General: Nisanyan Evleri consist of a 5-room hotel and three comfortably furnished houses in the historic village of Sirince, located in the hills 11 km (7 miles) from ancient Ephesus. The hosts are Müjde and Sevan Nisanyan, authors of the bestselling guide The Best Small Hotels of Turkey.
The accommodations combine style and comfort with the genuine atmosphere of a beautiful Aegean village. All units have indoor bathrooms with round-the-clock hot water, and central heating is provided in winter. An unusually rich breakfast is included in the price.
Facilities at Nisanyan Evleri include a well-stocked library, a piano and free internet access for guests. There is no television on the premises - and no need for air conditioning as the village enjoys cool evening air at 350 m (1000-ft) altitude.

Sirince: Sirince is a former Greek village which keeps its architectural heritage intact. It lies in the hills surrounded by a beautiful bowl of peach orchards and vineyards 11 km (7 miles) from ancient Ephesus. Some tourism has arrived in recent years, but not so much as to destroy the traditional village rhythms. The nights are still peaceful. The villagers greet strangers with a smile and very often invite them in for a cup of tea. There are a couple of pubs and a handful of restaurants, including one which is very good.

A note of warning
Sirince is a steep village with irregularly paved streets. Nisanyan Houses are located in the upper part of the village. Guests with walking hindrances will find the short uphill walk difficult.

The Main Hall of Nisanyan Evleri - we call it 'the Hotel' for lack of a better term - stands on the hill top at the upper edge of Sirince. It enjoys a wonderful view over the village rooftops and across the vineyards and olive groves of the valley.

The Main Hall has five guest rooms - three doubles, one twin, one single - each with private shower and WC. Room no. 1, which is somewhat larger than the others, also has an antique bathtub in which you can bathe against the stunning panorama of the valley.

To assure a "clubby" environment, we have built plenty of common rooms into the Main Hall. There are two comfortable lounges furnished with the antiques which we inherited from our Aunt Selma. The library is stocked with good books - not the usual paperback stuff. The CD collection has mostly Bach and Haydn, with some unusual Turkish music and a few mementoes of our Aunt Iris who used to be an operatic soprano. There is a piano which you are welcome to tinker with when it is not wholly out of tune, and also a computer with internet access if you wish - for whatever reason - to keep up with the modern world.

We haven't yet found the cook of our dreams to start a proper restaurant service. However, we serve a rather full breakfast, and we manage to come up with something to eat when our guests are just too tired to walk down to the village (it is short, but by God it is steep!). Guests in the houses have a choice of either taking a breakfast hamper to their own house, or having a sit-down breakfast with everyone else in the Main Hall. And if you like to sleep through your holidays, so be it: breakfast at Nisanyan Evleri will be served any time you like to have it.

How to Go: Sirince is located 64 km (40 miles) South of Izmir International Airport, and 28 km (17 miles) East of the popular tourist resort of Kusadasi. Nearly all the important sightseeing destinations of Aegean Turkey lie within day-trip range. Highlights include Ephesus, Miletus, Didyma, Pergamum, Sardes, Aphrodisias, Pamukkale and Bodrum as well as the Greek island of Samos. Some real gems remain quasi-undiscovered. At Tire (48 km/32 miles) a marvelous peasant market is held on Tuesdays. The Menderes Wetlands(80 km/50 miles) host huge flocks of pink flamingoes and other aquatic birds in winter. The historic town of Birgi (83 km/51 miles) keeps some of the most brilliant examples of traditional Turkish wood architecture. By the shores of Lake Bafa (100 km / 62 miles) a picturesque village mixes with the mysterious ruins of ancient Heraclia below an extinct volcano whose flanks hide nearly a dozen medieval monasteries. Ephesus flourished 2000 years ago as one of the largest cities of the Roman Empire. Its ruins cover a vast area. The Temple of Hadrian, The Celsus Library, the Theater, the City Hall, public baths, marketplaces, courthouses, fountains, an early church -- even a brothel and public latrine, all built of white marble, stand wholly or partly intact. A full day is required for a tour of the site and a visit to the Museum. The Terrace Houses, a recently excavated group of Roman private houses in Ephesus, are scheduled to open to the public in the summer of 2001. The nearest beach is Pamucak Beach, 15 km (10 miles) from Sirince. Four of the most beautiful beaches of Turkey lie in the Samsun Dagi National Park, 47 km (33 miles) away. They offer deep clear sea, pebbles of polished marble and wild forest.

The houses offer an opportunity to enjoy traditional Aegean village life in a quiet and private setting. Like most buildings in Sirince they date from the 19th century. They were renovated to supply greater comfort without spoiling their original spirit. Each house is rented out as a separate unit. Each can sleep a maximum of four or five persons, though a couple or a single traveller will find them equally comfortable. Some houses have one bathroom; others have two. Facilities include round-the-clock hot water, direct-dial telephones, and central heating in winter. Housekeeping is provided on a daily basis. Breakfast is served in the form of a basket stuffed with farm eggs, local cheeses, homemade jams, spicy sausages and other surprises (fresh bread is delivered to your door at dawn). Basics like salt, sugar, coffee and olive oil are provided free of charge. There is a well-equipped kitchen in each house which guests can use to cook as they wish. Nisanyan Houses blend in with Sirince's traditional architecture.

PLATFORM BED HOUSE (Kerevetli Ev)
(1 very large double, 3 singles)

HOUSE 1 is named for the raised platform bed (kerevet in Turkish) which is a typical feature of old Aegean village houses. On the ground floor it has a kitchen and a living room with fireplace. On the upper floor is a large master bedroom featuring the platform bed, a second bedroom with its own fireplace, and a bathroom built of the local pink limestone. The garden is planted with some 20 types of Mediterranean herbs and aromatic plants. The Platform Bed House sleeps a maximum of 5 persons. It is suitable for a couple or two couples travelling together.

BAY WINDOW HOUSE (Cumbali Ev)
(1 double, 2 singles)

HOUSE 2 takes its name from the projecting bay window (cumba) of the upper floor. The bed of the main bedroom is located in the bay, which receives the first rays of the rising sun through a prism of colored glass. The traditional closet beds of the second room will delight children of all ages. The house has a semi-enclosed veranda which is partly built into the natural rock, an ancient fig tree which grows out of the garden wall, a fully equipped kitchen, and a bathroom/shower of cut Milas marble. The Bay Window House accommodates a maximum of 4 persons. It is ideal for a family with children.

TURKISH BATH HOUSE (Hamamli Ev)
(2 doubles)

HOUSE 3 is the House with the Turkish Bath. It has two double bedrooms with separate baths. The main attraction of the first room is a genuine, private Turkish bath (hamam) of floor-heated white Afyon marble, large enough for two (or four) bathers. The second room has a walk-in bed with its own Romeo-and-Juliet window, and a private bathroom/shower. There is a common kitchen and dining area and a lovely Mediterranean patio outside with a large fireplace. The Bath House accommodates a maximum of 4 persons.