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Oooh Ayvalik!
I have been to Ayvalik many times and will go again in 1 month. I have friends who live there.
Yes I can tell you lots. Firstly when are you going? Don't go before late spring, or you will freeze to death and probably blow away - the weather is terrible before at least May!
Ayvalik does not have any English tourists. They are mostly Turks, Germans and Serbs.
It is very beautiful. There is no beach in Ayvalik, it is a small fishing town, but there is one of the best beaches in Turkey (so the locals say) just down the road in Sarımsaklı. Again the tourists are the same as Ayvalik.
The atmosphere is quite conservative as are the people there. Because most of the tourists are Muslim, do no expect it to be like any of the European holiday resorts. You cannot run around half naked, even on the beach in Sarimsakli the sunbathers and swimmers are quite 'conservative.
You can go on boat trips from Ayvalik,and do the swimming in the Aegean off the boat in the coves and they have 'on board' entertainments but again this is mosly catering to the Turkish tourists. The food is typically turkish, always fish (it is a fishing town after all) and this is great if you don't mind your fish fried up whole complete with heads, fins, tails and guts! (I struggled with this, sneaked a lot of my fish overboard for the seagulls and was rewarded by another big plateful from my delighted hosts  )
There are no rowdy clubs, pubs or thumping night spots - but then again I might have missed them because I wasn't exactly allowed out at night (see my essay about being 'looked after' and you will see why) but I have been in Ayvalik at 2am in the summer and the only thing moving was the ocean!)
There are the usual banks with ATM's post offices, pharmacists, supermarkets etc etc, but you will not find an English speaker there anywhere! Transport is by dolmuş dolmuş taxı and taxi They have a good market on Thursday and another permanent market open all week. I emphasise that these markets cater for the residents. Sarımsaklı is probably more of a holiday resort than Ayvalik.
But it depends on what you want. There is a lot of really beautiful old Greek architecture. Ayvalik was inhabited by Greeks before they all got shipped out and many of the lovely old houses still exists. The Greek churches have been converted to Mosques with the simple addition of a minaret on the side, but Ayvalik is quite small and this will not take to long to look at them all.
There are also some intersting islands, the biggest of which is Cunda, there is a causeway to it and you can take a bus - this is an interesting place to spend a day and lots more Greek architecture and some cute little 'touristy' shops it is very cheap there compared to other holiday resorts. You can buy beautiful locally made bead jewellery for totally ridiculously low prices. There is another island which is a bird sanctuary, which i haven't been because my friend could not imagine why I would want to go and look at birds
Ayvalik was also an olive oil producing town, but many of the old factories are closed now. There is still a shop selling Ayvalik olive oil though and it is so delicious that I always haul back a couple of litres because it is also so cheap its worth the pain of dragging it on the plane in your hand luggage. To get there you fly to Izmir and then take a bus (2 hours) or a taxi (still 2 hours but a lot more expensive )The real drawback with the bus is that it is a zillion miles away from the airport.
In summary, if you want a quiet, peaceful holiday doing normal everyday turkish things, with a bit of gentle siteseeing, then go to Ayvalik. If you want a bit more of a beach holiday then go to Sarımsaklı, be prepared to cover yourself up more than you would normally on holiday, or risk getting stared at and laughed at (trust me you would be very uncomfortable in revealing clothes). There is no night life to speak of and you certainly won't meet many or anybody who speaks English. So unless you speak fluent Turkish, German or Serbian, don't expect to communicate much with anyone.
I love it there, but only because I feel so at home with my friends who live there it feels like home to me also but to be honest, I personally would not go there for a holiday, but it depends on what you are looking for.
There is a stunning view of the beach (and sunset ) at a place called 'Satan's Table' (i think - its Satan's something anyway - I forget). If you go up there at sunset its amazing! and you can tie little pieces of cloth on the bushes and make a wish, which is a kind of charming local custom.
The majority of the population are not rich and live in aparment blocks up the mountain, there must also be a few rich people there because there are a few quite expensive shops to buy furniture and electrical stuff. There is also a Department Store which is quite posh! . Prices in all the shops and markets are very very cheap (well if you are english anyway)
If you go, go to the 'pastane' in the Centrum and have a cake and a cup of coffee while you look out at the ocean, I love it there. If you want to know more feel free to PM me with your specific questions.
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