Owlsland, Bezirgan

Rural Idyll. Doubles from £70 B&B

This lovely guesthouse stands in a farming village set among wheat fields and woods 700 metres above hot and concrete-clad Kalkan. It has two parts; the owners’ modern home and delightful garden stands apart from the guest accommodation, a restored whitewashed stone farmhouse set among almond, fig orchards and wandering farm animals. There are threshing sleds, winnowing forks and scythes, and while such typical displays of agricultural artefacts can sometimes seem twee as horse brasses in British pubs, the setting here is so authentically rustic that it’s as if somebody has simply neglected to put the tools away.

The three double rooms, all bare boards and cedar roof beams with walnut wall panelling, are sparsely furnished in the frill-free Turkish way and have their own showers and bathrooms; they share a delightful roofed balcony area or köşk which is strewn with cushions for lazing. Food is served in the garden of the owners’ house where the redoubtable Pauline, formerly of Stirlingshire, and trained chef Erol provide excellent evening meals with an emphasis on vegetarian mezes. The place indeed rings with the call of owls, a state of affairs that should continue now that the dire threat of very local quarrying appears to have been averted, and is infused with a sense of good company. If the stars won’t suffice to guide you back to your room five minutes walk away, Pauline will happily lend you a torch. There’s more extensive walking on the adjacent Lycian Way, and hikers are regular guests here.

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www.owlsland.com   owlsland@ttmail.com