Hi Steve W,
Re. Oludeniz. I would say about 25% of the club have at some time flown at Oludeniz. I first went about 3 years back. A great place for a relaxing flying trip, that's if your not doing an SIV course !
TO is at 6,500' and even if you glide down from here to the beach it's a 20 minute flt. The top half of Babadag mountain can be thermalled and getting 1 to 2 grand above TO is not unknown for mr. average pilot. I enjoyed it so much the first time around that I went on 3 consecutive years. I liked to go in early October, when it's not so busy; though sometimes the World Air Games takes place here at this time. The weather can break down early though and I got caught in spectacular thunder storms and floods last year, maybe late September would be better ??
The clear waters of the Med are a stones throw from the landing area, and you can be de-kitted, your wing packed away for a quid and in the briney in under 5 mins.
Accommodation & flights. Some bargins can be had by booking last minute - I always do. You can also fly from Cardiff, which saves a trip to London. TO's though big, can get crowded as this is a mecca for PG worldwide. The 1 hour trip by Landrover or lorry, up a narrowing road to TO costs around £8; its a spectacular ride on its own. When I went last year there was a boycott of the upper TO areas by the many transport companies because of launch fees, this I think has been resolved now. I did manage to get to the summit once last year, but for the first time ever for me, cloud cover stopped play.
I'd recommend a 1 week stay, as flying from any site for a whole week can get monotonous.
The resort itself has not yet been spoiled by skyscraper-type hotels. Even if you go there and for some reason never fly, it's still a nice place to chill-out and relax. I took my misses last year, a non-flier, and she's hooked on the place. Recommend - sipping a Baileys coffee on a beanbag in one of the alfresco-style cafes on the beach while watching acro pilots in the setting sun.
