Icmeler

Icmeler is situated on the south west coast of Turkey where the Aegean meets the Mediterranean. It is a very sheltered resort as it sits on a valley floor surrounded by tree covered hills and looks out onto a bay which is sheltered by an island.

Icmeler is very popular with families and couples due to its beautiful setting and relaxing atmosphere of this purpose built resort. The popularity of this resort is important to the local economy and to that end the local authority try to ensure that standards are maintained by keeping the place litter free with particular attention being paid to the shingle beach which is raked regularly.

Another reason which makes Icemeler so attractive to families is that there are hardly any nightclubs in this resort. The effect of this is that the younger “party animals” who want to party all night are somewhere else keeping people awake but not in Icmeler!

The beach at Icmeler is a shingle beach which slopes gently into the sea. The water is warm, clean and shallow which makes it excellent for children although the shingle doesn’t make good sandcastles! There is also an excellent promenade which runs along the length of the beach and on to Marmaris 8km away – if you fancy the exercise.

A lot of the entertainment is based around the beach, with pedalos, snorkelling, water skiing and swimming. However, if your family want to try something different then there are a few activities which we are sure they will enjoy.

Go on a jeep safari where you are taken along really bumpy roads and tracks which only a Jeep can travel on. This gives you incredible access to the beautiful countryside and at the end of the journey you can enjoy a swim at a local waterfall.

White water rafting down the Dalaman River is one not just for adrenalin junkies but also for the family. You’ll get to be fully acquainted with this river as at some point you’ll end up in it, but that just adds to the fun. The river passes through some glorious parts of the country which you would never get the chance to see if you just stayed on the beach.

If all that sounds a bit to exhausting then why not go on one of the many cruises of the surrounding coastline visiting various villages and islands. Just relax and enjoy the view!

Icmeler in shopping terms provides you with the basics - a shopping mall and some market stalls. On Wednesdays there is a market where you can hone your bargaining/pazarlik skills where you can buy locally made pine honey and spices and local arts and crafts and a variety of other things.

For more of a choice of shops and markets head over to Marmaris where you’ll find a great range of shops selling designer clothes, genuine and counterfeit. Here you can also try and haggle a good deal. The best tip we offer when haggling is not to start too low as this makes you look inexperienced, start around 50% of the asking price and do the deal around 75%. Walk away if you are not happy with the price and always remain cool.