Here the old travelers to Turkey can give some advice to beginners. A lot of tourists go to this country every season. Some of them have their own houses or flats, some constantly rent an accommodation. Some have their favourite places in some towns. During ages of going to Turkey you must have a lot of knowledge which needs to be given to the next generation.
We also are ready to give you a little advice according to personal experience. So:
Advice ¹1: when to go. The season can be divided into 3 parts: beginning, high point and end. Each part has its own swings and roundabouts. The beginning of the season is the end of April, May. The vouchers are cheaper, the weather and the sea are cooler, there aren’t many people. There aren’t queues to the restaurants in the hotels; there are many free beach bed on the beaches and near the pool, the staff is smiling and friendly. You are welcomed in the bars, clubs and shops as if they’ve been waiting for you all the life. The high point of the season is the end of June and August. The weather is the hottest, the hotels and the vouchers are overfilled. You may not to get in the hotel you want. All the towns look like an anxious hive. Animators are working with all the power. The bars are overcrowded; the atmosphere is one of the eternal holidays. The young students rest to remember these holidays all the year. The end of the season is September and October. The sea is warm, the sun doesn’t burn and the suntan is as good as at summer. Sometimes it can rain. All the towns are tired. The barkers of the shops aren’t so active. The choice in the shops is small, but you can get a big discount. Many places are closed. In the bars also there is tiredness. In some of them the service becomes worse. At the end the staff begins to yawn from time to time and look at watch. They stop to give wink at the visitors. Also don’t forget the holly month Ramadan, which falls on this period.
Advice ¹2: a sore point – money. The national Turkish money is Turkish lira. The American dollars are welcomed with pleasure, and euro with bigger pleasure in all bars, street shops, cafes, restaurants and big marts. Don’t try to pay the foreign currency in grocery store such as Migros and etc. there only liras are taken. What money is better to pay in bars? We’ve decided it is better to pay in Turkish liras. It is more profitable cause the rate isn’t hung out, it can be different from that in the exchanges. Moreover, could you count rightly the change after well spent night?
Advice ¹3: not less a sore point – how to raise level of the service round yourself. Let’s begin with the hotels. Be lavish with the tips for maids. Even if the cleaning is on schedule, leave 1-1.5 dollars. For you it is trifle and the staff will feel pleasant and show their gratitude in original way. They will shape the towels like hearts and flowers, bring natural flowers and so on. Such a gratitude is very pleasant so you even forget it is all for your money. Now let’s speak about bars. In all the towns, especially in the big ones, there is a huge amount of bars. It is hard to give preference to the only one bar, it is possible to go from one to another one every night. But! In each bar and club the constant visitors are welcomed. You can get a discount and be given drinks you like.
Advice¹4: special one. Girls, do you like dancing on a bar? Wearing a short skirt or dress? Perfectly! Don’t forget to put on beautiful underwear cause there is a big opportunity to demonstrate it to all the visitors. Inventive barmen have air-pumps special for such cases. You don’t want to blush for your grandma’s knickers, do you?
Advice ¹5: transport. The buses in Turkey are called “dolmush”. When you arrive to your hotel ask the guide where the nearest station of dolmush that goes to the center is. Let he show you. If the hotel is situated within the city the trip will cost 1-1.25 liras. If your hotel is in the suburbs the good hotels have its own buses that drive you to the center in evening for free. Some even pick up back to the hotel. The last dolmush goes at 1 p.m. (unseason 11 p.m.) of local time. Later you have to go by a taxi. In a taxi there is a night prices at that time that is in 2 times more than at day time. Don’t forget a taxi driver takes money for the boarding too, so don’t be surprised if there aren’t zeros on the taximeter. The price of the trip can be fixed before, so you can pay that amount which you’ve agreed with and not that on the taximeter. Again, don’t forget about the tips. Don’t pay big notes the driver may not have a change or he may think it is generous tips.
