SIMURG INN
welcome letter
Taking care of our guests, introducing them to special activities and dishes of our home region elevated with our own gusto, telling our stories and listening to theirs - was a natural extension of the hospitality our family home always offers to our friends.
Even though Simurg Inn, has become more that our family home the warmth and the view that those who come to Simurg Inn are our honored guests has never been lost. During the time you spend with us, we sincerely wish for you; to feel at home, to be filled with peace and to meet the beauties of the Aegean more closely.
OUR STORY
born from the ashes
“It was in China, late one moonless night,
The Simorgh first appeared to mortal sight –
He let a feather float down through the air,
And rumours of its fame spread everywhere...”.
My memories, which seemed like a coincidence but led me to this moment, became the keystones of my story when I decided to settle in Ahmetçe with my daughter and host guests at Simurg Inn.
I had a dream in the 90s, when I didn't even know these places existed. I was leaning against a sarcophagus, watching the sea view from a high place. A strong bird with wide wings like an eagle flies above me, I know it is my grandmother, whom I am very fond of, and I feel her watching over me. Then I pick up my baby on the ground and the sun rises on her face. We get into the van and I drive the van up a winding mountain road. Just 9 months after this dream, my daughter was born. She was the same baby I had seen in my dream.
My dear friend and the father of my children bought a piece of land "like an eagle's nest" that we had always dreamed of when we were together and started to build a family house with our dear friend Bülent Güngör. In 2007, the construction was finalized.
In 2016, there was a change of era in my life, and as with every change, I was going through a painful year. I proposed to a friend who shared the same feelings with me for different reasons to go to our house in Ahmetçe and celebrate her birthday, and as I was leaving, I said, "we are leaving crying, we will come back laughing, maybe we will never come back", and as a result, after the birthday celebration, I never returned to Istanbul. I decided to close my house and jewelry shop and settle in Ahmetçe.
“When you feel empty, you have to open up your heart and let the wind sweep through it.”
The first three months were spent entertaining friends and having fun, but after a while I started to think about what I was going to do here in the long run and decided to do the hospitality I had always enjoyed professionally. It became more than a hotel, it became a place of professional hospitality and word spread organically. For the first two years, I did the cooking myself. Since the first day, together with Emine Hanım, the backbone of our team, we spread the sheets, cooked our meals, and set up long tables.
I have always had a rule for the long meal tables I have set up over the years: no politics, religion or football at my table. When setting the table, I take care to bring different people together.
In our routine lives, we inevitably spend time with people who have similar backgrounds, jobs, ideas and we share our limited worlds with each other. But I prefer to introduce people to different lives by seating people from different worlds side by side at my long tables. For example, I seat the consul next to the mıhlamamaker (a regional meal of black sea region of turkey, made primary with corn, meal and cheese), and I separate the economists at opposite ends of the table. The lasting friendships formed at these tables are my greatest source of pride.
In 2017 my daughter returned from university. Just like when I came here, none of us were convinced that she would downsize her life in the city and decide to put down roots here. A year later, my daughter settled in Ahmetçe. When I asked her why, she said, "When I moved from London to Istanbul, I couldn't find the freshness I was looking for, but here I feel like I've returned to nature." The graceful path of life, nature and human beings is full of surprises.
“If you become sure-footed in love, you'll transcend everything, even blasphemy and belief.”
One day, with my daughter by my side, the white cloth of our long table laid out, our friends on the road, watching the Aegean Sea from the terrace, I saw an eagle flying in the distance and the pieces of my story fell into place. I realized that the bird I had seen in my dream was Simurg and that the mountain road I was winding up was Ahmetçe's road.
From the very beginning, Simurg Inn, a story of solidarity across generations, was grounded in love and declared its love for nature. Every bird that found Simurg's feather brought joy to our home, to our table. This became the home of those who rose from the ashes.
our responsibility
As Simurg Inn, we know that nature and our culture should grow in balance and we are aware of our responsibility in this regard. We measure our success in the service sector neither with numerical targets nor with our happy guests. Our main criterion and goal is to leave the world better than we found it. Contributing to the enrichment of our nature and culture is our most important source of pride.
​
What we do with this sense of responsibility:
To support sustainable and natural agriculture by growing the products we use in our kitchen with ancestral seeds in our garden.
Making compost from our kitchen and garden waste.
To use renewable energy, supporting pomace and solar energy.
To adopt local production, sustainability and women's employment as a principle in our Simurg Inn and Shop and to work with brands with the same sensitivity as us.
To encourage the use of electric vehicles with the ZES charging unit in our parking lot.
To minimize our carbon emissions by using electric Volvo vehicles within our hotel.
How you can help us:
By turning off the light and air conditioner in your room when not in use.
Be careful with water consumption.
By consuming water from our alkaline treatment system instead of bottled water in the mini-bar.
Indication of your need to change sheets or towels via the card hanging on the room and bathroom door.
WORLD IS OURS
important informations
OUR SERVICES
GEZI
DOÄžAL TURLAR
​
Kaz Dağı (Mount Ida) National Park Sarıkız Hill Summit Tour
Kaz Dağı (meaning ‘Goose Mountain’ in Turkish), also known as Mount Ida in ancient times, is renowned for its clean air, as home to 32 different endemic plant species, and the ‘goose courtyards’ (rare circular stone piles with a diameter of 1 kilometer) in the Sarıkız area. On our tour, after a break with our coffee and picnic basket to get used to the oxygen saturated air of Tozlu Plateau, where most of the endemic plant species are located, we go to the summit of Mount Ida to visit the Sarıkız Tomb and there learn about the legend of Sarıkız. Mount Ida National Park is the beautiful region to be visited, particularly for a bird's eye view of the Edremit Gulf from a height of 1726 meters, the islands of Ayvalık and the large and small islands of the Aegean Sea.
​
For 1 to 4 people, our Sarıkız Hill Summit Tour lasting a minimum of 6 hours;
Private jeep vehicle, Guide : 3500₺ + VAT
Mount Ida Åžahinderesi Canyon Jeep Safari Tour
​
Entrance to the canyon, which distributes the oxygen it receives from the Kaz Mountains to Altınoluk, is subject to special permission. You will admire the natural and untouched beauties of the Ida Mountain ranges on our tour, which includes Bear Pond and Lake Paradise. You will also explore the 27-kilometer-long Şahindere Canyon in Altınoluk, the second most oxygen-producing region in the world after the Swiss Alps.
​
For 1 to 4 people, our tour lasts a minimum of 4 hours;
Private jeep vehicle, Guide : 3500₺ + VAT
​
​
Simurg Inn Recommended Tour Destinations
​
Canakkale and Gallipoli Peninsula Tour
​
The Dardanelles, which did not let the largest navy in history pass, is a very special region with its natural and historical texture. On the trip, you can visit many historical sites and cemeteries belonging to the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical National Park, Çanakkale Martyrs' Cemeteries, Conkbayırı Region and Anzac Bay, and see the historical places where one of the important conflicts of World War One took place.
​
​
Ancient Troy
The Troy region, protected by UNESCO, is another important site of our country. A visit to the Trojan Horse, Troy Museum and Troy region with a private guide will be one of the rare experiences that will open your horizons.
​
Taste Route Recommendation from Simurg Inn:
Yalova Restaurant on the Çanakkale road is one of the places you should experience in terms of flavors.
​
​
Assos (Behramkale) Tour
The ancient city of Assos, located in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale, on the coast of the Gulf of Edremit and founded around 900 BC, has a very special acropolis. The acropolis, which was a settlement center during the Greek, Macedonian and Persian periods throughout history, has a unique panoramic view and the most important historical place is the Temple of Athena. After seeing Behramkale Village, the ancient city of Assos and the ancient harbor of Assos, do not forget to swim in the crystal clear sea of Kadırga Bay.
Do not miss
Taste Route Recommendation from Simurg Inn:
On your way down from the Temple of Athena to the ancient harbor of Assos, stop by Yıldız Restaurant, tell the owner Muzaffer Bey that you are our guest and don't miss to taste the fresh fish caught by his father and the wonderful appetizers prepared by his mother.
Adatepe Village Tour
Adatepe Village, north of the town of Küçükkuyu, is a village located in a valley on a high hill, where Turks and Greeks once lived together. Famous for its two-story, tile-roofed, stone houses, Adatepe was designated as an urban protected area in 1989 and is the only protected village in our region. If you are going to Adatepe, if possible, do not miss the sunrise at the Altar of Zeus. Because the altars were dedicated at dawn, being there at that time is one of the moments that should not be missed. Another must-visit place in the village is TaÅŸmektep (Stone School), a fine example of the rebirth of a historical building in the light of philosophy, art and education. Closed in 1985 due to a lack of students, the historic building was restored and re-rented in 1997, becoming a school that organizes seminars and free workshops. You can follow the activities of TaÅŸmektep, which is mostly active in the summer months, on its social media.
Simurg Inn Picnic Basket:
​
We have prepared a pleasant picnic basket to accompany you throughout your trip while exploring the unique nature or mythological and historical regions of Mount Ida. You can choose the contents of our baskets for 2, 6 and 10people.
​
Fruit Platter - 220₺
Cheese Platter - 600₺
Sandwich - 180₺
Filter Coffee / Tea in Thermos - ?
Wine / Champagne - You can browse our menu.
Cookie - 120₺
Scone (min. for 10 people) - 500₺
​
​
Simurg Inn's Local Flavor Route:
If you are coming from Osmangazi and you are hungry, you should definitely stop by the Historical Cumhuriyet Restaurant in Edremit or our dear Ekrem Chef's Restaurant Bahar.
If you don't want to go into the city, you should experience Gordo in Güre on the way, where Chef Deniz Åžeker has created a fusion of local flavors.
When you go to Adatepe - Küçükkuyu, if you go to the Altar of Zeus, do not miss the sunrise if possible, because the altars are dedicated at dawn, so being there at that time is one of the moments that should not be missed in terms of landscape experience.
Pizza Mera in Ayvacık is also one of the places close to our region that we recommend you to experience.
If you're in Ayvalık and want plain fresh fish by the sea, say hello to Zeynep and Hüseyin at Yıldız Restaurant. If you want a restaurant among the stone streets, Ayna is great. Of course, let's not leave out Mr. Nihat, who comes to mind first when "Raki, Fish, Ayvalık" is mentioned. Also, do not return without having your coffee at TaÅŸ Kahve.
In Gömeç, stop by Ma'adra Tasting House on the Madra Mountains to taste the delicious wine while drinking in the unique landscape.
Also, to experience and enjoy the Aegean Region in its entirety, we recommend you to take a 1-hour ferry ride to Lesbos on the opposite coast and stay for 2 nights. On your way there and back, Cleto's Ristorante, run by Anacleto and Funda Salciccia, is a great place to experience real Italian gastronomy.
​
​
​
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM SİMURG INN
Idamera
Idamera is a delightful farm on the slopes of Mount Ida, which produces according to the principles of ecological and circular agriculture. This farm, run by our friends Gudrun and Ferit, aims to produce good quality and healthy products that are in harmony with humans, animals and nature.
They aim to complement nature with the products they produce from their fields, vegetable garden, olive groves and dairy products made from the milk of their animals, and they want to both raise awareness of consumers and show the value of their products. For this purpose, they offer our guests the opportunity to get familiar with the seasonal vegetable varieties and wild plants in their gardens, to witness the story of milk and to eat pizza with the products you collect from the garden and Idamera cheeses with their "Idamera Tour". Please contact
Gudrun Wagner: +90 531 707 58 00
Ferit Uzunoglu: +90 530 920 86 76
​
DeÄŸirmen (Mill)
Our friends Tuba and Mustafa run a stone mill in Süleyman Village of Ayvacık and have been making flour, bulgur, semolina, noodles, göce, tarhana and tahini from their own sesame seeds for more than 10 years with different types of heirloom wheat that they have grown with ecological production methods. If you would like to visit DeÄŸirmen, which is also a 5-generation olive and olive oil producer, you can call a few days in advance to visit their farm, shop at DeÄŸirmen Dükkan, or make a reservation (at least 4 people) to taste their sourdough pizzas made from their own products at DeÄŸirmen Garden. With a group reservation of 10 people, you can learn the story of wheat in detail at DeÄŸirmen's farm and experience sourdough pizzas accompanied by a special selection of wines.
For contact
Tuba Ülgen: +90 531 644 08 14
Mustafa Ülgen: +90 530 480 480 17 23
​
Gemedere Cheeses
Gemedere Cheeses was founded by Bülent Özgören in Ayvacık in 2018. Gemedere Cheeses, whose basic principle is good, clean, healthy, sustainable and fair food, has an understanding that always supports natural methods, advocates the consumption of traditional foods, and supports transparent sourcing of materials used and other processes. Milk from the animals grazing the pastures of Mount Ida is brought to Gemedere's workshop to make artisanal cheeses in limited quantities.
For contact
Bülent Özgören: +90 532 214 46 07
​
Damda Ahmetçe
In the shop opened by award-winning architect Tarık Korkmaz in the square of our village, you can find many products that carry the essence of nature and our own production of dog collars in 3 different sizes.
For contact
Tarik Korkmaz: +90 555 406 36 97
Ahmetce's Organic Products
The honey, olive oil and olives you experience in our breakfast are sourced from local producers of Ahmetçe Village. If you like the taste of the products, you can contact our supplier to purchase them.
For contact
Alpay Çankırı +90 531 031 37 26
SPA
self-care is not selfish
We offer spa services to our guests at Simurg Inn, with our sauna with panoramic view, yoga shala and massage room next to it. We kindly ask you to make a reservation for our massage service by calling our reception one day in advance. Our massage service is 1100tl per person. You can use the gym and the equipment in it whenever you wish. Our sauna is operated upon request. You can call our reception up to one hour before your preferred time.
SAUNA EXPERIENCE BASKET
To enrich your sauna experience, we have prepared a Sauna Experience Basket for you in cooperation with Homemade Aromaterapi ©. The basket contains Aromatherapy Essential Oil, Body Scrub, Cold Pressed Shea Butter Oil, Towel, Crushed Ice, Bamboo Fan and a User Manual. The broken ice in your basket is for cooling off or pouring your essential oil on the sauna stones. You can also mix your essential oil with the water in our sauna. Our suggestion is to pour your essential oil water on the stones, heat your sauna well and sweat for a minimum of 10 minutes. During this time you can use your body rub, broken ice and fan. Afterwards, take a shower and moisturize your skin with cold-pressed shea butter in the sauna or on the observation deck. Enjoy your Homemade products.
​
1000tl + VAT
​
Also check out our playlists for you on Spotify.
LINK First Rays of Dawn - WhiteHeart starts with a mindfulness meditation by Sam Harris. For a more comprehensive meditation experience, you can use Sam Harris' app Waking Up for free for 30 days with this link.
​
https://dynamic.wakingup.com/shareOpenAccess/SC19E6BA9
We also recommend Meditopia, which offers meditations in Turkish.
May your experience nourish your soul,
​
MUSIC
Türkish Song
Staring The Day
Chill
For Fun
Dinner Music