February 08 9th March 2008

Istanbul-Dalyan

A visit to get everything sorted out for the  new season began with an interesting delay in Istanbul where we spent a night courtesy of Turkish Airlines in a hotel looking out onto blizzard conditions. We actually had a view of the famous Blue Mosque which looked very pretty in the snow. The next day we sat on the runway for about an hour whilst they defrosted the plane for the next leg of our journey to Dalayan. With Istanbul at – 7 degrees C  and looking like a scene from Dr Zhivago we were looking forward to some warmth. Alas it was the coldest Dalyan had experienced in 15 years and the Arctic Gales that were perpetuating throughout Central Europe had even reached the SW coast of Turkey. The snow-covered mountains looked really pretty though!  After a few days we were back to the normal temperatures for Dalyan and we were able to eat out. It was like a ghost town though – virtually no tourists – just the locals and the ex-pats. We did find a new place that we had not tried out before though. This was the Queens hotel run by 2 lovely chaps from Brighton – Dave and Drew. They had a nice log burning stove and gave us a tour of the hotel and their roof garden which has wonderful views of the Rock tombs and the Dalyan river. The roof terrace also has a conservatory which makes a wonderful studio for Belly Dancing and Yoga classes. I tried a belly dancing class for the first time and was amazed at how good it is for those core muscles. Wow!

And a visit to Dalyan is not complete without dropping into Leon’s Bar, and of course Judy always has to get up and sing her favourite – ‘Torn’ by Natalie Imbruglia! . For the first time – we borrowed a car and headed for Fethye which has a lovely bay and harbour and it was warm enough to sit out and eat whilst we had our shoes shined by a very articulate chap. We bought a couple of electric blankets for the villa which were thankful for and when we got back we had a roaring log fire.The next day we headed west to Marmaris  which was a lovely trip and nice quiet roads too. Normally buzzing in the summer Marmaris  lends itself back to the resident population in the winter-time and we really liked it, especially our stroll around the old town and the marina. Well, who knows when we will get out again. Our next trip will be in August as we have taken lots of bookings for the school holiday weeks and guess what? Judy is now working in a school!  Well I might as well as I still have a school aged child. We still have availability for late April, early May and September and early October at the time of writing so ……. get looking at those flights!

A quiet week - just the two of us in October 7th November 2007

Well it was a great excuse – pop out to the villa to get it ready for the winter season, clean and oil some lampshades, check there are no water leaks, sort out the bikes, check out the new fruit trees  etc ……… and of course we needed to do a bit of sight-seeing too. We took ourselves off on a moped for the afternoon, high up in the mountains to the sunset terrace café and the radar tower (turn left just after the village of Gokbel) where we took in the most breathtaking, amazing views. The owner of the café showed us some spectacular photos on his PC of the sunsets over the sea and we vowed that we must return again soon to see it for ourselves. Visibility was fantastic that day and we had clear views of the river Dalyan delta and Dalyan in the distance, surrounded by majestic mountains. (See gallery for some scary photos of Iztuzu beach from above).

Later, that week Alastair decided to be brave and go up in the micro-light aircraft with ‘Come Fly’ – which was a great opportunity to take some aerial shots of our villa as well as the surrounding areas. Again – the photos are in the gallery. We finished off the week by hiring Mehmet the taxi driver for a day and he took us to a lovely waterfall (where Alastair bathed in the freezing mountain pool) and then on to a trout restaurant where we dined with the clear cool river rushing beneath us. We met up with lots of chums old and new and enjoyed a couple of nice meals at the Metin restaurant. We were very honoured to be invited to a Turkish wedding – non-stop dancing all night long. We managed to keep our wrists up in the air too!  Sadly we missed the pinning of the money to the bride’s gown as we sneaked out to see England’s rugby defeat against S.Africa. All in all a great few days, lovely weather, Dalyan, much quieter but gave us a chance to spend more time with the locals and ex-pats. C U in the new year. – Judy and Alastair.

The Party Princesses do Dalyan! 27th October 2007

Recipe for perfect CHILLOUT holiday for stressed out Mums after long summer school holiday  (Sept 7th-14th) ;

Choose a few lovely intelligent witty mates! Jump on a plane to Dalaman (Don’t forget plenty of bubbly beforehand to knock you out for the flight).

Day 1 Brunching, at the Kordon by the river in Dalyan, on their delicious Turkish mezzes and local wines then hit the market late afternoon (quieter) and practice Turkish whilst stocking up with lots of lovely fresh local produce. Evening BBQ by the pool (don’t forget anti – mozzie citronella candle) then call Teturlar taxis to take you to the Calypso Hotel for cocktails then on to Leons bar. Spend the evening dancing (pole or belly) with the locals and karaoke singing and retreat before 3pm to avoid total disgrace and hangover.

Day 2 River boat cruise to Iztuzu beach. Pancake lunch with large beers.  'I didn’t know they did small ones!' - Princess Carolina. Make sure you are the last ones to leave at 6pm to enjoy the deserted beach but do get on that last boat (they do have a loudspeaker - which Princess Jude tried out!). Photo opportunities all the way back esp. rock tombs from river and turtles, kingfishers and rare waterfowl.

Days 3  Quiet day relaxing and basking in the sun by pool. Late afternoon,  a row across the river to the ruined city of Caunos, then home via Mufla’s rock bar. And don’t forget plenty of fab shopping – shops open all hours. Great for leathers embroidered boots and bags, jewellery, pashminas and gorgeous oriental dancing gear ……………...

Day 4  The 12 island cruise with Oruc Travel!  FAB darlings (see video) it’s like being royalty for a day – get the crew to float the wine out to you in the sea following your own synchronised water-ballet exhibition! They even delivered ice-creams to us by speed boat!(Princess Kirsty bless her, managed a massage on one of the islands ! ) 

Day 5 A big night out – dinner at the Sahil, Kemal’s restaurant by the river overlooking the tombs – – simply breathtaking and a mouth-watering, flaming casseroles. Follow up with moonlit river cruise on the Sahil’s own boat to take in the illuminated rock tombs, a shooting star and the splashes of jumping fish.

Day 6  Fresh fish lunch at the Golbasi restaurant on the Iztuzu beach road – a must – feed the turtles and ducks as you sit on the covered jetty surrounded by water and gorgeous young waiters. The restaurant collects and returns you to the villa

Day 7  Taxi to the other end of Iztuzu beach – divine swim in the beautiful, clear, warm shallow bay and more yummy pancakes – bus back to villa – practising your best Turkish to give directions for stopping. Evening - visit the local Haman for a Turkish bath and massage – relaxing in a kind of invigorating kind of way! Then – shopping and dining before taxi comes to take you to airport. Collapse onto the plane feeling well rested and pampered.

See video and gallery for more shots

Click twice to view video

The Turkish Chillout -Taking bookings now for September 08!

July/August 07 The finished Villa Meliha! 22nd August 2007

   Arriving at Villa Meliha as dawn broke over the mountains was like waking up to a beautiful dream. The first thing I noticed as I jumped off the Oruc bus was the red ribbon wrapped around the gates at the entrance. I hurredly untied the bow and rushed into the villa. There was a frenzied scatter around inside to see all the newly furnished rooms, all beautifully arranged and finished to perfection! The piece de la resistance was the upstairs view from the balcony. The villa has a 360 degree panorama and the view of the mountains all around as the sun rose was absolutely breathtaking! I could not hold back the tears! 

Since our visit in June, the gardens had become established, the pool (with the turtle mosaic on the bottom) was crystal clear and alluring and the villa simply glistened.

June 07 18th June 2007

                  The 12 island cruise

Can you imagine leaving the villa in February and not being able to come back until June - the suspense was overwhelming!  It was really like a dream come true to return in June to find the villa very nearly finished. The pool was filled, the garden planted and the electricians were fitting in all the lights including our lovely chandelier that looks like an explosion of fireworks! The craftsmen were finishing off the varnishing and the wrought iron railings and we were able to chat with the curtain makers about where the poles were going. We managed to buy everything we needed for the beds and the kitchen using our Turkish phrase book!  It really is amazing how quickly you learn when you have to!  It is now our mission to be a bit more fluent next time.  

During our stay this time we managed to dine at most of the restaurants and we found everyone absolutely charming and the food was always delicious. We dined by the water’s edge most evenings or at least al fresco and the climate (mid June) was perfect. Following a couple of meetings with Oruc, the construction company we had two days left to be simply tourists. It was our wedding anniversary so we treated ourselves to the 12 island cruise from Gocek  marina which was fabulous and so relaxing. Our next visit will be in July and we are taking the kids out with us and Alastair’s sister and family will be our first guests.  By then everything should be well established in the garden and the villa will then be available for rentals from 18^th August onwards. That’s if I don’t dig my heels in and decide to stay!   See you in July!  - Judy