The family holiday this year was to Dalyan in South West Turkey, which we chose because our youngest wanted to do something different, “please can we go somewhere other than Greece mum?“, and we didn’t want to travel too far. We picked Dalyan River Suites, by Simpson Travel, based on the images on our website and the reality certainly did not disappoint.
Dalyan River Suites is located within the Dalyan Delta conservation area. The river runs past the apartments and the resort town of Dalyan before opening into the sea at Iztuzu Beach, famous for its Loggerhead Turtles. 
Take advantage of the complimentary daily boat ride to the beach, or stroll into town – there are restaurants along the way and plenty more in Dalyan town.
The holiday will appeal to families looking for a relaxing holiday in beautiful surroundings, but with plenty to do. We took advantage of several organised boat trips put on by our host Rahmi who also runs the nearby Aydos Club Hotel, also a Simpson property.
First of all we wanted to try the Turkish Hamman, which was available at nearby BC Spa, and we understood this to be beneficial at the start of our holiday to ensure even tanning! We went as a family and lay on a large marble slab where we were exfoliated, massaged, soaped up and then rinsed with jugs of warm water – very relaxing and well worth a visit.
Our first organised trip was by boat up river to Lake Koycegiz for a swim, BBQ under the stars and a visit to the mud bath. There were a few children, as we travelled in the school summer holidays, and after this trip we hardly saw our youngest son as he made friends with the other kids staying at our apartments and Aydos Club Hotel. The lake is one of the largest coastal lakes in Turkey formed after earthquakes thousands of years ago; it is fed by fresh river water, tidal sea water and sulphurous water released from a fault line – for this reason the lake is warm. We all jumped off the boat and swam for about an hour while our host, Rahmi, fired up the BBQ and cooked us a feast of chicken kebabs which was served with meze, salads and wine.
A short distance back down the river we stopped again at Sultaniye Hot Springs and Mud Baths. Most of the images I’ve seen online of this are taken during the day and I can’t imagine how uncomfortable it must be in the heat of the day, but we arrived after sunset and still being a little damp from our swim, the mud bath actually looked quite inviting. Our guide threw himself in and immediately covered himself from head to toe in the stinking, slimy, mildly radioactive (??) goo. Less enthusiastically we ventured in and delicately daubed ourselves with the mud, meant to make to you 10 years younger and reputed to help with many other ailments too. After a shower off and a quick dip in the lake we bathed in the sulphurous thermal pool heated to 40 degrees, nicely warmed up we continued back down the river to our accommodation.
The next trip was also by boat, this time to the ancient city of Kaunos. With Hellenistic, Persian, Roman and Byzantine influences it is now mainly in ruins. Located high on the mountain with fantastic views across the Dalyan Delta towards Iztuzu Beach, it is easy to see how this city was able to capitalise on its once strategic location as a port, before its decline and eventually it was abandoned after a malaria epidemic. It was very hot and dusty, but we had been advised to take plenty of water. Rahmi was our guide and he spoke enthusiastically about Kaunos and showed us the highlights – the Roman baths, Christian church, amphitheatre and agora. 
As the sun was starting to lower we walked down to where the boat was waiting for us and continued through the reed beds to Iztuzu Beach for a swim and later a moonlit BBQ on the boat. By this time the kids have all bonded and have abandoned their parents to commune on the roof of the boat.
Our final organised trip was to Iztuzu Beach and the Turtle Hospital, this time by coach. The beach is only about 20 minutes from Dalyan and it is a scenic drive. We swam, had a picnic then visited the hospital to see the turtles, many of which are recovering from injuries caused by boat propeller blades. After this was more swimming, sunbathing and games on the beach.
Saturday morning is market day in Dalyan town, worth going for the amazing fruit and vegetables stalls and other local produce including honey and olive oil. I bought Hamman towels to bring home, Turkish Baclavas and Turkish Delight. There is also a Monday market at one of the lakeside towns, which you can travel to by boat.
With temperatures up to 40 degrees in August it needed a herculean effort to move away from the pool each day, the river setting and lush gardens made it all too easy just to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of Dalyan River Suites. But, as the sun goes down, the lure of food stirs us into action and so we change and get ready to stroll along the river to town and locate a restaurant for dinner.
We ate a couple of times at our apartments, they are fully equipped, but eating out is not expensive and this was a holiday after all! We tried several restaurants during our two week stay, but our favourite was Beyaz Gul, which was a little further along the river, but with an amazing view of the Lycian Rock Tombs which are illuminated at night. A magical spot, great food and atmosphere and with no WiFi a refreshing change.
At the end of the holiday we celebrated our sons birthdays by hiring a boat for the day from a restaurant on the riverside, taking snacks and drinks with us. We wanted to travel down river and try and get to a small island we could see from Iztuzu Beach to see if we could make our holiday complete by swimming with turtles. The waves can get quite high and as we crossed the distance from the river mouth to the small cove where we dropped anchor, we had to hang on not to be thrown overboard. We swam from the boat, jumping on and off and just as we were about to leave we spotted a turtle swimming under the boat along the sea bed. We grabbed our underwater camera and gave chase.
The perfect end to a great holiday!
Don’t forget to apply for your Turkish Visa before you depart.
For more information on this holiday contact us on 01932 866565 or email
