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Heating at our Ephesus vacation accommodation is provided by cast iron caulderons using olive wood trimmed from the olive groves or replaceable wood supplies. Insulation was incorporated into the walls to avoid loss of heat in the winter and to prevent overheating in summer. The water for the houses is heated by solar energy. The waste wood from the olive grove is used to provide fuel for the winter heating. Wherever possible we have used energy saving bulbs and have put notices up encouraging visitors not to waste water or energy wherever possible.
Wherever possible things are purchased from the village and the villagers for the cottages. Fresh produce is purchased from the neighbours including local goats cheese. Local people are employed to run the houses. Local craftsmen were used for the restoration using traditional methods. All windows were made from local wood in the exact style of the original frames. Even the hinges on the shutters and the locking mechanism were forged by the local blacksmith.
The area surrounding the houses has been planted with fruit and olive trees and all existing trees around the houses have been preserved during the construction. The café uses Olive oil form our organic olive grove. All furnishings at our Ephesus vacation accommodation are natural materials either cotton or wool in the form of felt used to insulate underneath carpets.
This is a small Anglo Turkish run business ,which started when the whole family fell in love with the village in 1999. Two months after their first visit they purchased what was to become Grapevine House from a local shepherd. Although he had been living in one room in the house the rest was inhabited by swallows and the downstairs was a stable long since abandoned which they explored with the help of a box of matches as there were no windows. Without damaging the tangerine trees the restoration began and the house was restored to its former glory with some mod cons added but nothing to spoil the atmosphere of the house. This husband and wife team with experience in teaching and handicrafts had already restored period apartments in the Genoese heart of the city of Istanbul, Omers home town, however encouraged by completing Grapevine House they acquired 2 complete wrecks and started to reconstruct them. Unable to resist the beauty of Sirince they have vowed to give up city life for good once all their plans in Sirince are complete. After 6 years of restoration the 3 cottages opened for business and the family juggle the running of the houses with their commitments in Istanbul. They are helped by their 2 daughters Sibel and Nesrin and the very capable Aysel Hanim, who ensures that everything is kept up to scratch for all visitors . No doubt during your stay you will meet one or all of us as we all like to spend as much time as possible in the village.
We invite every traveler who books a vacation via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the vacations they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same vacation can have different views!
