Thanks to Sarah Sellar for sharing her experience in Turkey with us.
Tell us about yourself My name is Sarah Sellar, I am 38 years old and I own a website advertising holiday rentals in Turkey, it is called Turkey 5 Star Vacation. I am English, married with two children and now reside nr Munich in Germany. I have my own holiday apartment with stunning views in Gundogan on the Bodrum Peninsula, which I visit as often as I can.
What made you come to Turkey? We decided to buy a holiday apartment in Turkey for several reasons. Instead of owning an endowment that had done little for profits in the 12 years we had it, we decided to cash it in and invest in property in Turkey. This idea was to enjoy "free' holidays for us, family and friends as often as possible and hopefully make some money in the long term on the Turkish property market . We chose Turkey for this venture as we love the scenery, the glorious warm weather, the close proximity to Germany and England, the Turkish people's warm disposition and hospitality and the extraordinary historical wonders that Turkey as a country has to offer.
What do you do in your daily life? For my daily life I work as an "English sprechen assistant" in a German Montessori school, I am busy as a mother to two young children (girl 9, boy 7), I do private English lessons from my home and I own and run Turkey 5 Star Vacation website.
Family? I am married to my husband Nick - we are childhood sweethearts who met at 17 years old and are still very happy together, with two small children. To complete our family we have a pedigree Hungarian Viszla dog called Jersey (we went to Budapest to get her) and a tabby cat called Sammie who was saved from a cats home here in Munich.
Can you compare your first days here with today? Well I know the Bodrum area very well. The first time I visited Bodrum was approximately 20 years ago - and things have definitely changed dramatically since then! Gumbet was a small resort with hardly any buildings, hotels, restaurants etc and the roads leading to it and the surrounding ones were literally a dirt track! Now Gumbet is massive and exceeds Bodrum in the nightlife area! However Bodrum centre pretty much looks the same. We went to the Halikarnass disco (which is a bit bigger now) and did several boat trips etc.
Has living in Turkey influenced your approach to life? Yes, the people are very warm, generous, friendly and family orientated which I love. They also seem to adore children which always melts my heart! The pace of life is a lot slower and more relaxed than England and Germany.
Turkish language? Unfortunately I am still struggling with learning German, so I am a long way off learning Turkish, although Germany has a huge Turkish sector that live here. My daughters two best friends are Turkish origin.
Let's talk about the region you are living in? My apartment is in Gundogan which is an unspoilt region of the Bodrum peninsula.
Have you traveled in Turkey? Tell us your discoveries Well I know the Bodrum area very well. The first time I visited approximately 20 years ago - and things have definitely changed dramatically since then! Gumbet was a small resort with hardly any buildings, hotels, restaurants etc and the roads leading to it and the surround were literally a dirt track! I Have also visited and stayed around the Alanya area, which is very nice too.
What is your preferred characteristic trait of Turks? The honesty and friendliness of them, they will literally give you their coats off their backs! Last time I visited GundoganI did not have a change for some water to buy from a local shop and a complete stranger offered and gave me approx 20 euros (which is a lot of money to them) and said "pay me back the next time I see you!".
What was the annoying one? Nothing so far, although I do hear other holidaymakers say they get annoyed by the bargaining in the markets.
Turkish Cuisine? Wonderful, what can I say! I have listed details of their cuisine with foods and drinks to try whilst in Turkey on my website as well as recommending cafes, bars and restaurants to visit. For a real taste of Turkey, try some 'meze' dishes such as 'imam bayildi' - cold baked aubergine, onion and tomato, 'coban salatasi' - chopped cucumber, parsley, tomato, pepper and onion salad, and 'antep ezmesi' - hot chilli mash. Also the local fisherman sell their catch to the local sea front restaurants, so ask what is available. Simply delicious.
Any suggestion to new comers to Turkey? Plan your holiday in advance, as there is so much to see! It would be impossible to visit everything recommended as there is so much natural beauty and historical sites to see. My recommendation is to hire a car if possible (although the Dolmus service is excellent) and see as much as you can in the areas that you are staying in. Then places you have not managed to see can be planned for your next visit to Turkey!
Any suggestion to people planning to visit your region? Look at my website (www.turkey5starvacation.com) as I have listed all recommended places to stay, places to visit, places to eat, what to do etc. My website offers as much information as possible about Turkey so it is not necessary to search on the web for information as I have done all the research for you! In short though I would recommend the following as a must see/do to maximise your holiday experience.: 1. Explore Bodrum's 600 year old castle of St Peters. 2. Visit a local barbers for the closest shave of your life! 3. Visit the atmospheric local markets. 4. Dance the night away on the Catamaran party boat with the glass floor off the Bodrum Harbour. 5. Go on a boat trip - possibly to Kos or Rhodes, 6. See the awesome Pamukkale, 7. Visit the breathtaking historical Ancient City of Ephesus. 8. Visit the famous night club in Bodrum called the Halikarnas. 9. Experience a Turkish Hamman bath - memorable. 10. Have a go at belly dancing. 11. Try the local products - Turkish delight, Apple tea and local coffee. 12. Indulge yourself with a boat trip and visit all the little bays. 13. Indulge in the cheap gold and silver jewellery, 14. Visit Dalyan - for the mud baths and to see the tombs set into the mountains at Caunos and then sunbath on Turtle beach. 15. Visit the gorgeous Oludeniz. 16. Visit the under water archeological museum in Bodrum. 17. Go walking through the Saklikent Gorge. 18. AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON....
