Asena Beach - Oludeniz

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We travelled to Turkey with Airtours fully expecting long delays but we
were
on time on the way there and even got back early than scheduled - well done
Airtours. We booked 6 weeks in advance via teletext (Ł296.00 each) and got
a
whopping Ł150 off the brochure price each. If you can book late or last
minute I would thoroghly recommend using the teletext agencies.

Oludeniz is a lovely small resort in a bay enclosed between mountains. It
is
not as busy as Hisaronu (a place I wouldn't recommend unless you like tacky
gift shops and knaff restaurants) and has a lovely feel about the place.
All
the locals we met were friendly and polite - not at all pushy.

We arrived at the Asena Beach at midnight and all the ladies were presented
with a red rose (nice touch). There was an enthusiatic porter to carry our
luggage which was much appreciated. The room itself was a good size, nice
and
clean with a double bed, tv, fridge, bedside table, chair, wardrobe, safety
deposit box (small fee payable) and balcony. Our only gripe was that the
shower curtain was too short and we ended up with water on the floor after
every shower. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful - lots of plants and
flowers with a central fountain near the breakfast restaurant. There are
two
restaurants - one buffet style and a fish restaurant. We were on a B&B
basis
and did not eat in the buffet restaurant but did eat in the fish restaurant
twice which was excellent - recommend the baby tuna. Don't order too much
though as the helpings are generous. Not the cheapest place to eat we
found
but worth the extra. Breakfast in the hotel was excellent, scrambled eggs,
saute potatoes, boiled eggs, beans, tomatoes, toast, fresh fruit, dried
fruit,
yogurts, cereals, good selection of different breads, jam/butter, juices,
tea/coffee. Every other day they cooked fresh omlettes to order. You are
given a smart card to pay for everything within the hotel complex which you
can settle up as you go along or at the end of your stay.

All in all I would thoroughly recommend the Asena Beach but would say that
if
your room is in a block near the main bar area it could be a bit noisy.
Our
block was set back so this was not a problem. I did e-mail the hotel
direct
asking for a quiet room so this might be worth thinking about.

Don't book any trips through your rep. You will end up paying twice the
price
for the same deal that you can pick up on the main street which is full of
locals selling boat trips, paragliding (great fun), horse-riding, jeep
safaris, trips to local places of interest, diving etc.. We booked all our
trips through Joseph at Eurogliding (very laid back Turkish Dude with
American
accent) and saved a packet. We booked 2 boat trips (around Ł5 per person
for
the day including lunch), a jeep safari (Ł23 each for a full day), tandem
paragliding off the top of the local mountain (5,000 feet) onto the main
beach
(Ł50 for about 40 mins in the air - do it) and horse-riding in the pine
forest
(Ł5 each). There are plenty of things to do and see and you could easily
book
something for everyday.

There are numerous good quality restaurants on the main beachfront and the
main road. Prices vary greatly so check out the menus displayed outside
each
one. The best value and nicest restaurant we found was a restaurant right
at
the end of the beach front (opposite end to the Dolmus park) called Kumtar
(not sure about spelling). You go up a wooden staircase to the restaurant
which has a roof of wooden rafters covered in various plants. The staff
were
delightful and everything is cooked fresh. There is a bar area downstairs
where you can see the food being prepared and cooked in a big clay oven. A
3
course meal for 2 including a bottle and a half of Rose was around Ł8 -
unbelievable. Order the chocolate cake - it's to die for.

You can get transport to Hisaronu and Fethiye at the Dolmus (12 seater bus)
station at the end of the beach near the police station. Prices are cheap
(about Ł1 to Fethiye - about 30 mins) and they run regularly. Would
recommend
going to Fethiye market (held once a week) but don't pay the asking price.
I
bought some lovely 'Gucci' leather handbags for about Ł5 each. The
starting
price was Ł35!!! Would also recommend going to Fethiye harbour. Some nice
restaurants around the harbour but not cheap(see Rough Guide to Turkey.
Fethiye harbour is where the majority of the boat trips set off from which
include snorkelling trips, island trips etc.

We loved Oludeniz and plan to go back for week this year.