Haggling is traditional, expected and enjoyed in Turkey. It ranks as high on my list of holiday activities as sightseeing. If you go into the market and shops to look for souvenirs in Bodrum, you are going to have to play the game!

The most important thing is to decide how much you are prepared to pay for your (fake) watch or (fake) football shirt or (fake) designer perfume. Then let the shopkeeper quote first. Your offer should be much less than you are prepared to pay - as much as 25-50% of the asking price. This will probably be refused and then it's the shopkeeper's turn to bring the price down slightly - then you go in with another offer, slightly more than you first offered and so on - until you come to an agreement.

It could take quite a while and might involve a cup of apple tea ... you might need to walk away without buying anything but be gracious and part on friendly terms - the shopkeeper could begin to run after you and drag you back in and offer you a final price - if it's near enough what you expected to pay, don't let a lira or two get in the way of concluding the deal. Just remember what you were prepared to pay in the first place and more or less stick to it!

We bought a set of bowls for our villa from the market - having agreed a price for one, we then haggled for a set of four - the vendor was absolutely delighted to be doing business again with people with whom he'd already struck a deal a few seconds earlier! We all enjoyed the bartering and we were all happy with the outcome ...

www.villamyndos.co.uk

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Three good supermarkets, with Kipa being the largest but not necessarily the best. All three are open all day every day and Kipa is open 24 hours which is useful if you have an out-of-hours flight and you want to buy enough food to stock the fridge in your self-catering accommodation.

Kipa is on the main Bodrum highway, the others have several branches along main roads in most towns.

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Food and drink at Bodrum Milas airport is very expensive. Two pints of Efez and two portions of chips cost £13 last summer! Even if you have soft drinks instead, it is still a lot of money if you are travelling with a family. We make sandwiches for the journey now. It saves about £5 per person. You are still stuck with buying drinks as you are not allowed to take liquids over 100ml through security.

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Limon is one of the most amazing and bohemian restaurants in Gumusluk and only about eight minutes walk from the harbour/beach. We booked a few days in advance to reserve our favourite antique sofa in the meadow, from where we sipped cocktails, nibbled on freshly-made stuffed marrow flowers and watched the last few rays of sun. Our food was brought over to the sofa and we stayed there all evening listening to live music and generally feeling at one with nature. It was a 10 minute stroll back to Villa Myndos, a little further on up the hill. Booking essential

www.limongumusluk.com
Yali Mevki no.1, Gumusluk, Bodrum, 48400

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Modern Turkish is a beautiful language, full of long words which are 'glued' together. Turkish people are very polite and will appreciate your attempts at speaking Turkish, however simple (though probably not at the airport!) MERHABA is hello and TESEKKURLER pronounced teshekorlair is thanks. There are some useful Turkish words and phrases on the web page below, under the section 'Turkish talk...quick and simple'

www.gumuslukscene.info

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Gumusluk is a charming fishing village, harbour and beach on the west coast of the Bodrum Peninsula. It is one of the prettiest places on earth and I go there every year. I stay at Villa Myndos, only 10 mins' walk from the village. Gumusluk still looks much the same as twenty years ago because it has been designated as an area of natural beauty and there are strict building regulations to preserve its character. Small villas and rustic apartments covered with bougainvillea and other exotic plants mingle amongst the many excellent seafood restaurants along the beach and harbour. There is an astonishing number of fish restaurants (also serving other menus) and you would need about three weeks and a hefty budget to try them all. Gumusluk is an upmarket resort and a quiet one. The restaurants and bars stay open all day and very late, reflecting the Turkish tradition of eating late. The only noise you will hear after midnight will be gentle words and laughter, as loud music is banned. The sunsets are spectacular and when the sun finally disappears behind the islands in the Aegean, the colours red, indigo and violet dance in the warmth giving way to stars which shine on the sea and create silver strands. The word Gumus means silver in Turkish and legend would have it that this is how Gumusluk got its name.

www.villamyndos.co.uk

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