ITTN’s Louise Ducrocq was incredibly lucky to be invited on a 4-day FAM trip to Dalaman, Muğla, Turkey, supported by Aer Lingus and Go Türkiye. Our guide extraordinaire Öznur Doksözhave, from Go Türkiye, planned a tradition-steeped day visit to one of the most historic cities in Türkiye; Dalyan.
The lucky attendees were ITTN’s Louise Ducrocq, Jackie Lowry from the Omni branch of Best4Travel, Andrea Holmes from Sunway, Michelle McCabe from Bookabed TBO, Louise Kenna from Cassidy Travel Dundrum, Lynne Casey from Fahy Travel and Sonia Ladeira from O’Hanrahan Travel.
We started the day with a knowledgeable history crash-course with Öznur, who seemed to know pretty much everything about the history of this beautiful country – essentially a 12,000 year-old blend of culture.
Even though the first traces of human civilization are believed to be from 4,000 BC, in 1995, a German archaeologist excavated a Turkish temple that would be dated from 10,000 BC – this staggering discovery, still slightly controversial today, makes the Göbekli Tepe temple not only the first temple to ever be built, but the earliest trace of human civilization.
Öznur then walked us through a chronological fresque of Turkey, a land that is actually called Anatolia when referred to its early stages. From the 6,000 year old worship of the sun to the Greek and Roman empires, Istanbul being the beating heart of Constantinople, the Red Sea’s 24 colonies peacefully co-existing and more, this was such an interesting conversation to have!
« Anatolia is the result of a huge mix of cultures, customs and traditions that came to the shared land and lived together for thousands of years. Each civilisation passing left something and that’s what makes Turkey what it is today. Anatolia is a passage way where each left their print” said Öznur Doksözhave, our guide with Go Türkiye.
After driving for about 45 minutes from the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa, the lovely bunch arrived to Dalyan, one of the most historic towns of Anatolia, therefore of modern Turkey. They were able to visit the gorgeous Dalyan Resort Spa Hotel, a boutique hotel that makes the preservation of its city’s history and ecosystem a top priority. This is Turkey’s first eco hotel, and it produces as much as possible itself – olive oil from 300 year old olive trees, all fruits and vegetables, cheese, herbs and spices.
We then got to discover the richness and diversity of activities available to the lucky visitors of Dalyan. We notably got to take part in a scenic boat ride through the wetlands of the Dalaman river heading for the Iztuzu Beach, where we got to see from fairly up close the jaw-dropping 4,000 year old Kaunos royal tombs.
These outer-world looking tombs are part of Dalyan’s Kaunos ancient city, one of the oldest traces of civilisation known to man! They are carved into the rocky mountainside as they were aimed at welcoming the dead and lifting their souls as close as possible to the sky so they would be near God.
To the modern eye, they look like the entrance of a Greek Temple but they are actually sacred places where the richest would get buried with all their earthly possessions to get ready for the afterlife. Now, witnessing that breathtaking history from a slowly rocking boat, with a slight breeze on your neck and the sun warming up your skin – that’s being close to heaven isn’t it?
If you were still doubting it, you will be fully convinced when arriving to Iztuzu Beach – with its deep blue waters, dancing waves and scenic mountains, Iztuzu is the place you should see.
After diving into the warm ocean water and sipping on cocktails at the beach bar, we got back onto the boat heading to, without a doubt, the most beautiful restaurant I had ever seen (don’t take my word for it, have a glance at the pictures) – La Bohème. And i’m not just saying this because it’s a French-inspired restaurant. You will get the best service there, surrounded by the Dalaman river, pink flowers hanging from the ceiling, a light breeze cooling you down, all the while admiring the Kaunos tomb while enjoying your meal. We enjoyed Turkish white wine and Prosecco, a mezze of Turkish food, 3 huge whole sea bass to ourselves and a salad that was so good, even though it was a shared plate, I did not want to share…
Getting back to Dalyan’s city centre, there are myriad of activities one can take part in; visiting the many archeological sites of the region including the ancient city of Kaunos, bathe in mud, hot and cold springs which have a uniquely enriched clay soil for skin and hair care, a boat tour around the neighbouring lake, or enjoy the lively nightlife in Dalyan’s many bars and clubs. If you have a way to get there (mostly by car) you can go down Aşi Koyu, a stunning private beach in a small bay with crystal blue water and a zip line for the most adventurous!
Muğla is a huge city, and there is plenty to do. That is why, on the third day of the trip, we headed to Göcek – a small fancy town mostly regarded for its huge marina, welcoming small wooden fishing boats besides yachts that are as big as a house – nay, a villa. We were incredibly lucky to hop on a fully wooden boat for the day, sailing around the Göcek Bay.
This private charter can host up to 12 people, for a day out on the sea or for a couple of days exploring the bay in depth. The ship brought the group to a lovely secluded port where they had the most beautiful view for lunch while enjoying Turkish food. After lunch, we were able to enjoy various swimming spots, soak up the sun on the boat’s sunbeds, and partake in the most adventurous, try paddle boarding (shoutout to Michelle from Bookabed, Andrea from Sunway and Louise from Cassidy Travel, you’re fearless!).
Both of these cities are fairly close to the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme Resort & Spa – 40 minutes to Dalyan and 20 minutes to Göcek. As you may have read a few days ago on ITTN, the whole bunch was treated to the most amazing stay at this 5-star luxury hotel.
On the very last day of the trip, Irem Gün, Sales & Marketing Executives for the Hilton Dalaman showed us around this 300,000 sq m property.
Located just 20 minutes away from Dalaman International Airport, the resort provides an Ultra All-Inclusive concept with a total of 23 internationally-inspired dining opportunities, 6.000 sq m of a spacious Spa, Turkish bath, skin care and a choice of 538 luxury rooms and suites.
A total of 10 pools and two aqua parks across the resort are at the disposal of the families, couples, and visitors of all ages. With four meals a day in the buffet and six À la carte restaurants, 24/7 snack restaurants and room service, 12 bars including a roof-top bar as well as a huge beach bar with daily entertainment, a patisserie, and 538 rooms of 18 different types, the resort truly caters to everybody’s needs. In addition to the free of charge spa, it has a myriad of activities one can take part in – from water sports to tennis, soccer, yoga, pilates, squash and soon, golfing (their 18-holes golf course is set to open in a year).
At night, the resort puts on amazing shows to entertain everybody! We absolutely loved the Chillax band that fired up the dancefloor on the main scene!
For parents travelling with kids, it’s essential to know the Hilton Dalaman has a Kids Club, with daily supervised programmes adapted to specific age groups. Their ‘Kidz Paradise’ is equipped with everything from a dedicated arts and crafts room, game and book corner, activity area, baby room, splashing pool and Carpi’s Farm (a petting zoo that will win
over every kid’s heart!).
Guests between the ages of 10 and 15 can enjoy their holiday with dance lessons, cocktail courses, pool games and different activities in their Teen Club. Overall, this ultra-inclusive resort has everything one could dream of experiencing on their vacation – we thoroughly
enjoyed it.
ITTN’s Louise is immensly grateful to Aer Lingus and Go Türkyie for organising this wonderful trip, and to the Hilton Dalaman for having us. This was my first FAM trip and I can safely say I will never forget it. Head to ITTN’s social media pages to see the amazing reels showcasing everything we were lucky enough to experience in these 4 days. We can’t wait for the next one, and in the meantime, we will spread the word about the wonderful destination that is Damalan (with a direct Aer Lingus route from Dublin!).
