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Villa rental in Dikili, Aegean Coast, Turkey |
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Villa Hanorah (Ref:
2331)
self-catering villa in Dikili, Turkey |
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Review submitted by Mark
from London
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(Submitted:
07/06/2007) |
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| "Dikilli is located near Pergamon (Bergama) and other historical sites, is within a few kilometres of excellent hot springs,, and a number of small other coastal villages worth exploring. Immediate access to a large, clean swimming pool with childrens' section and prepared hotel beach make it a relaxing holiday venue.
Local restuarant food is good, but the prices are not dissimilar to UK (probably tourist pricing, but it was uniform throughout the region).
Villa Hanorah is a family home easily able to accommodate a family and has friendly neighbours.
English is not widely spoken, but enough restuarant owners and taxi operators etc are around that this never presented a serious problem.
Maps of the immediate area are hard to come by and it would be well worth checking Google earth (and possibly printing) prior to departure.
Internet access is available at the Villa and whilst via 56K modem does basic email fine.
We enjoyed our stay immediately pre season."
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Review submitted by Sinclair
from Kingston
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(Submitted:
19/10/2006) |
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"The property is superbly located amongst many similar villas spanning the Dikili seafront / beach area. It benefits from having the Mysia Hotel extremely close, whose staff are friendly and helpful, and whose pool, although a little cool, is large and clean (and deserted when we were there!)
A hire car is essential for really moving around the area independently, we found it most useful for long day trips and just to nip to the supermarket too.
The only downside was the shower at the villa - which trickled rather than poured, so we used the showers by the hotel pool quite a lot, which was fine as we were there most days anyway.
Also driving directions to the villa were inadequate (we found) and would reccommend that clients furnish themselves with a detailed road map, because, if you do make one wrong turn, it is impossible using the directions provided to get back on track again.
We really enjoyed our stay in Dikili, found the area completely devoid of western tourists, and liked being able to drive to remoter areas still. It is well located for the ancient sites in Bergama too.
Overall I would reccomend this holiday, as it provided, for us, a near perfect mix of Turkish culture and beach / pool holiday lounging."
Owner reply:
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We were not informed about the shower when the guests were in resort. If we had have been we could have fixed the problem for them then and there. The area suffers from hard water so it is probable the problem is limescale and can be resolved very easily. Similarly in over 3 years of renting this is the first time any guest has found the details we sent insufficient. The map we use is the my mitchelin route map which does provide step by step directions. I would also say we supply an 18 page document of important information before the guests depart and a welcome book of over 80 pages on arrival and preparing our guests for a holiday at Villa Hanorah is extremely important to us.
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Review submitted by Doug
from USA
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(Submitted:
30/09/2006) |
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| "Villa Hanorah is a lovely two bedroom, two bath residence. It has high quality facilites including granite countertops, a dishwasher, cloths washer, and a full set of kitchen utensils. It is well decorated, clean, and the beds and couches were comforable. The owner was very supportive. The location is close to the sea and having support from the Mysia hotel is of value. The hotel helped arrange for a doctor to come to the villa to look at my daughter. All the neighbors were very friendly. Dikili and the area attractions will keep you busy. I do recommend having a rental car since it is a long walk into town from the villa and to most of the attractions other than the sea.
I would enjoy booking Villa Hanorah again and staying in Dikili."
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Review not verified by RentalSystems*
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(Submitted:
24/07/2006) |
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"My wife and i both over 80 recently returned from a 14 day holiday at the
Villa Hanorah. We went with no qualms whatsoever due to the admirable service we received before setting out All our questions were answered promptly and positively and puts most of the large tour companies to shame The villa itself was probably the best we have stayed in in over 30 years of travel It certainly surpasses the illustrations on the web site One of its best features is that you require something to hand and there it is eg matches for candles [We did not have to use them ] .A modern washing machine with all the accessories saves a bomb on laundry as does the very extensive welcome pack on arrival.An added assurance if you are elderly is that the adjacent hotel provides assistance if required eg doctor and you can use their swimming pool
It is an ideal base for exploring the historic and interesting region eg
Troy .A hire car is useful [fuel a little dearer than in the UK ]but not
essential as the cheap dolmushes and longer distance buses are both cheap and plentiful .Their modern buses and stations put ours to shame Perhaps the most endearing feature of Dikili is the unending kindness and helpfulness of ordinary people :language no barrier .You are back to Turkey 30years ago and we did not hear an English or foreign voice in 14 days .You want to avoid rip offs then come here An average three course meal for two about £18 but fish and wine would increase this as they are expensive .But of no consequence as Turkish cuisine equals that of French 'a little known fact and the excellent Efes or Tuborg beer is inexpensive GOLDEN. RULE -If the Turks are in a restaurant even if it does not look posh in you go .This place is fun .Where would you get your toe nails done in the Uk for £1.74p ;here in a barbers [we pay £25 each ] or alterations to two pairs of quality trousers [cost here £45 ] for £5 [in uk £17 ]and taken by hand to
the hole in the wall tailor's shop .This leaves aside the fun to be had in
the Markets. At the end of the day you know you are 100% certain to return to a haven of peace where everything works down to the obligatory visiting cat. GREAT PLACE.GREAT HOLIDAY.GREAT PEOPLE
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Review submitted by Davina
from Southampton
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(Submitted:
11/10/2005) |
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| "The villa is wonderful, a real home from home so we took advantage of the local markets and delicious produce on a few occasions and cooked at 'home'.
The attention to detail provided in the villa made all the difference from the collection of books, videos, DVD's to the dressing gowns for those chilly evenings (not that we had any!).
We ate many times in Dikili sampling as many of the fresh fish and kebabs as is possible in two weeks. The 'kebaps' bear no relation whatsoever to those in the UK, all of them were delicious and we have come back significantly heavier than when went.
Dikili is also a very good base to get to the surrounding sights - we particularly loved the Kozak mountain village, Bergama and it's Acropolis, Avyalik, Cundy and all of the coastal villages from Dikili to Candarli.
We hired a car for the two weeks so were able to fully explore the area at our leisure.
We fell in love with this part of Turkey and intend to rebook again next year."
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Review submitted by Sarah
from Manchester, UK
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(Submitted:
21/08/2005) |
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| "A beautiful villa with excellent facilities, in a lovely area. The villa feels like a home from home: stereo/CD player, playstation, computer access, telephone, dishwasher, fridge-freezer, etc.
We loved having two verandas: the first an upstairs suntrap ideal for catching the sun during the day and cooling down at night; the second a shaded porch great for when the sun is hot. Also very convenient is having a washing machine and lots of drying space: we each took only a few outfits, leaving lots of space in our suitcases for the bargains we acquired at Dikili's rightly famous Tuesday market!
The beds are really comfortable and for a quick nap during the day the sofas are wonderfully comfy too.
I can't recommend the villa and the totally lovely family that runs it enough: Suleyman and Zeynep ensure that everything goes smoothly from pick-up at the airport to departure a fortnight later, and they do so with friendly charm and true hospitality.
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Review submitted by Linda
from London
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(Submitted:
08/06/2005) |
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| "This is my 2nd trip to Villa Hanorah. I had a fantastic time 6 months ago and had to return as there were so many beautiful places to visit.
Definetly the place to come to get away from the restricted package holiday crowds, good for couples interested in culture and beautiful places rather than nightclubs and also for families. Dikili is the real Turkey. As Dikili is not a major tourist spot, it is amazingly cheap to eat out and to shop.
The villa is fantastic, fully equipped and we didn’t want for anything. It is definitely a home from home and is a lot better in real life than in the pictures and the description of the villa. We made full use of all the facilities, choice of sunny & shady terraces, BBQ and the fruit trees in the garden. All day long around the villa you hear the sweet sound of chirping birds. There is even a facility to order 20 litres of water (£1) for delivery by bike directly to the villa
The villa is in a great location, right opposite a 5 start hotel with a fabulous pool - brilliant for children and the beach is only a 2 minute easy stroll away.
Most of the locals speak limited English, which adds to the experience. I always brought my phrase book everywhere and have also learnt some Turkish which is a bonus.
Excellent idea of the owners assisting with arranging days out during the holiday. We had some great tours with the private chauffuer Suleman to Bergama, Ayvalik Bademli, Kozak and various hot springs which are abundant in this area. The Kozak village is where the owners family live and truly was very memorable and well worth the trip to see how Turkish people live. The village is high in the mountains, rural, the panorama is literally a sea of dark green. Zeynep cooked us a lovely lunch and took us around to meet some family members. Everyone made a fuss of us, bringing out çay (tea) and even more food. It felt like most of the family knew we were visiting and made sure that they all saw us. The mosque is spectacular and it was an honour to be welcomed in to see it.
The trip to Bademli included visiting a remote spring off the beaten track by a cliff that was reached by going through the olive groves. A local fisherman took us around an island for 15 million TL (£6 for 5 people). There are massive villas built into the island, one based on a castle them with its own castle wall, another resembling Queen Hatchesput’s temple in Egypt. There is a very exclusive looking restaurant on the island that looked like a fabulous place to spent the afternoon looking out at the clear water.
The Tuesday market in Dikili is excellent for fresh produce. Being a Londoner, I had forgotten the taste of real fresh fruit and veg.
My 2 trips to Villa Hanorah have restored my faith in Turkey as I had been put off after 2 previous visits to resorts. The people here are genuine and it is great that the owners have arranged for local contacts if you need them, and will stay away if you want them to.
Looking forward to my 3rd trip to Villa Hanorah!!
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Review not verified by RentalSystems*
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(Submitted:
03/07/2004) |
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"See what previous guests have said about their holiday experience at Villa Hanorah. We opened for Business in May 2004. We have had 2 sets of guests stay at the villa up to the present date. Here's what they said.
If you would like personal references some of our guests are happy to provide them in either email or letter form.
The Griffen Sisters 10/5/04 until 17/5/04
Dear Sharon & Gokhan
We would like to thank you for a fantastic holiday in Dikili. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. The villa is lovely and was much nicer and bigger than it looked in the pictures. We were very impressed with the welcome book which contained so much information we had fun reading it every evening during our stay. Zeynep and Suleman made such a difference to our trip and were very friendly, kind and helpful. As you know we hired Suleman to take us on several excursions including Bergama, Candarli, Avyalik and Kaynarca mud. We enjoyed them all immensely and were even taken on a private tour of Candarli castle after Suleman arranged for someone to unlock it just for us, just priceless. Bergama and Ayvalik are amazing places and we felt like princesses after our mud bath. The food in Dikili, Bergama and Ayvalik was outstanding and so cheap we could hardly believe it. I would also like to thank you for planning our itinery in advance and advising us of the best places to go in our week in your villa. We spent many of our evenings sitting on the porch terrace overlooking the garden which was very peaceful and relaxing after our busy days. We would have no hesitation in recommending your villa holiday to people, indeed we have been accused of boring our friends and family on its merits since our return. Thank you so much for such a lovely holiday we will definitely be visiting Villa Hanorah again and give our regards to Zeynep and Suleman. Chris & Nora.
The Bowen Family 17/5/04 until 31/5/04
The villa was lovely and very tastefully/comfortably furnished, the surrounding area beautiful, the people exceptionally friendly and the food & drink excellent. We are sure our comments will reflect our positive experiences - it was one of the best holidays we have ever had and we would recommend it to anyone!
Suleman is a wonderful chauffeur and an interesting/fun companion. If people did nothing else, I would recommend they booked the following trips:-
Bergama - Pergamum -
Ayvalik (via Seytan Sofrasi) & Cunda Island
Bademli
The Kozak Villages
People might think it better value for money to 'hire a car' from a cheap car hire company, but they'd waste a lot of time trying to find their way to places, or finding places to park or trying to understand signs etc, etc. Suleman was full of surprises, including, obtaining the key for Candarli castle (which is closed to the public) so that we could have a look inside.
I hope, amongst this waffle, you find some constructive comments which will help you and Gokhan build up a very successful business. We feel quite privileged to have been part of its 'beginnings' and would very much like to afford another trip to Villa Hanorah in the not too distant future. In the meantime:- Zeynep, Suleman ve Goksell benden selam soyleyinuz, Sheryl, Paul, Rebecca & Rachel.
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Review not verified by RentalSystems*
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(Submitted:
15/12/2004) |
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"The Youngs 02/08/04 until 16/08/04
Dear Sharon and Gokhan we would like to express our real thanks for the wonderful holiday we had at Villa Hanorah, it is a real gem. Spacious, well presented and full of modern equipment, it lacks nothing. The neighbours were so welcoming and friendly showering us with all sorts of help and Turkish food to eat. The town of Dikili is delightful, it is a real find, unspoilt by foreign visitors, it is a resort where the Turkish people are friendly helpful and hassle free. The beaches at Dikili, Bademli and Candarli were all beautiful with soft sand and clear water. I also tried the discovery dive and it was unbelievable a real must. It was great to have use of the Hotel Mysia pool, which we ended up in quite a few days. The Tuesday market was a riot and you could spend all day looking at the unbelievable selection of items on sale, real bargains to be had here. We traveled to Bergama, which was very interesting, and to Ephesus, which was about 2 hours in the car, but well worth the drive, it is the jewel of Turkeys ancient cities. We would also like to thank to Suleman and Zeynep of the help they gave us it was great to have helping hands if needed. This was the fourth time I have been to Turkey but it was by far the best holiday we have had anywhere, we simply did not want to come home and we all want to come back again soon. You real have done a really great job with the villa and deserve all the success you will have
Best Regards Ken , Lindsey, Emily & Christopher
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Review not verified by RentalSystems*
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(Submitted:
15/12/2004) |
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"The Whewells (Ebay Bidders) 12/07/04 until 26/07/04
Hello,I just thought i would drop you a line to let you know what a fantastic holiday we had at your villa all of us had a great time and I cannot praise your in-laws enough.On the flight home a lot of the other passengers were complaining of being hassled all the time at the big resorts but one of the great things about Dikili is not just the absence of any hassle but also the laid back lifestyle and the lack of the tourist hoardes.Next year we are due to return to America on holiday but as soon as we find out when our holidays are and providing we can persuade Jonathan to have a split holiday we will be booking your villa again hopefully for the last two weeks of july if you will allow us to return.Once again thank you for all the help that you and your in-laws have given us to make this holiday one that we will remember,we have stayed in numerous villas in America as well as all over Europe and i must say all that all the hard work you have put into yours as well as organizing the trips and the use of the Mysia hotels facilities makes your villa the best organized we have stayed at and we would not hesitate in recommending your villa to anybody.
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Review not verified by RentalSystems*
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(Submitted:
15/12/2004) |
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"The Cameron's 28/6/04 until 12/7/04
We were well received by your in-laws and looked after too by your neighbours I’ve never known such hospitality and we have traveled and been made welcome but not like this.
We found Dikili laid back, uncomplicated, tranquil, with friendly people and good facilities. It’s beautiful beaches and bountiful history is breathtaking. Dikili and the surrounding areas have everything from an abundance of restaurants to archaeological remains, plus superb shopping, eating and drinking options, there’s is something to suit everyone. We enjoyed going to Dikili’s harbour to watch the sunset most evenings. Here you find several beach front bars, cafes and market stalls scattered along the charming, pedestrianised promenade which stay open until the early hours of the morning. We did not see much in the way of clubs/nightlife which suited us as it catered very much for couples and families. We sampled a few of the local restaurants, which serve traditional Turkish cuisine. We haven’t got a favourite they were all fabulous.
We found the trips to Bergama, Avyalik (fantastic fresh fish), and kozak, and all the unspoilt coastlines offered fascinating sightseeing opportunities. It has wonderful surroundings and breathtaking mountain scenery. Dikili beaches are quite, perfect for soaking up the sun completely undisturbed.
The town centre offered a fantastic choice of bustling shops selling a variety of tempting Turkish crafts, jewelery, carpets etc. and not forgetting the market/bazaar for bargains. It was well worth a visit.I would describe Dikili, as relaxed, traditional, cultural, sophisticated and cosmopolitan. This resort is ideal for anyone looking for a quiet holiday destination with good facilities available. We intend to return.
We can’t thank you enough for the experience and Villa Hanorah was beautiful. Please pass on my regards to your in-laws and should you ever meet your neighbours please sent our regards too.
Best wishes
Millie & Aaron
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* Reviews with 'review not verified by RentalSystems' are testimonials that have been added by either the property manager or members of the public for bookings that have NOT been made via the RentalSystems booking engine.
Reviews with star ratings are customer reviews are reviews that
are from customers that have booked using the RentalSystems
booking system and are therefore verified that they are from
genuine customers who have stayed at the property. Only these
reviews have star ratings and contibute to the RentalSystems
Index.
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