Ekinci Palace

We booked our trip to the Ekinci Palace partly because the package was comparatively cheap, and also because of the positive reviews we’d seen on holiday websites. We certainly weren’t disappointed. The room was spacious and well equipped for a bit of “one pot” home cooking. Everything was clean, and the staff all very friendly and good-humoured. What particularly surprised us was the standard of the restaurant, where the meals were of a much higher quality than we’d expected. The pool area is very well kept, and my one regret was that I didn’t get to have a go on the waterslide. The problem was that there’s no attempt to keep other swimmers away from the outlet of the watershoot, so it would be easy to find yourself hurtling out from it straight onto a 4 year old kid in waterwings; not a good idea! Being in the “Old Village”, it was quiet, which suited us fine. There was music, of course, in the bars and restaurants around there, but kept at a reasonable level and turned off at around midnight. Some people might find the walk to the beach a bit of a drag, but it’s only 15 minutes and very straightforward; just follow the path of the canal. You can get the dolmus bus, but it’s actually no quicker by the time you’ve waited for it. Another plus is its closeness to the “Café Rose”, of which you’ll see rave reviews on many holiday review sites; it’s a 5 minute walk away. Rose’s Turkish special nights are a “must” for foodies. If anyone ever spoils the fun by correcting her English on the handwritten menu outside, I’ll strangle them! Who could resist the charm of going to a place where you can sample such delicacies as “Fried peper garlic sos” and “Suffed wine lifes”? I’ve seen on other sites that some people have difficulty finding Café Rose, but it really couldn’t be simpler. Once you get to the Old Village, just head towards the spire of the Mosque. Once you’re there, you’ll either have already passed Rose’s, or anyone will tell you where it is; you’ll be about 50 yards away. I should also mention the little hotel next door to Rose’s, the Baba Sahin, run by a charming Welsh couple, Stuart and Carol, which is good for a few drinks before the meal. My other recommendation would be the Kerem restaurant, down by the other canal where the daily market stalls are; Turkish cooking at its best, although admittedly a bit of a hike from the Ekinci. Best to reserve in the morning, as it’s becoming increasingly popular, and you’ll be given a better table. I should add a mention of our travel company, “Jewel in the Crown”, whose organisation was excellent throughout; (they can’t of course be blamed for the usual disorganised shambles and endless queueing at Dalaman airport). Their rep on the first morning actually spent time giving us useful information rather than trying to sell us overpriced excursions. The one excursion we did buy was the “Dalyan transfer”, as our flight home was at 1.30 a.m., and we had to be out of the Ekinci by midday on the day before. Not cheap at £84 for the two of us, but bloody good value for money. Instead of sitting glumly looking at our watches on the last day, anticipating a 3 hour drive to the airport, and wondering whether our suitcases were safe, we had a belting day with a river trip to get covered in therapeutic mud and washing off in a natural thermal pool, before another boat trip past ancient, unbelievable carved rock tombs to the Dalyan turtle beach, where we did actually see a couple of turtles, before a lovely farewell splash by the perfect, sandy beach. There was lunch and dinner included, but after seeing how rubbish the lunch was, we all found our own restaurants for dinner; but that doesn’t spoil my view that it was good value, and made us forget that that day was the last day of our holiday. Apart from our marriage in Mexico, probably our best holiday ever!

if you have a booked a studio beware that you dont get G Block 710 as its made for midgets... honestly... we arrived early on the morning of the 16th June and had been travelling from 9 ish the night before and were taken to G710.. I sat and cried... it was horrendous. This was our honeymoon and just not what we had anticipated. It was up in the attic with sloped ceilings in all directions. I am only 5.2 but had to duck going into the bathroom, my husband would have knocked himself out if he'd had a few beers. We complained to management who upgraded us to a one bed apt still on a 4th floor but had to pay an additional £70. We had booked a studio but were told that there was nothing else available until the following Friday. I feel that what we paid for this holiday with all the extras ie.. additional £70 and then £3.50 per day air conditioning which is vital, we could have had much superior accommodation in Icmeler. The staff of the Bar/Restaurant are all lovely, and the rooms were cleaned somewhat each day, always had lots of towels but just felt cheated and disappointed. Must add that the guy on reception didnt appear at all surprised when we went to complain about the room. The pool is brilliant and the location is lovely as you are about 1 km from the main resort which I thought was lovely. I would go back to same place if I was guaranteed a pool view and an apartment....and we got it at the right price. there are beautiful apts in the main resort called Lighthouse Apts, if your budget could reach these, then I would recommend them.. they are absolutely gorgeous... Colleen and Ian Crothers 13th June - 29th June 09.