Flying

There are two international airports nearby. You can fly to Izmir’s Adnan Menderes International Airport, which is the closest to us. From there it’s about an hour down the O-31 highway towards Aydın. This is a toll road, but if you’re renting a car from the airport the rental company will sort you out with a  pre-paid device that gets you through the toll booths. Click through on the map’s full-screen link (top right corner) for a larger version and driving directions.

The alternative airport is Bodrum-Milas International. For anyone coming from the UK, you may find it easier to get flights to Bodrum, as it’s such a popular place with British tourists. This airport is further away (about an hour and half’s drive) but gives you a scenic route coming past Lake Bafa.

Airport transfers

If you’d rather not rent a car, let us know and we can help you arrange an airport transfer taxi service.

Driving: the last few kilometres

If you’re coming down the O-31 from Izmir, you have to look for the Germencik / Söke exit. That comes about 18km after you exit the 3km-long Selatin Tunnel. Then follow the signs to Germencik.

You’ll enter town from the west, along the D-550. You’re looking for the second set of traffic lights in town. Turn left, cross the railway line, then double back along the road running parallel with the railway for about 500 metres until you reach the train station again. At that point the road up through Hıdırbeyli is on your right. Look for the main street lined with teahouses, bakeries, and shops.

For more detail, zoom into either of the maps above and the route is laid out in blue.

Drive up that road for about 2km: you’ll know you’re on the right track when you go past a large white mosque on the right, under the elevated highway, and past the cemetery. Look out for all the speed bumps. Most of the traffic around you will be tractors at this point. Eventually the main road turns to the right, next to the colourful village school, and then at the central village plaza it turns right again. Look for the street name “Ilıca Caddesi“. Our old farmhouse is the last house in town. Look for it on the right, with a blue gate. At the same time, you should be able to see the hotel itself up on the hill above. Look for the white walls and the deep verandah roof over the terrace. Turn up the driveway a few metres beyond and come up to the hotel itself.

If you’re on the D-550, approaching from the west following GPS directions, there is one catch to look out for. Sometimes people are sent on a back road through the olive groves because the navigation software believes that’s the shortest route. (It probably is the shortest route by distance, but the road is pretty bumpy and no fun at all if it has been raining.)

Also, as of 2021, there’s a new route along the railway line that has opened up even though it’s not yet reflected in GPS software. If you would rather avoid Germencik and its traffic lights, it’s possible to make a left turn about 1km before reaching the town, at the crossroads where a sign points to Mursallı on the right. You then cross the railway line and immediately turn right for a short-cut that passes by the local hospital.

We’re on Google Maps, etc., but if you have any trouble finding us on your GPS our exact location is 37.8911 N, 27.5909 E.

Trains

If you don’t have a driver’s licence, or you don’t want to drive in Turkey, you can still visit us. There is a regular train service from Izmir airport that stops at Germencik railway station (the line then continues on to Denizli , the large town closest to Pamukkale).  Germencik station is just a few minutes drive away from our place. From there you could either catch a taxi (ask for Çetin at the taxi rank on the north side of the station) or phone us and we’ll come and get you.

Buses

Turkey’s inter-city bus services are a cheap and convenient way to travel. You can certainly catch an overnight bus from Istanbul down to Selçuk, Kuşadası, or Aydın, which puts you in our general area. From the bus station (otogar) in any of these towns, you should be able to find a dolmuş (small private bus running on a loop between two towns) to get you to Germencik.