My wife and I had never been to Turkey together before, I had always had the "...I'm not going to Turkey" attitude thinking it would be dirty, i'd have an upset stomach and my blonde-haired wife would constantly be getting hassled. However, we needed a sunshine break desperately and funding wise, this worked out perfectly when we booked through Thomas Cook online.
We booked at the supposed 2* Sahin apartments after reading a couple of other reviews online suggesting that the apartments would be clean and more than adequate. When arriving at Sahin down the rubble-track from the main road we were somewhat nervous, however once inside the entrance of Sahin we were very pleasantly surprised. We were greeted by the friendly staff, personally introduced to many of them and our bags carried up to our room. The room was on the top (2nd) floor and overlooked the pool and bar area. The cleanliness of the room was very impressive, as was the size of it. There was a large lounge/kitchenette area, a shower-room/wc/basin, and a large bedroom. Aircon in our bedroom was available for a small cost from the hotel but we opted not to use it.
The pool, poolside bar and terraced dining area were all kept clean and tidy and staffed until the last guest had gone to bed in the evening. However, noise was not an issue if you weren't the last person up!
We spent the majority of our 2 weeks around the pool at the hotel and found it thoroughly relaxing. A massive bonus of staying at Sahin is that there is a Hammam (turkish bath) adjoined to the hotel. During our stay we had two turkish baths (saunas, showers and full body exfoliate), a full body massage and mud packs on our faces so became familiar with the boss of the baths who spoke to us on a daily basis and shared drinks with us.
The town of Dalyan is a very enjoyable place to visit. Every evening we took the 10/15 minute relaxed walk in for evening meals and drinks and to take in the ambiance. We tried a different restaurant most nights and were very impressed with the quality of food, the price and the service. The locals could not do enough for us, both in the hotel and in the village. A particular favourite meal was the local traditional lamb "hotpot" cooked in a clay pot and broken into at your table.
On our days not lying by the pool we ventured to the Market in Dalyan both Saturdays of our stay - a very hot experience - enjoyable but two visits to a market in two weeks was adequate! We also spent a day on the "Discover Dalyan" trip incorporating the famous mud and sulphur baths, the large inland lake, the beach and a BBQ on the boat. Another day out was spent on a luxury yacht island hopping - we opted for the more expensive yacht option rather than the double-decker cheap boat - A choice which with certainly did not regret.
To sum up our holiday, it was superb, and we are looking to return to Dalyan this summer.
