A land of Turkish delights

Villa Defne comprises four flats which each accommodate four people. Two in the spacious bedroom in single beds, while two bunk on sofa beds in the living room.

The kitchen is fabulous with all the necessary fixtures and fittings and the bathroom was a vision in marble – possibly the biggest, most spacious place for ablutions I have ever abluted in. I felt like Cleopatra.

While my companion and I were there, we had the entire building to ourselves. We spent many relaxing afternoons stretching out in the tiny, yet deep private pool, sipping Efes beer .

All the back gardens were filled with maize, grapes, fig trees and the fences were a riot of color – stuffed with Oleander and purple Bourganvilla.

Living amongst the locals we felt very safe. Walking home late at night along the potholed dirt track roads, with scarce lighting we never felt threatened.

The conical mountains rose up out of flat farmland in the evening mist. It reminded me of the Vinales region of north-western Cuba.

One of the most enjoyable factors about staying at the Villa Defne was that we really felt like we were seeing Turkey as the Turks do.

We saw ordinary people going about their business, farming, going to market and fishing.

On our 10 minute walk into the center of town, we passed a market, several local bars with regulars drinking tea and a selection of corner shops, all offering boat-shaped loaves of doughy bread that go so well with thick, chewy yogurt and pine tree honey.

Turks have a reputation as wild drivers, but in Dalyan everyone was more relaxed than in a big city such as Budapest, and most showed consideration.

Turkish people were incredibly friendly, welcoming and laid-back.

They all rushed out of their restaurants, carpet shops, or lokum (Turkish Delight) stalls as soon as we looked like pausing to peruse the menu or their goods, but they never hassled us and took no for an answer with impressive ease.

On an afternoon stroll to the Lycian ruins at Kaunos, past the incredible rock tombs, hewn out of the side of the cliff, we passed an old granny who said " Merhaba" (good day) while trotting home.

A succession of storks sitting in line on their nests reminded me of the Hortóbágy. If it hadn’t had been for the mosquitoes and the randy bull frogs croaking, I could have sworn we were in paradise.

Dalyan is incredibly peaceful and restful, but you have the option to do so much.

There is an endless choice of restaurants with excellent meze (starters) and freshly caught fish. If you’re nervous about foreign food there’s pizza, roast beef for Sunday lunch and Steak Diane, but they do the meze so much better – just as long as you like aubergine.

Kaunos tours arrange all kinds of trips – from white water rafting to kayaking to jeep safaris.

Every day there’s some kind of trip being organized.

We decided to go on the luxury boat trip around 12 islands, starting out from Göcek. We felt like film stars, stretched out on the carpets laid out across the back of the gulet- a flat, wooden sailing boat-cum-motor boat.

Most people we met had been before half-a-dozen times already.

"There’s something about Dalyan that just draws you back" said June, already on her fifth trip.

"It’s so homely and relaxing. We were worried that there might not be enough for our teenagers to do, but they find it," she said, and their daughter indeed was suffering the after-effects of research into Turkish wine.