Villa Bati Gul

Review of Villa Bati Gul

Location

The villa is situated in a great location just a 10–15-minute leisurely walk to Dalyan town center, the walk into the town is not strenuous all flat walking there are a couple of small supermarkets and bars five minutes away. Dalyan itself is a great family resort with lots of bars, restaurants and shops to visit the area feels very safe, and the locals were very welcoming everywhere we went. Dalyan is located on the river with lots of boat trips available and the beach is a river taxi away.

Communication with the Owner

The communication with the owner Sinan was good before our visit although the Airport transfer we arranged with him did not turn up at the pre-arranged time, After getting access to the internet and contacting him, he quickly arranged for a pickup. During our stay we had no contact from Sinal he told us the next-door neighbours would meet us at the villa as they managed the day-to-day maintenance but again after passing the keys to us we did not see them again but they did say if we had any query’s to go to them.
Facilities & Advert Accuracy
The advert's accuracy and facilities are where we felt disappointed, the advert states that there are two bikes available to use, but both had flat tyres and did not look like they had been used in a long time or safe to use, there is no WiFi available at the villa which is a must-have, so we had to purchase two Turkish sim cards at a cost of £30 each as I needed it for work and the Kids cannot do without it!!. The description states that there is a spacious fifth bedroom but this is totally not fit for purpose the heat alone in the loft space would be unbearable, you have to be bent double to move around, there is no storage or air-conditioning and the room had not been prepared for use, it was full of bits of looked like rotten wood flakes from the wood panelling on the roof, this was all over the floor and mattress. The advert states that the Villa can sleep up to 12 people, we were a party of 5 and in my opinion, the most the villa can accommodate would be 8 and that’s pushing it. This is because the ground floor bathroom description is accurate but the first-floor bathroom is a toilet, with a shower on the wall next to the toilet, (as shown in the pictures) in reality when someone takes a shower the toilet and floor become very wet so using the toilet after someone has had a shower means mopping the floor and wiping down the toilet.
In all the other villas we have stayed in and there have been lots, there has always been a mid-stay visit from cleaners to change the bedding and swap towels etc, this did not happen to be fair this was not advertised but we took it for granted there would be a visit however there was enough towels and extra bedding available so I guess I should have asked the question before booking!
The advert also states that the following facilities are available but they are not.
No Dishwasher, Microwave, Ironing board, Glassware (were mostly coloured plastic), there were no plugs in the sinks or tea towels/dishcloths Why?
The remotes for the HiFi, Television, DVD, and TV Box all had no working batteries Why? These are small issues and did not bother us but if you had young children and wanted to use the TV etc. you would have had to go and buy batteries.

Outside

The pictures of the outside are not representative of how the outside is now, the grassy areas have been replaced with small pebbles with scorched grass growing through, making it uncomfortable to walk on with bare feet, the trees and planting have changed significantly, the pictures of the outside need updating, I did my research looking on the Facebook page for the villa and again those pictures are out of date, it’s almost like the villa has had no guests for a number of years, hench no recent reviews.
The pool is great although the guy who came occasionally to maintain it asked if we could keep topping it up with water with a hose pipe as the water level kept dropping, It was not a problem but should this be our responsibility?

Overall

Whilst this review may seem critical, we felt it was only fair to future guests to share our experience of the villa and make them aware of what to expect, we did have a great time at the villa and we could have complained but we were on holiday and just enjoyed our holiday in Dalyan, with a bit of love, money and attention to detail the villa could be so much more. It has so much going for it, location, the pool, the inside is dated but clean and functional it is in very safe peaceful location, the cost to stay here is good so maybe the price reflects what you get, I would recommend this villa but not to anyone who had more than 6 in their party.

My message to Sinal the villa owner is to update your pictures and description of the villa and invest a little money in updating the villa provide the facilities you advertise and get WiFi installed.

Very peaceful and relaxing despite having properties on 2 sides. It is set in a residential area but we barely seen any of the neighbours and when we did they were all very friendly. Villa is a good size for 4-8 people with a good sized pool. The swimming pool is a fairly deep 1.8m, this wasn't a problem for us as our kids are teenagers but if you're travelling with younger children then pack armbands or there's plenty of space in the garden to pop up an inflatable paddling pool. We all loved being at the villa and in Dalyan. It was our third visit to Dalyan so that should speak for itself.

Villa Bati Gul is a lovely private villa set in beautiful mature gardens and although it had neighbours the area was very quiet both during the day and night. Whilst surrounded on 3 sides there is only one area of the outdoors that is slightly overlooked, making it feel very private and secure.
The villa itself was comfortable and had all the usual facilities, my slight concern would be the ability to actually fit 12 people in the villa. Technically you can sleep 12 (the sofas act as double beds) though I suspect it would be rather crowded for space, however if you were using the villa as a base then this could work. With regards to bathroom facilities for full occupancy I think you would struggle.
Dalyan and the surrounding area is beautiful and as the advert states it is a short 10 -15 mins walk from the villa into the centre of Dalyan, where you will find a good choice of bars, restaurants and shops, along with the beautiful river. There are several shops closer to the villa where you can buy basic provisions, along with some restaurants if you don't fancy the walk into town.
We didn't venture into town very often, as we had a small child in our party, however on the occasions that we did I was surprised to also find the town peaceful and relaxing in an evening. No loud clubs, bars blasting out music - we we certainly didn't come across any.
All in all I was very impressed with the villa, from the communication with the owner to the transfers, etc Would definitely consider returning. :-)
A very enjoyable holiday was had by all :-)

Our holiday from start to end was fantastic villa was great pool was sublime mark the owner very helpful ibo the manager was a godsend nothing was to much trouble would recommend this villa to anyone cheers james and 8 other happy members of our family

My Family included my mother who is 84 down to my grandson at 3 years old .Mark the owner was very helpful and was on call if needed he arranged our transfers with Ibo who also was on call if needed .We arrived on in mid April so the weather was a little un predictable but out of 14 days only one was rained off the temperatures were around the mid 20s not bad for April 2014 .The Villa is in a great location just 10 mins from town or if you use the bikes 5 mins at a slow pace, several mini markets within a couple of minutes . The grounds and pool are looked after every day except Sunday to a high standard we had a lot of use from the pool .Right next door we fell in love with Daisy the cow although the chickens were early risers they were grateful of left overs and we were even given eggs by the owner . Inside the Villa was clean and good condition.

We have stayed in several Dalyan villas and found the Bati Gul very comfortable and clean and within easy reach of the town centre. There is an excellent verandah adjacent to the pool which is perfect for the searing afternoon temperatures. The management team are very friendly and attentive. Only negative is the barbecue is tiny and doesnt look as if it has ever been cleaned.