Category Archives: Hotels and Villas

Hotel reviews and private villa rentals

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Hotel Review: Merve Apart Hotel Bodrum

When a business owner loves what they do, it reflects in every facet of their operation.  Such is the case with Julia and Selcuk Gecit who built and run the Merve Apart Hotel and consistently obtain excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.

The open plan aparts are excellent value for money and for long term stays. Each room has twin beds, air conditioning and a kitchenette with refigerator. The hosts and staff are always on hand with advice, suggestions and reservations for boat trips, market tours and nearby excursions.  The Turkish BBQ night is a favorite with guests.

Merve Aparts are located in a residential area of southeast Bodrum and are about a 10 minute walk from downtown.  While not a boutique hotel by definition, the services and hospitality provided are very boutique.

Animal lovers will appreciate Julia’s many ongoing efforts to help local street dogs and cats find good homes.

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Seckin Best Hotel in Bodrum

Lovingly named the ‘Second Best’ hotel, this establishment is located practically next door to our office and has never failed to deliver perfect, three star service.

Clean, compact, practical and family run, Seckin Best tries harder than many inflated 4 star hotels do.

Put on your sunglasses for the wildly colored room walls and duvets, but all is squeaky clean and the polite patriarch will wait up for you before locking the front doors for the night.  It’s a high class homestay with privacy, amenities, and a full Turkish breakfast close to town and Icmeler boatyards.  Prices are in the vicinity of 90 TL per night.

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Who Are Southern Cross Blue Cruising and Bodrum Yacht Services?

Australian born, European bred and retired professional motorcyclist racer Dave Stanley began one of his several career as a port emergency services diver in Melbourne.  With a childhood passion for sailing, he also has been involved in building Herreschoff replicas. Dave first came to Turkey on a sailing holiday and was enamored with the beauty of the country, friendliness of the people and the plethora of wooden boats.  He eventually moved to Bodrum permanently, bought classic gulet Southern Cross Timer in 2004 and entered the gulet charter business.

Dina Street moved to Bodrum in 1990 after finishing double degrees in Applied Mathematics and Near Eastern Studies from U.C. Berkeley and realized that she preferred a life in the Mediterranean over Silicon Valley.  After opening Caravan Frozen Yogurt, Bodrum’s first full service ice cream shop, she followed with the Turkey’s first Starbucks-style internet cafe in 1996.  Dina teamed up with a Spanish business partner, and they began designing websites for gulets.  Dina found herself enamored with researching these wooden boats, including local construction methods and their rich history.  In 2000, she authored and launched the soon to be resurrected Bodrum Gulets as an non-commercial website, and worked extensively with the charter department of Zephyria Yachting before founding Bodrum Yacht Services and Southern Cross Blue Cruising with Dave Stanley.

Bodrum Yacht Services deals with gulet brokerage, new construction, post-sale support, project management, refits, winterization and charter management. Southern Cross Blue Cruising focuses upon chartering our fleet of hand selected gulets.  Our companies are respectively registered in Turkey and Australia.

Our blog pertains to gulets, chartering, Blue Cruise destinations, Turkish cuisine, local characters and off the beaten path subjects related to life in Turkey.  We always appreciate your comments on our meanderings.

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Featured Boutique Hotel: Bella in Selcuk

Over the years, we have found that one of the best ways to arrive to Bodrum for embarkation on your Blue Cruise is by flying to Izmir, being picked up and taken to Selcuk for 1-2 nights.  The Hotel Bella makes all the arrangements and from their charming accomodation, arranges for visits to Ephesus, the House of the Virgin Mary and the once ethnically Greek village of Sirince.  The Hotel Bella is located in uptown Selcuk directly opposite the Basilica of St. John.

In 2011, the Hotel Bella bought the Hotel Nilya and undertook a complete restoration. This charming hotel is 2 alleys behind the Bella and thus conveniently located with the same standard of service. We will be featuring her with full photos in an upcoming newsletter.

Post Selcuk exploration, it’s only 2.5 hours and a beautiful drive to Bodrum for an afternoon embarkation on board your gulet.

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LVZZ Hotel

The Lvzz Hotel had its soft opening on June 2, 2011 with an elegant poolside sunset cocktail, and it’s official opening took place in mid-July.

Situated on the north side of the main highway conveniently above the Bodrum Gold Center, Lvzz unabashedly claims that it intends to give nearby neighbor The Marmara Hotel a serious market challenge.

With 17 rooms decorated in a clean, contemporary style, the hotel is actually built into the rocky Bodrum hillside, and the architecture has taken advantage of this by featuring some of the unusual rock formations as part of the hotel’s design.

Owner Sinan Ozer is a well known boat builder and one of the founders of Aegean Yacht.  Our first clients book in to the hotel in August and we hope to utilize the fitness center and spa this winter.  Let’s rephrase that -  we will utilize the fitness center this winter.

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Featured Hotel: Amanruya

In August, luxury resort chain Amanresorts confirmed it would launch its 24th property close to Mandalya Bay, a quiet valley on the northern coast of the Bodrum Peninsula, in December, 2011.

The new ‘Amanruya‘ resort, set on a hillside of pine trees and olive groves, offers 36 stone cottages with stunning views of the sea, each with its own pool and courtyard, interspersed by pavilions designed to give the whole complex the feel of a village.

Guests can enjoy a three-storey library, dining pavilions, a bar, a wine and cigar lounge, a boutique, an art gallery and two massage rooms, with a full Aman Spa set to open next year.

For active persons, there will be a tennis court, 50-meter marble swimming pool and a Beach Club, complete with an offshore swimming pontoon.

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The Hilton Bodrum Turkbuku Resort & Spa

The Hilton chain of hotels has opened a new 433-room luxury resort on the Bodrum peninsula, with mixed reviews on TripAdvisor.

The Hilton Bodrum Turkbuku Resort & Spa is situated in the Paradise Bay area of the region, a quieter area north of Bodrum which boasts a crystal-clear bay and comparatively little development.

Following a substantial refurbishment, Hilton’s property features five restaurants and five bars, offering everything from traditional Turkish cuisine to Italian food, local seafood and a traditional pub.

There are six pools, including a mini aqua-park for kids with water slides, a sunbathing deck, water sports center and extensive spa and health center.  For families, the resort also offers eight detached villas set inside the gardens, all of which provide easy access to the nearby private beach.

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Featured Hotel in Istanbul: Aya Sofya

As we are always on the lookout for excellent hotels in Turkey, this Aussie operated, 3 star Ottoman inspired hotel comes highly recommended by our colleagues at Turkey Travel Planner and has excellent reviews on Tripadvisor.  The hotel  is located near Sukulu Pasa Mosque close to  the Blue Mosque and prides itself on excellent, friendly service at reasonable prices.  The location is perfect as a Sultanahmet base for exploring Istanbul.

There are 2 suites, 2 deluxe rooms, a number of  twins and and doubles, plus 3 studio apartments around the cornerwith views of the Sea of Marmara.

There is also a garden rooftop terrace with sea views and nightly BBQ each night during the summer months.  Contact them at info@ayasofyahotel.com

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Tasmania or Turkey?

Can’t decide between hemispheres, or namely, between Turkey and Tasmania? For those considering a visit Down Under, we are rather openly promoting this heritage bed and breakfast in Cygnet, not far south of Hobart.

Run by long term friend and motorcyclist Bruce Pidler, the Old Bank Bed & Breakfast offers an intimate, luxury experience while exploring this historic town and its many cafes, restaurants, specialty shops and art galleries.  We hope to get there ourselves one day.

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Fantastic Holiday Villa in Torba

Fantastic holiday villa in Torba is now available for bookings for this summer! It is located only 250m from the beach, and the owners have a special arrangement with a local hotel so that guests may access the private beach area. There is public transportation that runs every 7 minutes to Bodrum Center right outside the gates of the villa.

There is 1 master bedroom with a double bed, a guest bedroom with bunkbeds plus a single bed. There is also a pull-out bed in the living room.

The villa also comes fully equipped with air conditioning, washing machine, TV with DVD player, private terrace as well as a communal pool.

Maximum of 7 guests. However as there is only 1 bathroom, a maximum of 5 guests is recommended.

Rates:

July/Aug – 60 GPB per night for 4 people

Sept/Oct – 50 GPB per night for 4 people

For more information or to book please contact liza@turkuoise.co.uk