Local Information

The villa is on a quiet complex called ATO Tatil Sitesi that was built 13 years ago by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce as a holiday site for those of its members who wished to purchase a home on the Turkish Riviera. ATO is a very spacious site on which the villas are nestled amid orange, mandarin, lemon, medlar, fig, pomegranate, and palm trees. Rose, hibiscus, bougainvillea, jasmine, Pakistani night, and countless other beautiful and aromatic shrubs and plants compliment the fruit orchard. If your visit is at harvest-time, the fruit is yours.

Two large swimming pools and one small pool for children are open from May to October. The pools are cleaned continually, and provide an excellent facility for those who do not want to move more than a few hundred yards from their villa to swim. Both pools are circular and are flanked by sun awnings which give shade throughout the day, the sun beds are in plentiful supply, and for the use of villa owners and guests (no charge).

Underneath the larger of the twopools, the site shop sells all basic provisions and will deliver replacement water flagons (4 YTL – approximately £1.60 for 19 litres).

 

Fresh fruit and vegetables are also available on the site, being brought each morning by the neighbouring farmer’s wife. She sells whatever she harvests the night before, so you are guaranteed the freshest produce available.

Directly across the main road is the Total garage, typically Turkish, and hence operating a mini-market, an outdoor restaurant, and a small hotel.

To the east (5 mins on foot) Kizilot village has a good Sunday market selling fruit and vegetables, herbs, spices, clothes, and household goods. A small play area, an internet cafe, and a lady making Turkish pancakes (savoury and sweet) on the traditional cooking stove, make a visit more palatable for those in the family who groan at the thought of market shopping.

To the west (5 mins on foot to the cross-roads) Kizilagac is a developing tourist village, with several hotels, roadside stalls/shops, covered bazaar, chemist, mini-markets, internet cafes, and a water park. A good range of fresh produce is available daily at the cross-roads.