Ottoman Residence

5 readers found this review helpful

An amazing hotel with amazing staff. The site is beautiful, on the river and near the town. The place is very friendly and safe. The town akyaka is lovely but very small. I enjoyed the place but did not like the rep Umut who was not interested in helping organise the trips at all and also seemed very sexist.

11 readers found this review helpful

If you are looking for total relaxation, this Hotel is for you. With the most stunning views as a backdrop, a ten minute walk to the beach and bars of Akyaka and the peace and tranquillity that only a child free environment can offer. Spotlessly clean rooms and public areas, well cooked, varied food and the friendliest and most helpful staff I have ever encountered make this hotel one I shall be returning to time and time again, as were most of the other guests, who nearly all were on their second, third and even fourth visit. A truly fantastic hotel and a credit to the fabulous staff who work there.

8 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from our 2 week holiday in the Ottoman Residence in Akyaka, Turkey.
This hotel has a beautiful setting, right by the river, and offers some exquisitely relaxing days. The staff are friendly and generally helpful, especially the slightly eccentric Ashkin and the other bar staff. These guys made the stay really enjoyable. The manager though is rarely at the hotel, only ever seen at meal times, and appeared adverse to speaking to guests unless they were Turkish.

We went for a duplex room which was lovely, and duplex rooms like we had at the front of the hotel offered 2 bathrooms, including one en suite upstairs. Very decadent. However the air conditioning in the duplex room was not effective. This is because of an obvious design flaw- whilst the bedroom was situated on the upper level, the Air Conditioning unit was on the lower level, and therefore was pretty much useless whilst sleeping, and resulted in some uncomfortable nights.
Breakfasts at the Ottoman, although offering alot, and generally good, was repetitive and lacked variation day to day. We ate at the hotel restaurant twice in the evening in the 2 weeks we were there and again the food was good, although we would have preferred to select off a menu as opposed to a buffet service (this is the same format every evening). If you have a big appetite however you can’t go wrong here.
The beach is a 10 minute walk and is lovely in the morning. The beach is rather small and gets very overcrowded in high summer (July to September) when the Turkish holiday makers descend on the resort- and personal space is not in the culture of the Turks in comparison to us Brits- the beach gets quite snug, and not that relaxing!
Regarding restaurants in the area, we did find it difficult to find anywhere of really good standards and service, although we did find a few. Our favourite by far was a new restaurant located on the headland overlooking the bay by the beach called The Deniz. This was managed by a great guy called Mev and offers an idyllic setting, great service and better food. Another restaurant we recommend is the Golden Roof, situated in the town centre- don’t let the appearance and location put you off, this refreshing family run enterprise (Mum, Dad, brothers and sister work there every night) offered Mama’s unique dishes, which were top draw.

1 reader found this review helpful

Akyaka is beautiful and definately worth a holiday. The hotel is very pretty and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. The only down-side was the hotel manager, Galip, who is not a nice person at all.
He steals money and makes derogatory remarks about women (together with the rep Umut, who everyone thinks is marvellous, but isn't)... and if you don't drink alcohol, chances are you won't be able to make a direct booking again in the future, as Galip only likes guests who make more money for the hotel (or should I say for HIM) by using the bar or the mini-bar in the rooms.
The staff are wonderful, even though Galip swears at them and treats them badly. He also prefers guests he can manipulate, i.e. he'll offer them something, in return for them putting in a good word to the owner, Mr Koc. I would go back to Akyaka, but not to this hotel. Maybe a letter to Mr Koc is needed....

4 readers found this review helpful

We enjoyed a lovely break for a fortnight at the Ottoman Residence. The staff were keen to help in any way they could and the atmosphere was calm and peaceful - just what we needed.
We stayed in a Duplex apartment which suited us admirably apart from the air conditioning.
This was very efficient in the downstairs part but was positioned in such a way that it had no effect on the upstairs where the main bed was located.
Mosquitoes were the main hazard but this could be overcome by liberal applications of the local repellent. We found the sprays and potions bought in Britain totally ineffective and would recommend waiting to buy the local spray which seems to be stronger.
Akyaka is a lovely little resort which seems to have managed to ignore the worst elements of commercialism. The Turkish people were very friendly. We loved the whole atmosphere and would happily return to the same hotel although we might choose a later month to avoid the high temperatures of a Turkish summer.
We would strongly recommend the hotel for its peace, atmosphere, cleanliness, location, and levels of service.

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed at the Ottoman Residence for 1 week on a Bed and Breakfast basis, and we thought it was fantastic. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly and the hotel and grounds were kept spotless.
We decided to go Bed and Breakfast after reading some comments about the food, and although we never dined there in the evenings, we learned from other guests that the food was very good, so our concerns were unfounded. Definitely a good idea to take a small torch with you as a section of the pathway is poorly lit. Other good things about the hotel were - no kids and no Germans! The guests were Brits and Turks. In fact, we did not come across a single German all the time we were there!
We dined in the village/town each night and never had a bad evening meal although a couple of daytime snacks were a little strange. Golden Roof and Kazan were very good and the Maydanoz near the Golden Roof does a good English breakfast (the hotel breakfast was OK but it got a bit boring!) Avoid the Gordo Beach and the Sumak. In conclusion, great hotel, people and location, would definitely go back.

6 readers found this review helpful

We have recently returned from a wonderful holiday in Akyaka. We chose the Ottoman Residence for several reasons.
We wanted a quiet holiday to rest up, a nice hotel in a peaceful resort, with a beach, local restaurants selling Turkish food and of course plenty of sun. All of this we received and more.
We travelled with Anatolian Sky, and we would recommend them to anyone. We were met at Dalaman Airport and transferred to our hotel by a very pleasant careful driver.
On arrival we received an excellent welcome by the staff and provided with an extremely nice room overlooking the pool and gardens. Akyaka itself was everything we were looking for.
This resort has mainly Turkish families and local students enjoying week-ends and holidays, it was great to be able to enjoy their culture and we found everyone friendly and helpful.
The beach is fantastic and the local Bar/Restaurants cater for all your needs. We also sampled many of the Restaurants and found each to be equally enjoyable.
For those wishing to experience a truly Turkish holiday Akyaka is perfect. Perhaps for the more mature, as there is no night life which we prefer.
Please don't let this wonderful little resort be spoiled. Hotel 9 out of 10. Resort 10 out of 10.

5 readers found this review helpful

I have just been looking for a holiday for this year and saw the Ottoman Residence where we went last year. I remember it very fondly as we had a super, restful break.
It was a lovely hotel; the staff were polite and friendly and attentive but unobtrusive.
The restaurant manager was excellent, very professional and friendly, everything was smoothly operated.
The gardens are very pleasant during the day with a quiet peacefulness where most people just relaxed and read their books. In the evening the gardens provide a lovely venue for the evening meal with live classical guitar some evenings, barbecues or set meals.
We did not book in half board but it was so nice we stayed at the hotel for several evening meals, which is quite unusual for us.
The hotel is spotless and the maids put flowers etc on the bed most days. We had a duplex room which had a mezzanine for the bedroom.
The breakfasts were good, buffet style. Nice pool side snacks available. .The only thing not good is the awful cordial breakfast orange juice.
There are lots of good trips available with great guides. No children which is a bonus if you want a quiet break.
Definitely not the hotel for boozing, karaoke etc- very boring people reading, lovely!

2 readers found this review helpful

The perfect place for a relaxing break. Interesting architectural style of hotel well detailed. Very peaceful setting with no piped music outside & no children under 12.
Guests tend to sit around reading so it feels like a study centre. Free Wi-Fi broadband access with 2 pc's available but worth taking a laptop. Great location just a short walk along the river to town.
Very attentive helpful staff make you feel pampered e.g. stunning towel origami with inserted rose petals -little touches like this make all the difference. Ideal for honeymoon. Good value.
Our 1st visit but not last. Akyaka residents very friendly, extremely helpful, and honest with impeccable manners -no hassle at all. Public transport cheap & comfortable -small buses with curtains & air conditioning -regular buses to Mugla & from there to other towns; daily buses to Marmaris (one visit is enough)!
Krystal restaurant exceptionally good but don't miss out on the fish boat cafes -cheap & fresh. Best supermarket is at the top of the town on the right past the crossroads. Take binoculars & sunscreen.
Highly recommended in every way.

1 reader found this review helpful

Ottoman Residence has grounds which are situated by the river. The gardens have large comfy cushions which are a must to be lazy and watch the varied wildlife which is around.
The room which we had, was big enough for the three of us and had two bathrooms which was great and meant that we could all be ready at the same time.
One drawback was that we were fortunate to have a balcony big enough for the three of us, although if you had a smaller room the balconies were not so accommodating.
The staff at the resort could not do enough to help and assist and were some of the most genuine and helpful I have ever come across.
The resort of Akyaka is not a big one and if you are looking for a lively place then this may not be for you. There are plenty of wonderful restaurants all very well priced.
As the town is on two levels you can chose which part of the town you would like to take your evening stroll. There are some very nice fish restaurants which are situated directly on the river, and whilst they may be a little pricey in comparison to the town they are worth the extra for the setting.
I would recommend that you hire a car if you plan to stay here to enjoy the surrounding countryside and towns.
Anatolian Sky made the gusts feel very welcome and the trips which were booked, were a pleasure as we were collected in small minibuses and supplied with water.
Only one drawback was the return journey. At the airport there were a few queries and after standing in a very long queue at check-in, where there were discrepancies, the staff merely send passengers back to the customer services desk.
It would have been useful to have the service of a rep on hand to assist, but apart from this a very enjoyable experience and I would recommend a trip here before commercialism sets in.