Cool Turkey: 20 great hotels
The best budget option in pricey Alacati, the Tas is a lovely 130-year-old mansion with eight pretty rooms. Breakfasts are a high point, with cheese, honey and homemade jam, and the pool, surrounded by lawn, is a lovely place to spend the afternoon. There’s no restaurant, but there are plenty of options near by.
Tas Otel (is) the very first boutique hotel to open in Alacati in 2001. It’s a delightful 120-year-old Greek mansion that’s been lavished with love and attention and beautifully renovated. The owner, Zeynep Ozis, is famous throughout the town for helping to preserve many of the old stone buildings and positioning Alacati on the ‘must-visit’ destination map. It’s easy to see why - her impeccable taste flows through the hotel.
I stayed in one of the largest rooms located in its own stone cottage at the end of the garden providing immediate access to the pool. It was instant relaxation. Whether it’s sunbathing in the garden, eating the Turkish banquet of a breakfast on the courtyard terrace or sipping the homemade lemonade (one word – amazing), all your stresses will disappear.
The town of Alaçatı is now challenging Bodrum for the title of Turkey’s most stylish Aegean resort…..
When the architect Zeynep Öziș restored a handsome stone townhouse and opened it as the eight-room Tas Otel (tasotel.com, double rooms from £80) in 2001, there were few other places to stay in the area, and none nearly as persuasive as Öziș’s country-chic design hotel…..
Quaint but not twee. Cute but not cramped. Friendly but not over-friendly. Tas Otel could just be the perfect guesthouse……. Tas Otel has spawned countless imitators, but none quite as effortlessly charming. In fact, it takes hard work to make everyhting just so. The 120-year-old mansion needed total renovation…….. Now the whitewashed building looks more like a French chateau, climbing with bougainvillea.
Beloved of holidaying Turks from Izmir and Istanbul, Alacati is one of the Aegean coast’s smartest little town and the Tas is a great place to stay.
Yürüyüş sonrası elime konakladığım Taş Otel’in kurucusu Zeynep Öziş’in hazırladığı “Alaçatı’da Yaşamak” kitabını alarak bahçeye geçiyorum.
Bu gustosu yüksek otelin kasabanın yeniden şekillenmesinde ayrı bir yeri ver.
2001 yılında açılan Taş Otel, Alaçatı’nın ilk butik oteli.
İzmirli başarılı bir iş insanı olan Zeynep Öziş, her şeyi geride bırakıp yazları yaşadığı Alaçatı’ya yerleşmeye karar vermiş.
Kendisi gibi bu köyde yaşamayı seçenlerle birlikte aynı yıl Alaçatı Koruma Derneği’ni kurmuş.
Öziş’in kitabın ön sözünde yazdığı gibi “Beş altı yıl içinde taş evlerin küçük otellere, dükkanların kafe ve restoranlara dönüştüğü, zeytin ve lavanta kokan bir kasaba” olup çıkmış Alaçatı.
Bu satırların yazılıp yayınlanmasının üstünden 12 yıl geçmiş ve Alaçatı yine aynı anlayışı, aynı mimariyi büyük ölçüde korumuş. Eskiyi örnek alarak yapılan taş evleri, Türkiye’nin hemen hiçbir yerinde olamayan mimari dil birliğiyle hâlâ çok özel.
Ancak şu da bir gerçek ki artık Alaçatı, “sakin yaşamak, temiz havayı solumak, tarihle içi içe olmak” hayallerinin ötesine geçerek kalabalıkla gürültüyle boğuşan, eğlenceyle dinginliğin dengesinin kurulamadığı bir yere dönüşmüş...
Pazar Yazısıyla Huzur Aramak
...Bunlardan biri de Alaçatı’da Kurban Bayram’ı sırasında ailece kaldığımız otel.
Aslında son derece sıradan eski bir ev. Tam da en işlek sokaklardan birinin başında ve gürültülü bir yerde. Ne kahvaltısı istisnai, ne de havuzu. Fakat içi de dışı da öyle bir döşenmiş ki girdiğiniz anda huzuru ucundan yakaladığınızı hissediyorsunuz. Çok çekiştirmeye, zorlamaya gerek kalmadan kahve içer misiniz diye soran otel çalışanının kendiyle barışık ve ilginç bir şekilde güven veren sesiyle bulunmak istediğim yerdeyim diye düşünmeye başlıyorsunuz.
Derken yanılmadığınız ortaya çıkıyor. Ahşap merdivenin başında sizi bir kitaplık karşılıyor. Süs olsun diye değil okunsun diye konmuş kitapların olduğu. Hemen yan tarafında da geniş ve belli ki asıl işlevi kış aylarında ortaya çıkacak olan lobi, okuma ya da dinlenme odası var. Bir sürü de kedi. Otelin bizi karşılayan sorumlusu Halkla İlişkiler okumuş, büyük otellerde çalışmış genç bir insan.
Oteli huzurlu yapan o ve diğer çalışanlar. Doğallıkları, dinginlikleri, abartısız ilgileri. Bizlerle de paylaşıyorlar, güven ve huzur veriyorlar. Taş Otel’den kaldığımız sürece sadece sabah yürüyüşleri ve akşam yemekleri için çıkıyoruz...
Alacati, Turkey
... Ozis bought a house in 2001 and renovated it into a hotel. “In 2001 we founded the Alacati
Preservation Society to protect the cultural and architecture heritage of this village.” Thanks to the work of this association, in 2005 the town was declared a national heritage site and now it is protected from new development. One of the best ways to admire the interior of a traditional Ottoman or Greek stone house is by staying at a traditional hotel, like the Tas Otel.....
Tas Otel : Havre de tranquillité aux murs chaulés et à la piscine apaisante après un bain de mer. Au petit déjeuner, les börek à l’aubergine, faits maison, ajoutent une profondeur supplémentaire à l’hospitalité naturelle de Zeynep, notre hôte. A partir de 120 € la nuit pour une chambre double.
Tas Otel, il primo “Hotel de charme” in Alaçati, Turchia
Per tutta la durata del mio soggiorno al Tas Otel mi sono davvero sentita come a casa. La proprietaria Zeynep Ozis e il suo staff mi hanno accolto con tutta la loro solarità, offrendomi una vacanza indimenticabile in una delle mete turistiche e di design più vivaci e in voga delle penisola di Çesme in Turchia, meta favorita di surfisti da tutto il mondo.
.Zeynep Öziş, de charmante gastvrouw van het butik otel Taş fladdert tussen de tafels, zich er van verzekerend dat alles naar wens verloopt. Ontbijten kan tot elf uur, en in de vooravond serveert ze complimentary tea en meer zelfgebakken cake...
..Dat dit dorp in de internationale pers het nieuwe Bodrum wordt genoemd, had mijn gastvrouw nooit durven te dromen. Zeker niet toen ze een verwaarloosd hoekpand kocht en er in 2001 het Taş Otel opende, het eerste charmehotel van Alaçati. «Vrienden en familie begrepen niet goed wat ik hier, in dit vergeten dorp dat niet eens direct aan zee ligt, kwam zoeken», vertelt Zeynep, tot dan marketing-directeur van een multi - national. «Alaçati was al lang geen bloeiende gemeenschap meer. Op een handvol kite- en windsurfers na, die profiteren van de stevige bries die hier steevast staat, lag het dorp grotendeels in ruïne.»
Här fanns ingenting av det du ser i dag innan vi öppnade”, berättar Yusuf Ozen, receptionisten på Tas Hotel, när han visar mig runt i den lummiga trädgården. Tas Hotel öppnade 2001 och var Alacatis första hotell. I dag är byn den som alla pratar om i Izmir..
Taş Otel: Alaçatı demek Taş Otel demek!
Alaçatı’nın ilk butik oteli Taş Otel’e hayat veren Zeynep Öziş, Henkel’deki başarılı kariyer hayatına bir nokta koyarak, Alaçatı’da aldığı eski bir taş evi, o güne kadar kendi kimliğinde biriktirdiği tüm zevk, tat ve beğenileri aktararak bir cennet köşesine dönüştürmüştü...Taş Otel, Alaçatı’nın duyulması ve tercih edilen bir tatil lokasyonu olmasına ön ayak oldu. Alaçatı’nın radara girmesinin yanı sıra doğru bir kimlik kazanması için de çok uğraştı Zeynep. Alaçatı’ya yerleştiği ilk günden itibaren Alaçatı’nın korunarak, dikkatli ve özenle gelişmesi için yoğun emek sarf etti. İşte bu yüzden Alaçatı demek Taş Otel demek!
Dotted with olive and mastic groves, artichoke fields and vineyards, Cesme is coming into its own as a culinary hot spot thanks to the acclaimed, Noma-inspired Alancha and newer restaurants opened by arrivals from Istanbul and Izmir. In the old Greek village of Alacati, Tas Otel organizes autumn olive harvest outings, and Asma Yapragi, Babushka, Roka Bahce and Fava cook to the season with produce sourced from local growers.In Izmir, at the peninsula’s base, the food tour outfit Culinary Backstreets recently began offering walking tours.
Alacati only took off in the early 2000s when its charm and architectural distinction were recognised by imaginative pioneers such as Zeynep Ozis, hands-on owner of the exquisitely restored Tas Hotel. In these magical surroundings — all shaded gardens, bleached blue shutters, thick stone walls and delightfully cultured interiors — I feel transported to a Provencal country house.
Zeynep Ozis, Tas Otel
(Alacati, Turquia)
El Tas fue el primer hotel de Alacati, en la costa oeste de Turqia, actualmente uno de los lugares mas atractivos y turisticos del pais. << Mi hotel es mi casa; mis huespedes, mis invitados; y el personal, una extension de mi familia. Esta actitud tan positiva se refleja directamente en el bienestar de nuestros clientes y, seguramente, es una de las caracteisticas que diferencia al Tas Otel. Quiero pensar que su exito es el reflejo de mi personalidad>>.
Sus recomendaciones;
On my quest for Local Hideaways in Turkey I came across Taş Otel in Alaçati. Its owner, Zeynep Öziş, is considered a trendsetter in this town. By establishing the first boutique hotel she played an important part in the development of Alaçati, now one of the most beautiful towns in Turkey.……
Alaçati ….a great town, so quaint and with many beautiful restored buildings, nice little shops, lovely terraces and inviting restaurants…..great Bohemian vibes! And, surprisingly, I don’t encounter a single foreign tourist, only several (very affluent) Turkish tourists. By the way, I am told the summer months are very crowded here, so be sure to visit in the early or late season!
Taş Otel is also remarkable for its friendly and helpful staff, many of whom have been working here for several years now. They really make the difference and add to the warm and homey atmosphere of the hotel. And what’s more, one of Turkey’s loveliest places is right on the doorstep, offering a lovely change from the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel. Don’t forget to ask the staff for their favourite restaurants! And there is always the azure blue sea…..it’s less than two miles away!
Tas Otel (is) the very first boutique hotel to open in Alacati in 2001. It's a delightful 120-year-old Greek mansion that's been lavished with love and attention and beautifully renovated. The owner, Zeynep Ozis, is famous throughout the town for helping to preserve many of the old stone buildings and positioning Alacati on the 'must-visit' destination map. It's easy to see why - her impeccable taste flows through the hotel.
I stayed in one of the largest rooms located in its own stone cottage at the end of the garden providing immediate access to the pool. It was instant relaxation. Whether it's sunbathing in the garden, eating the Turkish banquet of a breakfast on the courtyard terrace or sipping the homemade lemonade (one word – amazing), all your stresses will disappear.
Volkskrant Magazine, Netherlands, August 2014
… ‘Ik wil graag een andere kant van Turkije laten zien’, zegt eigenaar Zeynep Oziş in de tuin van haar Taş boetiekhotel.‘Een relaxte kant, van lange zomeravonden met simpel en vers eten.’Ozis zegde haar baan als marketing directeur van de Duitse wasmiddelenfabrikant Henkel op en opende als eerste een hotel in Alacati. ‘Mijn jeugddroom. Ik probeer mijn gasten iets puurs te bieden, een lome zomer in het huis van hun opa.’ Toen Zeynep in 2001 begon, was er maar een restaurants in Alacati. Nu zijn er honderden….
The Mayflower moment for Alaçatı was the 2001 opening of marketing executive Zeynep Öziş’s Taş Otel, a seven-room, light- filled property that helped to define the destination’s breezy but cultured style with heirloom antiques playing off whitewashed walls and bougainvillea- fringed pool.
Cool coastal Turkey, finest boutique properties
…What makes Tas Otel special isn’t the trappings of luxury; it’s the authentically Turkish setting (about half the guests are Turkish, too) and the genuinely thoughtful staff. The food is truly indulgent, though. Breakfast is a feast of local flavors that will keep you going until afternoon tea, when an array of complimentary cakes is served with Turkish çay.
European Hideways
… . For decades, Alacati lacked a decent place to stay. That all changed when Zeynep Öziş opened the first butique property, Tas Otel in 2001. Scores of handsome Ottoman-era stone houses have now been turned into “butik otels,” though many pale in comparison to Taş’s rustic-chic aesthetic.
Holiday hotspots: where to go in 2014
Start planning your 2014 travels with the help of our top 40 destination round-up.
Nr. 7 in the list: Alaçatı and Tas Otel
The acorn from which the mighty oak grew, the Tas, a former olive warehouse at the bottom of the main street, was Alacati’s first boutique hotel. Under the dynamic owner, Zeynep, it’s still setting the standard in its gorgeous rooms overlooking a walled garden and large swimming pool. The seven rooms have an elegant simplicity, with no TVs; the poolside afternoon teas are more lavish, featuring freshly baked cakes.
Kasaba, 2000’lere kadar miskin miskin yarı metruk yarı harap duruyordu. Ara sıra (o dasu ve sarımsak almak için) Çeşme’den başka bir yer bilmeyen (ve de bilmek istemeyen)İzmirliler uğruyordu. Sonra İstanbul’dan bir iki sörf meraklısı, bir iki eski ev sever geldi.Kalacak yer bulamadıkları için gittiler. Zeynep Öziş ise geldi ve kaldı. Eski bir taş ev aldırestore etti ve Alaçatı’nın ilk otelini açtı: Alaçatı Taş Otel. Ege’nin daha çok öteki tarafındaalışık olduğumuz bir üslupta, mavi beyaz, son derece ölçülü feminen bir şıklıkta bir konukevi… Zeynep Öziş’ in buraya yerleşmesi, kasabanın kaderini hiç umulmayacak bir şekildedeğiştirdi. Bir kaç yıl sonra benzerleri açılmaya başladı. İlk örneklerin hepsi Taş Otel’itaklit ediyordu. Sonra yavaş yavaş farklı stiller de gelişti ama hepsinin ortak tarafıkasabanın mimari dokusuna uygun, neo-Egeli diyebileceğimiz bir stilde olması. Bubakımdan Türkiye, Alaçatı’ya çok şey borçlu. Bana sorarsanız Alaçatı, ciddi olarak bir okuladdedilmeli. Sevimli ve tarihi dokusunu korumuş bir köy/kasaba nasıl çirkinleşmedenaksine güzelleşerek iktisadi kalkınmasını yapabilmiştir hem belediyecilik yönünden, hemişletmecilik yönünden incelenmeye değer bir vaka. Zira Türkiye’de bu çok denendi ama bukadar başarılı bir sonuca hiç ulaşılmadı.
Our arrival at the Taş Otel in the resort town of Alaçatı does little to dispel this sense of timelessness. A whitewashed stone house with indigo shutters, the hotel had once been the home of two sisters who kept their livestock downstairs while their family occupied the second floor. These are the unlikely origins of Alaçatı’s current renaissance as the peninsula’s toniest summer destination. in 2000, Zeynep Öziş, a marketing executive and keen windsurfer from İzmir, bought the 19th-century house. The renovation required a small army of masons, carpenters, and electricians —and provoked a chorus of skepticism from neighbors. “They thought i was crazy,” Öziş recalls. Ten months later, the town’s first bona fide boutique hotel made its debut.
Competition in the intervening years has reached absurd levels: there are now more than ahundred“butik” hotels in Alaçatı, a community of around 9,000 people year-round. But the eight-room Taş stands out for its homey charm. Warmly greeted by the staff, we’re ushered directly into a cozy library—shelves crammed with art and history books, a crackling fireplace—and served thick slices of homemade apple cake with strong black tea poured into the tulip-shaped glasses ubiquitous in Turkey. Oğlum, a mournful-eyed golden retriever who serves as the hotel’s mascot, pads over to inspect us before settling down on the kilim under our feet. no amount of lemongrass-scented towels and obsequious bowing—the leitmotifs of cookie-cutter hospitality in our home region of Southeast Asia—could match the unaffected welcome we receive here.
Oğlum is soon followed by Öziş, a petite blonde woman who seems to bustle even while she’s standing still. Showing us a photo book she helped to compile about Alaçatı’s distinctive stone houses and history, she sketches the town’s past for us. As with so many settlements along the Aegean Coast, it’s a tale of banishment and exile amid the slow collapse
of an empire.
Be prepared to eat – plenty and well – at botique guesthouse Tas Otel. Breakfast untill midday on village breads and bagels, cheeses, honey and homemade jams on the vine-shaded patio then snooze in a hammock in the walled garden until five-ish. That’s when the chefs servet hat day’s freshly baked cake with Turkish tea. With just seven rooms at this 19th century mansion, there are romantic spots a plenty to hide away in, or venture into nearby Alacati, for cafes, cobbled streets and outdoor concerts.
IN TURKEY
912. A'jia Hotel
913. Alaçati Tas Otel
914. Anatolian Houses
915. Blue Mosque
916. Caǧaloǧlu Hamami
917. Cruise up the Bosphorus Strait
918. Diving off Bodrum
919. Harem of the Topkapi Palace
920. Hot air ballooning over Cappadocia
921. Huzur Vadisi
922. Kempinski Ciragan Palace
923. Rüstem Pasha Mosque
924. Sumahan on the water
925. Sunset drinks at Mikla
926. Walk the Lycian Way
927. Yediburunlar Lighthouse
For Zeynep, there is so much to make Alacati special: The climate, “ I was barefoot on the beach, suntanning in mid- February… and in the breezy summers you don’t feel the heat” ; the architecture, “ the village is made of 100 to 150-year-old buildings and I am lucky enough to own an original one”; and the natural beauty, “ people often get stuck on the main street in Alacati, but the surrounding area is so beautiful with its olive groves, vineyards and mastic trees.”
The converted Stone houses and lavender-infused gardens of the Turkish fishing village of Alacati have traditionally been the preserve of windsurfers and stylish Istanbulites. But Alaçatı is starting to attract visitors from further afield, who com efor its beachy charm and laid-back simplicity. The classic place tos tay has always been Taş Otel…
“Ever get the urge just to take off? To find a lovely little hotel, full of character, charm and style, where you can kick back and enjoy a few days of real R&R? We’re not talking your five-star Hiltons or super-swanky Mandarin Orientals here. No vast spas or cavernous meeting rooms. Just small(ish), largely independent bolt holes where the service is personal and the setting is perfect. We do. Often. So we asked our writers to reveal where they go when the urge hits. The result is this guide to the 100 best bolt holes in Europe. Keep it with you and you’ll never be stuck for the perfect getaway again: Tas otel, Alacati, Cesme Peninsula This intimate little seven-room belter is a restored former Greek merchant house. It sits at one end of the village’s pedestrianised main street, peppered with good restaurants, craft shops and bars, favoured by arty Izmiris. There’s a small pool for summer, a log fire in the lounge for winter and a perpetual homely welcome. Rooms are cosy and uncluttered, with high-quality linen and ultramodern bathrooms.
If Çesme is the Hamptons of Turkey, Alaçati is her up-and-coming little sister. A happy meeting place of many worlds, vineyards, windmills and stone architecture meet long stretches of gorgeous coastline, water sports galore, and (in nearby Çesme) some of Turkey's most happening bars and discos.
During the day, choose from kitesurfing, windsurfing, wakeboarding, sailing and scuba diving, or for a change of scenery take a boat trip to the nearby islands (Donkey Island, only three miles from Çesme, has beautiful coves and inlets).
We suggest staying at Tas Otel, a charming little hotel which serves a superb breakfast under the vines and has some of the friendliest service we've ever experienced.
One more thing: don't even think of leaving town without trying Çesme's famous mastic flavored ice cream. Worth a trip to Çesme alone.
Yaşatarak koruma:
Süha Ersöz/Ürgüp'te Esbelli Evi
Ziya Şimşek/Antalya Çıralı'da Olympos Lodge.,
Timur Schindel/Gaziantep'te Anadolu Evleri..
Sevan ve Müjde Nişanyan/Şirince'de Nişanyan Evleri..
Zeynep Öziş/Alaçatı'da Taş Otel..
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Bu isimlerden bazılarını tanıyorum, bazılarıyla tanışıklığım yok. Kimilerinin müşterisioldum, kimilerinin methini eşten dosttan dinledim. Ama bu isimlerin hepsi büyük biralkışı hak ediyor.
Çünkü onlar bu ülkede ağır aksak gelişen koruma kültürünün mevzi zaferler kazanmışkahramanları. İnandılar uğraştılar, didindiler, pes etmediler ve başardılar. Değersizsayılandan değer yarattılar. Çirkini güzele çevirdiler. Dokuya bağlı kalmaya çalıştılar.Öncü oldular, anlamlı örnekler çıkardılar ortaya. Zaman zaman deli muamelesi görereküstelik.
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Yukarıdaki isimler böylesi bir iklimde az iş becermediler. Olmaz denileni, ticari olarak çokcazip olmayanı hayata geçirdiler. Koruyarak da gelişme olabileceğini somut örneklerlegösterdiler. Örnek alındılar, taklit edildiler. İyi de oldu. Dokuya uygunluk konusundabulaşıcı bir etki yarattılar. Koruma bilincini dürttüler.
İnsan bu yapılar yaşasın, benzerleri çoğalsın istiyor. Yaşatarak korumanın mevzilerigüçlensin istiyor. Estetik değerlere sahip çıkanlara sahip çıkmak istiyor.
alaçatı otel alaçatı otelleri
Eco single room | Eco double Room | Blue single room | Blue double room | Large double room | Stone Villa | |
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January 1 - March 31 | 50 Euros | 65 Euros | 65 Euros | 80 Euros | 100 Euros | Not Available |
April 1 - April 30 | 60 Euros | 75 Euros | 75 Euros | 90 Euros | 110 Euros | Not Available |
May 1 - May 31 | 60 Euros | 75 Euros | 75 Euros | 90 Euros | 110 Euros | 160 Euros |
June 1 - August 31 | 95 Euros | 110 Euros | 120 Euros | 135 Euros | 160 Euros | 210 Euros |
September 1 - September 30 | 80 Euros | 95 Euros | 105 Euros | 120 Euros | 140 Euros | 170 Euros |
October 1 - October 31 | 50 Euros | 65 Euros | 70 Euros | 85 Euros | 105 Euros | Not Available |
November 1 - December 30 | 45 Euros | 55 Euros | 55 Euros | 65 Euros | 80 Euros | Not Available |
December 31 - January 1 | 70 Euros | 85 Euros | 85 Euros | 110 Euros | 130 Euros | Not Available |