Luxury accommodation in the Aegean countryside

TV news for Australian readers

Hello, everyone.

Not a full post, just a quick announcement really. Much to our surprise, it looks like our episode of Our Dream Hotel has turned up on Australian television before it has made it to UK television. I know: very strange, but beyond our control.

So for any Australian friends who are interested: it’s on the Foxtel network, on the “Lifestyle and Documentaries” channel. We are season 1 episode 5 and I hear they’ve changed the title to Alex Polizzi’s Dream Hotel. It should be screening at 9:05am this coming Sunday, 8 October. (Not sure what time zone that is, presumably east coast.) Apologies for the Sunday morning time-slot: I don’t know whether Foxtel do on-demand streaming or anything like that so if anyone knows more about it please feel free to comment.

And for everyone else, a few progress photos.

If you squint you can see the new railings at the back of the pool area.

Railings on the terrace (still unpainted).

Recently Koray has been doing a ton of welding work as we put up a few more iron railings near the pool and on the cafe terrace. We’ve done this partly to help visually define the different areas of the site, but mainly it’s for safety.  Clearly we’d prefer to stop kids or drunk people ever taking a tumble down the steep hill that leads down to the road.

Kitchen looking more like a kitchen now.

Drawers!

The kitchen is looking much more like a place you could actually cook food in. Sirem and Çisem’s tiling work turned out wonderfully. The tiled worktops are very practical, we have a half-door to close off the kitchen from the cafe when we need to, and we also have actual working drawers. (Much better than keeping all the cutlery in a large basket.)

Only a few finishing touches needed now: grabbing the other fridge from the old farmhouse kitchen, installing a ventilator fan for the stove, building a big pantry cupboard, and building some stairs to the loft.

Sirem making planter boxes for the terrace.

As you can see the cafe is currently being used as a woodworking studio, but that’s all going to change soon. Later today we’re cleaning it out so we can set up all the new tables we’ve built. Looks like the remaining picnic tables are going to have to be built outside, but at least the weather is not so hot any more.

Garden still cheerful in October.

16 Comments

  1. Cliff

    Hi You Two,
    More stunning work is evident. Well done!
    If Alex Polizzi doesn’t get her act in order and get this shown on UK TV, I’ll get my gang onto her, walking sticks an’ all.
    Luv,
    Us x

    • Jason

      Cheers, Cliff!

      To be fair, I don’t think it’s actually Ms. Polizzi’s fault. But if you think your gang could persuade the management at Channel 5, please go ahead. Perhaps some angry letters to the Radio Times. :)

  2. Marg Noble

    Hi Jason and Sirem
    Wow it all looks fantastic well done to you both. John and I will be watching!!
    Marg x

    • Jason

      Cheers, Marg! Hope you enjoy it.

  3. Sean

    I heard you got bookings from people in Australia after the TV show aired? Great news, at least you know it paints you in a favourable light :-)

    • Jason

      Yes, the first we knew it had aired in Australia was when we had a sudden rush of comments and inquiry emails. A very pleasant surprise!

      I suppose the show paints us in a favourable light. I hope it does, anyway. There’s some mildly exaggerated drama that these kinds of shows always have: “Will they succeed against the odds? Find out after the break!” And I get why they have to make it that way. But part of the dramatic presentation is showing some negatives, and they really don’t shrink from that: the unfortunate timing in terms of local political events, for example. And I think the narrator implies that we might be hippies with no business sense at one point. :) So overall I think it’s quite balanced coverage, and it ends on a positive note. It’s not one of those series where the viewer is supposed to delight in seeing people fail.

      I wish there was an easy way for you to see it — be curious to see what you think. I’m sure we’ll get a recorded version to you eventually.

  4. Gwen and Denis Brookes

    Good Day from W.A.
    We saw the programme last week and it inspired us to sign up for your updates. You are inspirational and truly deserve to succeed. Keep up the good work !!
    Dr Gwen Brookes
    Perth
    W. AUSTRALIA

    • Jason

      Thanks very much, that’s kind of you to say. On days when our energy gets a bit low, it gives us a real boost to know that people around the world are reading the blog or watching the TV episode and enjoying it.

  5. Marg Noble

    Hi Jason and Sirem
    We taped the T V segment this morning and have just watched it. Fantastic to see the development progress and it was a great effort by both of you to show the progress to viewers.
    Jason: we noted that your title has been upgraded to “assistant to the manager”. Another sign of real progress.
    Let’s hope that after all the hurdles which have occurred this T V program will help to get more guests to come and stay. It should because we think that the presentation was impressive and will hopefully get people to come and stay.
    Well done to you both.
    John & Marg

    • Jason

      Thanks, Marg.

      We’re certainly getting some nice feedback and some booking inquiries from people who’ve seen it. Which is great.

      And yes, I think if I play my cards right, an eventual promotion to the coveted assistant manager spot is there for the taking. :)

  6. Kaye Norman

    Jason and Sirem,
    Great news about the programme airing somewhere in the world.
    We don’t have the luxury of Foxtell in downtown Baw Baw, via Goulburn, but I have kept up with your hard work from the beginning of your journey and can appreciate all you have done.
    The programme will probably make it to Free-to-Air in Oz eventually so hopefully we will see it then.
    Good luck and well done, you deserve it.

    • Jason

      Hi, Kaye. Thanks for the good wishes and for following the blog for so long. Agreed; hopefully the TV show will turn up on a free-to-air channel soon. And, failing that, if we find a way for people to legally watch it online we’ll let you know.

  7. Philippa Sandford

    We just watched the show in Sydney and it came across really well! Wish we lived closer. Foxtel repeat shows all the time so hopefully you’ll get many viewers which turn into real business. Keep up the great work!

    • Jason

      That’s nice to hear about the repeats! And thank you.

  8. Clair and Brett

    Hi
    We taped the series on Foxtel and just watched it with a glass of red. We are based in North Brisbane, Queensland. Congratulations you’ve made our list of places we want to visit in the next 10 years. What an amazing feel good journey to be part of.

    • Jason

      Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed the episode and we look forward to meeting you one day when you come to Turkey.

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