most beautiful beach we've ever been to. In Kalkan, I recommend Hotel Nur to stay at, you can Book direct through their website or go through Thomson.

Les