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Price Range: £350 to £700 (GBP)

Why Villa Idakoy?
Villa Idakoy was built by my parents, as a getaway place for their retirement days. They selected this area for many reasons, one of them was that the land was at my grandmother's village, Camlibel. Of course, the beautiful view of Edremit Bay from the high point of the land surely helped decide where to build the house, that is the view seen from the terrace now. It sits atop 50 thousand square meters of olive and fig trees, with a small creek to its right, canyoning under pine trees. On both sides of the house there are villages 500 meters away, but barely seen (or heard). The most striking feature of the house is the quietness that surprises most city people at first, a loud talk in one of the villages can be heard. Of course for the ones that arrive at night, looking up at the sky and suddenly seeing so many stars may prove to be an unforgettable experience. The area that Villa Idakoy is located at is the Kaz Daglari, or Ida Mountain. This mythologically rich mountain area was one of the key places at the Hellenistic time, with cities like Troy and Assos on its foothills, Pergamon at close proximity. Recently made a National Park, it has an East-West stretch of about 40 kms, with Bay of Edremit to its south. The highest point is about 1700 meters in altitude, making it ideal for trekkers and mountaineers to do daily hikes and easily reach the top at almost any weather condition. Mt.Ida is also known for its abundant, cold and quality water sources, it was called “the mountain of a thousand springs�. The lower altitudes are covered by olive groves, fig and almond trees, while the higher grounds are mostly pine forest. Mt.Ida has very good trekking routes, canyons and waterfalls to explore, without the necessity of having extensive mountaineering experience. Everybody can enjoy a nice hike up the mountain, with the duration, altitude and route all on their choice. Drinking water from any stream or fountain on the way, eating season's fruits right out of the trees and being greeted by any villager passing by are small beauties that Mt.Ida offer for the ones that walk its paths. Because Mt.Ida spans along its north coast, Edremit Bay is guarded against northerly winds and has the climate of much souther places, like Izmir. Not having much of an industry besides olives and olive oil, the sea is crystal clear and very pleasant, swimming at any point of the bay is possible and there is easy access to beaches at many points especially towards the west. Because of the vast amount of fresh water pouring into the bay area, the water temperature is never too high, always giving a pleasant chill even in the hottest summer days. A constant breeze keeps people from boiling over in the summer, some nights may even prove to be cool. Although the sea offers quality beaches and nice waters, the real experience in Mt.Ida is to swim in its many creeks, pools and waterfalls. Almost all of them being reachable within a 30-minute drive and a 30-minute hike, freshwaters of Mt.Ida offer something the sea can never match: secret swimming places in the heart of the forest, water crisp cold and awakening, and nothing but the sounds of the wild. Life in the Mt.Ida area is generally along the coast, with villages scattered throughout foothills. 5 minutes drive from the house is the town Gure, 10 minutes away there is Akcay to East and Altinoluk to West, 15 minutes from the house is the small city of Edremit. In all these places, there are small grocers, butchers and even weekly street markets at certain days of the week in each town, for shopping needs. On the road to Edremit, there are a couple of supermarkets like Migros and Gima, for bulkier shopping. Altinoluk is a more touristic place, and there are many eateries, bars and restaurants for different tastes. In general, Edremit Bay has a mixture of cultural heritage coming directly from Turkmens (old Turkish nomadic tribes of Middle Asia), and one of Greeks that used to live here until the beginning of the 20th Century. On top of the Modern Turkish Culture that is evident everywhere, hints of these two rather minor cultural influences show themselves for a careful eye. Stone houses, old villages, olive oil processing places and some villages being “different� from others are the classic signs of cultural diversity in the area. The most striking example is the Turkmen Festival in mid-August of every year, where the Turkmen families leave their homes for a week or 10 days to live on top of Mt.Ida. This is a tribute to their nomad days, when they lived at a much higher altitude in the mountains, and also a tribute to their sacred tomb of Sarikiz (The Yellow Girl), which is a character with a story that uses Mt.Ida as the backdrop.

Istanbul airport distance 400 km

Troy distance 90 km

Pergamon distance 120 km

Assos distance 45 km

Property Features
Sleeps 14
Doublebeds 1
Twinbeds 5
Cots 2
Bathrooms 5
Tv
Satellite 1
Cooker
Microwave
Fridge
Freezer
Centralheating
Linenprovided
Traffic Low
Sightseeing 1
Relaxing
Pets
Openfire
Patio
Balcony
Parking
Airport Izmir
Airportdistance 250 km
Beach 15 Minutes Away
Walking On site
Tennis 15 Minutes away
Climbing 15 Minutes Away
Nonesmoking
Garden