etrusek
01.07.04, 15:29
Lykia World is split into two sections - Residence and Village. Most
brochures show the Residence rooms (ones with carpets & pink walls) and try
to
pass them off as "typical". Dont be fooled. The Village rooms are much
more
basic with no carpets, no bath, and set in blocks which can feel a bit like
Butlins meets Colditz, particularly those without a "view" (and be warned -
the description "superior" only means "slightly bigger", the rooms are
still
basic, and only have a view if you've paid a double supplement).
Although full board they have a feel of "self catering" about them and look
much older than they are (coming up for 11 years), so if you like a bit
more
comfort its definitely worth paying the extra to go into Residence, which
is
more of a hotel. Double Rooms comfortably sleep 3 without feeling cramped,
and
the entire feel is much more relaxing. Having said that, plenty of other
families were happy enough with Village, so just be clear on exactly what
you're after and book accordingly.
The next thing you need to know is that it operates on a "charge card"
system
- drinks at the bar etc are charged to your account, which you settle
before
leaving. They do take cash, but all prices are in Euro's!! We took
Turkish
Lira & had great fun converting from Euro's to Sterling to Lira - keeps
your
brain active if nothing else! Also be warned that everything on site is
about
1/3rd more than you pay in the "normal" shops and bars. As a guide, we
paid
Ł2.50 for a Magnum and a coke, and just over Ł7.50 for two cocktails.
On the plus side, its definitely one of the most picturesque places I've
seen.
Wherever you look the backdrop is magnificent and the whole place is
beautifully tended, from the gardens to the pools you'll find it spotless
and
running like clockwork. And for all that its huge, its also extremely
quiet
and relaxing.
In many ways it reminds me of the Oasis & Centreparks set-up, with lots of
add-on activities if you want them (although many at an extra cost), but
loads
of chances to relax too, if thats all you want. The (free) kids clubs are
excellent and are split into 7 different age-groups from 2 -18, with the
younger ones entertained from 9am - 10.30pm (less 1 hour for dinner!), and
the
over 13's from 11am - midnight!
Ours didnt want to join the club but still found plenty to do with the huge
choice of pools plus the private beach and other "stand alone" activities
such
as archery and judo lessons.
Food, as mentioned in other reviews, is fantastic, although the speciality
restaurants need booking in advance and some dont allow children.
The "normal"
restaurants are still fantastic, (as is the free wine & beer!), but stop
serving at 9.30pm - so watch out if you book an excursion. We did "Fethiye
by
Night" and found ourselves without food from lunchtime until beakfast the
next
day (more about excursions later).
Back to the negatives. The nearest commercialised area is Olu Deniz, and
the
only way to get there is by taxi (about Ł4 each way). Its worth the trip
to
stock up on cheaper goodies and to visit the Blue Lagoon, which truly is a
beautiful place - if you've got kids, take a snorkel & a fishing rod! The
nearest "big" town is Fethiye, and the taxi drivers will try and charge as
much as they can get away with! We got our driver down to 15m Lira (around
Ł7.50), but another family were charged 36 Euro's (around Ł25!). If you
cant
get a good price, take the Dolmus from Olu Deniz instead - takes about 35
minutes. On the way back you can get the Dolmus to drop you right at Lykia
World (although its not a "scheduled" stop), for which we paid Ł3.50 for
the
three of us!
Excursions: I can only speak for Airtours, but I wasnt
impressed. "Fethiye
by Night" takes you to a Turkish Delight "factory" (here's the mixture,
here's
it is setting, here it's being cut.. all without walking more than 6
paces!),
a jewellers, a leather shop, a carpet shop and a T-shirt shop. You get a
15
minute lecture in each followed by some serious selling tactics, leaving
you
less than 45 minutes "free" shopping time. As mentioned earlier, you also
miss your evening meal!
"Dalyan Transfer". Awful, but if you must go then you'll need to buy a
towel
first.(We didnt pack any as Lykia World provide free beach towels which you
can change daily while you're there). The trip includes ANOTHER carpet
factory & lecture, the Mud Baths (which are fun, but you dont get enough
time
to do it properly), a mediocre buffet - mainly cold , a trip to Turtle
Beach
(beautiful, but no turtles and again, you need a towel), and then on to a
"hotel" to freshen up and eat. We went to the Antik Hotel where you get
1/2
hour per couple to shower etc... it might not sound long, but believe me,
once
you see the rooms you'll want to be out in 10 minutes max. And having seen
the rooms you will NOT want to eat the food! The food is served from 7.30
to
9pm, and you stay until around 2 hours before take-off, so work out for
yourselves how long you'll be stuck there. My advice - dont do it!
Despite all the negatives, we still found it a great experience and would
recommend it to anyone. Most of the "down side" we felt was caused by the
tour operator giving us poor information ... hopefully we've addressed
these
here, so you future visitors can prepare yourselves accordingly - and look
forward to an unforgettable experience.
