オルデニズから海賊ボートの旅

The landscapes, the coves, and the sea around Ölüdeniz are absolutely magnificent. The main meal was also good. Unfortunately, the credit for this goes essentially to the exceptional setting and certainly not to the human organization of this excursion. We had booked and paid for this boat trip in advance, for more than 100 € for two people. The activity was notably presented as family-friendly and festive, with music, entertainment, and a foam cannon. Upon our arrival, a first surprise: we were immediately asked if we drink alcohol. We answered no. We were then told that the upper deck, the one with the best view and the atmosphere for which we had specifically booked, is intended for people who consume alcohol, and they tried to seat us downstairs. We refused. We were then offered a bench literally under a staircase, with the structure a few centimeters from our heads and practically no view. We refused again and ended up finding a spot near the bar with a young Dutch couple of Turkish origin. And there began what would ruin a large part of the day: incessant pressure to consume alcohol. Every 15/20 minutes, someone would come back to offer drinks. Saying no once, twice, or ten times was clearly not enough. Our refusals provoked remarks in Turkish and a frankly unpleasant attitude. Bad calculation: my husband speaks Turkish, just like the couple seated with us. And a large portion of the passengers were themselves Turkish and understood the comments perfectly. We notably saw a server bring a shot to the young man sitting with us even though he had explicitly refused several times, for several minutes... the server ended up filling the glass and then announcing to him that since the glass was now served, he had to pay for it. When he refused, the server ridiculed him in front of the other passengers, explaining in essence that he was a lowly server while his customer was a European tourist who had the means to go on vacation... Extremely embarrassing. This young couple was just as outraged as we were by this behavior and explained to us that they would have gladly left the boat during the day if it had been possible. Several staff members also seemed to us to be in a particularly concerning state during the day. One of the servers was extremely agitated (the one who insisted heavily on the shot mentioned above), was sniffing continuously, had very red and bulging eyes, and exhibited such unusual behavior that several passengers wondered about his state. He was not the only one in this state, but for him it was really exaggerated; you would have thought he was at a rave party... I obviously do not claim to know what he had or had not consumed. I am only describing what we saw. And for an excursion sold as family-friendly, some "entertainment" was appalling. We notably saw Asian tourists, who did not understand Turkish, have Hitler-style mustaches drawn on them with a marker, then be brought in front of the passengers on the dance floor with gestures and words referencing Hitler. Other passengers were subjected to drawings and jokes about their physical appearance: baldness, weight, fake abs drawn on their stomachs, remarks toward Asian women deemed too thin, etc. On the microphone in Turkish... appalling. That is not our definition of humor. A young Asian tourist who was particularly smiling had nevertheless participated in the entertainment with enthusiasm, danced, and kept the energy up all day. He simply wanted to take a photo with the entertainer. He was made to understand that if he wanted a photo, he had to pay. No money, no photo. He left visibly disconcerted. Then comes mealtime. The main meal was included in the excursion and, let's be fair, it was good. On the boat since 9:30 in the morning under crushing heat, it was brought to us around 2:00 PM. But before serving it, while the passengers were hungry, the staff started quickly placing small plates of fries on the tables. We naturally thought that they were part of the included meal: we had never ordered them and no one had clearly asked us if we wished to buy them. At the end of the day, a surprise on the bill: about 500 TL extra for two small plates of fries, which is almost €5 per plate. Cold, undercooked fries that we did not eat. I refused to pay for them. At that moment, while my husband had gone down to swim during the last stop, I found myself with three staff members around me, speaking loudly in Turkish and insisting that I pay. The situation was becoming frankly oppressive. I finally asked them to stop arguing with me and announced that I was going to have my husband, who is Turkish, come up so they could explain themselves directly to him. Strangely, when he arrived, the tone changed immediately: suddenly they no longer understood why I had gotten upset and, in the end, the two plates of fries could be "on the house" for us. The young Dutch woman sitting with us also intervened in Turkish to explain to them that their way of doing things was unacceptable: bringing items after refusals, continuously putting pressure on passengers, and then presenting the bill. In the end, the host on the microphone who seemed to be the "manager" of this team came to talk with my husband because he clearly did not want us to leave with this bad impression. And there, we finally got an explanation: he explained to us himself that the staff was paid on commission and that the more the tourists consumed, the more they earned. That explains a lot of things. But being paid on commission does not give one the right to harass customers. We are European and we are perfectly used to leaving tips when a service is pleasant. If we had been welcomed with kindness and respect, we probably would have left more in tips than what they hoped to earn by pushing us to consume. Instead of that, we spent part of the day having to justify ourselves because we did not want to drink alcohol in the middle of the day under crushing heat, even though the water was also for sale. And I particularly want to emphasize the term "family-friendly" used to sell this excursion. We have two children: a 3-year-old boy and a 16-year-old teenager. That day, they both finally stayed at the hotel. But if we had traveled only with our 16-year-old son, we would have taken him with us, precisely because this excursion was presented as family-friendly and festive. For us, a family outing can perfectly well include loud music, dancing, a DJ, foam, and adults consuming alcohol. No problem with that. We had specifically come to party. But after seeing what actually happened on that boat, I am ultimately very happy that neither of our children was present. I would never have wanted my 16-year-old son to witness adults continually pressuring their clients to drink alcohol, serving a drink after a refusal then demanding payment for it, publicly humiliating passengers about their physique, making jokes about Hitler with tourists who clearly did not even understand what was being done to them, or seeing certain staff members in the extremely concerning state that we observed. Partying and witnessing this kind of behavior are two completely different things. The most regrettable thing is that this excursion had absolutely everything to be exceptional: Ölüdeniz is sublime, the coves are magnificent, and the day at sea could be fantastic. But the behavior of a significant part of the staff completely ruined the experience. After paying more than €100 for our excursion in advance, we should not have to spend our day defending our right to say NO to additional drinks. ⭐ Exceptional setting. Excursion that could be magnificent. Lamentable human experience. We absolutely regret this experience on this boat and we certainly do not recommend it to families.

The boat you joined was really great, everything was very good and we had a lot of fun, the sea was perfect………. :)…….:)…..

The boat trip in Fethiye Ölüdeniz was absolutely unforgettable! The crystal-clear water stunning bays, and relaxed atmosphere made it a perfect day. Everything was wellkk organized and ran smoothly from start to finish. Special thanks to Mr. Veli for his guidance and support throughout the journey. Highly recommended

The boat tour we joined in Ölüdeniz was truly amazing! We spent the day exploring turquoise coves, swimming in crystal-clear waters, and admiring the breathtaking beauty of nature. The atmosphere on the boat was relaxed and enjoyable, and everything was well-organized. It was a perfect experience to unwind and create unforgettable memories Thank you for everything

The boat tour we joined in Fethiye Ölüdeniz was absolutely amazing. The bays we visited were stunning, the sea was crystal clear, and the crew was incredibly friendly. The whole atmosphere was peaceful and relaxing. The boat was clean, and the food served was fresh and delicious. Watching the sunset in the middle of the sea was truly unforgettable. It was such a joyful experience for me

I highly recommend it to everyone. It was a wonderful boat tour. Everyone was very attentive, and it’s definitely on my list of places I want to visit again.