turkey

[castlevar]

can any one help we are based in crete for this winter but would like to spend next year in turkey .
the summer is no problem as there are some charter flights from belfast but we would like to know if any one has wintered there and what flights are available during the winter. We usually return to the boat before christmas for a few weeks and again in febuary so we would like somewhere that we could get flights all year round perhaps from london.
we were considering marmaris but dont know if there is a convient airport hope someone can help.

 

[absit_omen]

No personal experience, however, well respected cruisers we know have wintered in Marmaris and rate it very highly. One couple have previously wintered where we are now (Lagos) and say that Marmaris is even better. We find this hard to believe!

Good luck.

 

[Freebee]

Airline flights to turkey are reduced in winter, no budget operators go there any way. As more people buy property the airlines are beginning to wake up to the possibility of year round flights and the turks are trying to entice more holiday makers by opening up ski slopes for winter use. Dalaman was supposed to have round the winter operations this year but the operators cried off at the last moment due to low booked volumes, Ithink only Thomas cook are keeping going but flights in frequent. Antalaya is definetly open as is Istanbul to international flights. Of course you can get anywhere by booking an international flight to Istanbul first then internal flight to Dalaman or Bodrum but this is time consuming and expensive. I am quite certain that this situation will improve over the next few years.

 

[Freebee]

sory in my ramble forgot to say Dalaman is closest to Marmaris. Going in the other direction Fethiye is also recommended there is a very nice Marina there.

 

[MedMan]

There are nine marinas on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey in which you might be interested. From west to east they are:

Marti Marina (36° 46'N 028°07'E) is in Keci Buku 10 miles SW of Marmaris. It is in a stunning location and the marina company runs a free mini-bus service to Marmaris but it is more expensive than many.

Marmaris Netsell Marina (36° 51'N 028°16 'E) is in the Old Port in the centre of Marmaris town.

Marmaris Yacht Marine is at Yalanci Bogaz, 3 miles SSE of Marmaris town on the southern side of Marmaris Limani. A Dolmus runs between the marina and Marmaris town every half hour in the season and every hour in the winter. There is also a free ferry run by the marina company that takes you into town before lunch and brings you back afterwards: plenty of time to visit the Mega Tansas Supermarket. When we did our sums last year, Marmaris Yacht Marine was the cheapest marina for our boat on this coast by quite a large margin.

Which of the two marinas in Marmaris would suit you best depends upon what you want from life in a marina. Netsell has limited room ashore and can be very noisy but has the best yachting facilities in the Eastern Med within walking distance. Marmaris Yacht Marine has a huge area of hard-standing and is in the country. There are live-aboard communities at both with a joint VHF Radio Help-Line.

There are three marinas in the Gulf of Fethiye which are all particularly convenient for Dalaman airport which is close by. However, be aware that Dalaman airport closes each year at the end of October. All three marinas are up-market and pricy. They are:

Gocek Club Marina (36° 43'N 028°52 'E) This is a very smart marina mainly populated by large motor yachts.

Port Gocek Marina (36° 44'N 028°56 'E) A modern marina protected by wave-break pontoons. It is run by Camper & Nicholson.

Ece Marina at Fethiye (36° 37'N 029°06 'E) Another modern marina protected by wave-break pontoons. There is no hard-standing whatsoever.

[Kas Marina (36° 11'N 029° 38'E) This ‘marina’ has been under construction for years and does not yet have any form of wave-break pontoons. However, keep an eye on it: it has the potential to be a useful addition to facilities on this coast.]

Finike Marina (36° 17'N 030° 09'E) A Setur marina in a small town. There is said to be a reasonable live-aboard community there but I have not personally visited it.

Park Kemer Marina (36° 36'N 030° 34'E) Under the leadership of Hasan Kacmaz, Park Kemer has held poll position for its live-aboard community for many years. It is a small marina with restaurants and discos all around it on the edge of a modern, soul-less tourist town. Still – many folk like it!

Antalya Marina (36° 50'N 030° 37'E) Another Setur marina situated in the corner of the commercial docks to the west of Antalya Town. Hasan was here before he moved to Park Kemer at which time it enjoyed poll position for live-aboards. I have been told that it has become very run down but it is very convenient for Antalya Airport which, unlike Dalaman, stays open throughout the year. Worth a look I would say.

It is my understanding that it is not possible to fly to Dalaman or Bodrum by any means during the winter - they close completely. If you want to be able to fly out during December and February you will have to fly to Antalya. The most convenient marinas will then be Finike, Kemer or Antalya though we kept our boat in Marmaris and travelled there from Antalya by one of the excellent very cheap coach services that cover the whole of Turkey.

 

[Blueboatman]

I am told that turkey at Christmas can be very pleasant.

 

[Gypsy]

Good summary Medman. We left our boat in the water at Marti Marina for the 02/03 winter but did not live aboard, however there were many liveaboards and they found it a beautiful place to stay and the daily minibus to Marmaris very convenient.

As an alternative to Dalaman airport we returned in April via Rhodos and took a ferry to Marmaris - Marti Marina arranged a minibus to pick us up at the ferry terminal. It needs a bit of research as ferries do not run every day in winter/spring but is better than flying to Istanbul and taking a bus/coach.
Ray

 

[davidbains]

Agree, great summary Medman.
Anybody care to comment on strict pollution fines in Turkey.
Is it necessary to direct grey water into a holding tank as well?
Might well be heading that way myself next year.

 

[chinita]

Our friends in Marmaris have just told us of an American heavily fined for discharging bubbly water. The evidence was from a helicopter.

Apparently the American had been tearing the arse out of it for some time.

IMHO any dodgy discharges should be done quietly and in the dark!

 

[castlevar]

Thank everyone for all your info on turkey look forward to meeting up with you all next year over a glass or two

 

[Sea Devil]

Just to add the big problem I had with flying in and out of Turkey to my boat was the transfers from the airports to the town/marina where the boat was...

There is no public transport that is practical from the airports - taxis at exorbitant rates - so it is very improtant that when you book your charter to Turkey you make sure the ticket inculdes transfer to the town where your boat is.

Ok this is at least 5 years old info but I suspect little has changed!

Michael

 

[Freebee]

There are buses of course that run and provide really cheap if slow transfer but of course nobody at the airports will tell you about this because they want to steer you towards taxi's.

You can also use a bit of lateral thinking to find a cheap transfer. Uk based turkish homeowners latch on to privately run transfer services, use an internet search to find an appropriate owners forum in your chosen area of Turkey or estate agents site who can often provide leads to cheap transfers for obvious reasons!

 

[MedMan]

The best solution is to get your marina to book a local (local to the marina, that is) taxi to meet you at the airport. This still won't be cheap, but it will be a known, fixed price and it will definitely be less than you will pay hailing a taxi at the airport.

 

[Sea Devil]

the problem I had was I was flying really cheap charters - arrival around 01.00 or later when the local buses had long ceased. However all these cheap charters have coaches going to the resorts.... But unless you book the transfer at the time of the air ticket they will not let you on the coach - cos the taxi drivers get cross!!

 

[MedMan]

If you know how to contact the local office of one of the groups using the charter plane you can often book youself onto their transfer coach. We have done that with Sunsail. We contacted their Marmaris office via email and booked ourselves on to their transfer - £10 each cash in hand. So long as you are on the list on the Rep's clipboard that is all that matters!