an original hotel near eceabat

Dear Eric

Sorry it has taken me so long to write back to you. We are in the middle of winter now cold (7° to 18° and wet). It seems like our holiday in Turkey was a long time ago. However, we won’t forget the friendly people and the great time we had … ... I hope you are having a good summer with plenty of visitors. We really enjoyed our stay with you and were extremely well looked after.

Best wished to everyone at Gallipoli Houses.

Regards

Deborah and Ted Graham - Australia - April 2008

Dear Eric,

I enclose 2 photos of the wonderful dinner you put on for us during our magnificent stay at your Gallipoli Houses, we really had a great stay with you and Ozlem it definitely was the high light of our 5 week trip. Thank you to your great staff.
I hope we keep in touch from time to time.
Kind regards to you & Ozlem

Warwick Cary - Australia - July 2008

Dear Eric,

Joan and I are now back in Ireland, so this is the first chance that I have had to email and thank you for your hospitality while we were staying with you. We both had a wonderful time, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Joan & Peter Sheen - Ireland - April 2008

battle sites of Gallipoli. I also had the opportunity of meeting other guests and marvelling at the sunsets and stars at night with a few glasses of wine. You truly live in a nice part of the world.
Thank you also for arranging the meeting with Mr ORAL. It was brief but a good opportunity to discuss his book and of course have it signed.

I wish you all the best for the future and you may see us there again next year, hopefully. Best wishes to you and all your staff at the hotel and hope to see you all again soon.

All the Best

Glenn Hawkins and family - Australia/Uk - August 2008

Dear Eric and Özlem,

One over riding factor I must say, and that is that my break in Gallipoli was really three dimensional, first of course was the absolutely superb accommodation, secondly your hospitality and care could not be bettered anywhere, and thirdly the food was really out of this world and was a joy to experience, both its quality, presentation, and not least of all it quantity was absolutely first class.
Although I embarked on my sole journey filled with a certain level of trepidation, my arrival at the Gallipoli Houses and your welcome caused any worries I may have had to dissolve completely, I felt totally at ease in the company of everyone, and felt I was less of a visitor more of a friend, your extremely helpful advice as I set out each day on my adventures was really appreciated and gave me every confidence in the task I had set myself during my visit.

Michael Doyle - United Kingdom - March 2008

There has not been a day since we left Kocadere ... that I have not thought and fondly remembered our stay at Gallipoli Houses and the Peninsula. I am afraid I now have the bug and will need to return in the not too distant future to do more discovering, reflecting and learning. ... I have a card to send to you both to thank you so much for our stay. You both made us feel welcome and at ease and the service, meals and long chats and laughs by the fire, along with the peace and serenity of Kocadere were unmatched on the rest of our trip. It was very sad to leave Gallipoli Houses and by 4 pm on the day of our departure, we were ready to turn back and beg for a room for another week!! What made it extra special was your knowledge about Gallipoli and Turkey, Ahmet’s smile and attention to detail, and Ozlam’s fantastic cooking.

Helen Keown - Australia - February 2008

Hi Eric,

Now that we are back in Ireland our stay at the Gallipoli Houses is a fond and happy memory. On behalf of myself and my friends who stayed at Gallipoli Houses and who were hosted by yourself and Ozlem I would like to acknowledge the warmth and professionalism displayed by both you and Ozlem to us.
We were made to feel very welcome from the moment we arrived, the house is beautiful, the food was wonderful, the accommodation was first class, and your staff were courteous and helpful at all times and a big "thank you" is due to them as well. I would recommend Gallipoli Houses without hesitation to anyone who is visiting Gallipoli and look forward to my next visit.

Go raibh míle maith agat.

Seamus Dolan, friends & colleagues - Co. Tipperary - Ireland - September 2008

Hi Eric,

We really enjoyed our stay at The Gallipoli Houses and will have no hesitation in recommending you to any Australians travelling to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. The standard of accommodation was equal to or better than any that we encountered in our trip through Anatolia. And Özlem’s cooking was outstanding!
Hopefully we will get the opportunity to return, sometime in the future.

Kind regards,

Carol and Phil Haas - Australia - September 2008

Hi Eric & Ozlem,
Firstly, thank you for providing such exceptional hospitality & friendship during our visit to Gallipoli. Our 2-night stay with you at The Gallipoli Houses will be always remembered along with our tour of the Battlefields. Your accommodation, food & friendship was outstanding. Ozlem is a warm, friendly, wonderful host and such an excellenta cook! Your whole set-up is a credit to you both.

Cheers,

Mike & Sue Raggatt -Australia - October 2008

Dear Eric and Ozlem,

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to both of you for your wonderful hospitality during our recent visit. Gallipoli has needed an accommodation option like the Gallipoli Houses for years, and you deserve to do well. I am going to recommend the Gallipoli Houses as the number one choice for Australian visitors to Gallipoli in both my upcoming book and through my battlefield tours company.

Thanks once again, and if you are ever in Australia, please give me a call.

Cheers,

Mat Maclachnan - Australia - October 2008

Dear Eric,

Enjoyed our stay with you at your lovely Gallipoli Houses and remainder of trip thru Turkey.
I just want to thank you again for such a nice stay with you and our chats ...

Hope all your plans go well.

Best Regards.

Stuart Curnow - Australia - October 2008

Dear Özlem and Eric,

I’ve been back a couple of days now, but am still processing all the new impressions from a long trip.
A real highlight was my time on the Peninsula – thank you both, alongside Kenan, for making it that way. I’m sure you’ll be flooded with bookings once the new Lonely Planet is out, and will reinforce that in my own accounts here.
The rest of the trip brought very different territory, ...
... Best wishes to you both – it’s nice to think back to the days with you, and I almost miss the Arabic call to prayer…

Prof. Roger Hillman - Australia - November 2008

Eric,

Thanks for the birthday wishes. Nick and I had a really lovely time staying in Kocedere. A great way to celebrate his 30th. Thanks again for your amazing hospitality. We have been telling all of our friends that this is the place to stay when touring the Gallipoli peninsula!

Regards,

Hannah Croft - Uk/New Zealand - October 2008

Dear Eric,

Thank you for making our stay at The Gallipoli Houses so enjoyable. The accommodation was first class, the food superb, and not least, your wide knowledge of the campaign, which you shared so generously with us, ensured a most memorable stay. In fact as you will remember we extended our stay.
Our best wishes

Terry and Jenny Gregory - Australia
December 2008

Eric,

A belated note to thank you very much for looking after me so well when I stayed with you in early July. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about visiting Gallipoli, but the Gallipoli Houses were a particular highlight. Your location is outstanding, by far the most convenient to the battlefields, and your hospitality was first class: the room was great, the cooking terrific and the warmth of your welcome second to none. I especially enjoyed our chat long into the evening. I'm afraid to say that your status as a secret hideaway is under real threat - I have been telling everybody how wonderful you were!! Please pass by thanks to Ozlem and everybody at Gallipoli Houses.

Major-General Michael Crane - Australia - July 2008

We had an excellent holiday at Gallipoli. Warwick & Tim enjoyed themselves and of course I did as usual. Your accommodation was ideal for our needs. Hospitality was great and it was wonderful to catch up with the other people including Bill & Serpil Sellars.

John Meyers - Australia - July 2008

Dear Eric

Thank you so much for giving us such a wonderful insight into the Gallipoli peninsula. It was a very enjoyable trip. ...
... If Alli decides to come and paint for you, perhaps I can carry the brushes and easel!

Best wishes

Frances

F. Calman-UK-August 2008

Dear Eric and Ozlem,

Well we have been back in England for just over a week and expected our hearts for have followed us by now but no they are still with you both in Kocadere. We wanted to thank you for making our probably once in a lifetime visit to Gallipoli such a wonderful and unforgetable experience. We really did feel as if we were visiting our dearest friends as you made us so welcome and worked so hard to make it an experience we will never forget and keep reliving every day.
Although we cannot forget the horrors of war on Gallipoli the beauty of the land now is something we will treasure. We loved the peace and tranquility of your surroundings (even the drum call at 3.00am) and the magnificent sky at night.
Eric and Ozlem we would like to think that maybe we will return to see you again as we feel at quite a loss now we have returned! And Ozlem thank you so much for the wonderful Turkish dishes you prepared for us. You will both always remain in our thoughts and hearts.
We wish you every success for the future and hope that we can keep in touch from time to time

Sent with our warmest regards from Hazel and Bill

Hazel & Bill Adam - UK - September 2008

More testimonials from

2007, 2009 and 2010

Dear Eric and the Team

Back to work just sitting here remembering what a wonderful time I had in at the Gallipoli Houses. Food was great, hospitality genuine, welcome was warm, which made the farewells that much harder. Missing the peace and tranquillity, the walks were fantastic, and the people. I am looking forward to my next visit (all this from one who would never venture further than the Western Front)

Kind regards (and so back to work)

Peter and Cairine - United Kingdom - April 2008