Our Turkey villa, nr to Patara Beach is nestled into a hillside hidden away from view and is intentionally designed to have a low visual impact on its surroundings. As with most village houses solar energy is utilised for hot water.
Our neighbour Süleyman and his wife Hatice are employed full time to maintain the house and its grounds. The grape vines, olive, pomegranate and fig trees have been with them since childhood and we prefer their earthly touch in the gardens. Their cow is our source of milk, their oven the source of our bread. Occasionally they may invite guests into their own home for dinner, a great opportunity for meeting local people and experiencing local customs and village food. To stay at Papatya is to experience an authenticity rarely encountered in the built up resorts along the coast.
The village has several fresh water springs. The drinking water at the house comes from these springs, reducing the consumption of plastic water bottles. Water is used consciously at Papatya. We do not have extensive lawns, and try to maintain an indigenous garden in order to reduce water consumption in the drier summer months. Most of the grounds are allowed to take their natural seasonal course.
We encourage guests to purchase local products such as honey, olive oil and tahini, and to shop in farmers markets and small grocers. In September when our grapes become ripe, guests are welcome to pick and enjoy them. No pesticides of any sort are used on the land.
Serkan studied Drama at Bristol University then worked as a film maker in Soho, London, but his love of his home country, Turkey, led him to set up a tour company. His itineraries combine extraordinary experiences in weird and wonderful places along with the traditional highlights. Serkan hand-picks local guides for their genuine respect, personality and charisma, who don’t just regurgitate information from textbooks. He believes that the incredible hospitality, curiosity and warmth of the people, as well as the landscapes and history, are what make Turkey so special. These ambient holidays offer an opportunity to see the country through the eyes of a local.
Listen to the podcast below:
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
