10/10 Excellent
Syd J.
6 Jun 2022
Liked: Cleanliness
Amazing location, terrific house manager, perfect for us
Our group of six adults had a fantastic stay at St. John's house, made even better by the attentive and helpful house manager, Alison. Entrance to the St. John's cathedral ruins and the citadel is less than 50 yards up the hill from the house, and continuing over the hill brings you directly into town with restaurants, shops, the Saturday market (a-must visit) and the small, but terrific Ephesus museum. Turning left out of the house takes you down to the 14th century Isa Bey mosque and then a palm tree-lined avenue with several restaurants. Continuing and turning right down the bike and pedestrian path (along the D515 road) takes you to the Artemis temple. It is possible to continue and cross the roadway and walk to the lower entrance of the Ephesus site. One of our group is runner who ran the two miles to the entrance and two miles back. St. Mary's house is much further and requires a taxi. Alison was enormously helpful: arranging transportation for our group from the airport and various times during our stay, stocking the house with some groceries we requested, being an amazing source of information, and providing excellent communications throughout. It was a real pleasure to meet her. The house itself is built on a hillside with the bedrooms upstairs, and kitchen, living area and backyard/pool downstairs. With the exception of the master bedroom, the other bedrooms are simply decorated--nothing fancy, but comfortable. The bathrooms have very good fixtures and excellent showers. An issue with the hot water was quickly resolved by Alison. The backyard was flowering with roses and the small pool was a very welcomed escape from the heat. A sauna and shower are in a part of the basement off the pool--we used the shower, though not the sauna. Washing machine in the basement was also welcomed. You're never sure what to expect when you rent homes based on photos and other reviews. In this case, everything was as expected and better. And Alison was a wonderful host making our stay truly special. One note: other reviewers have mentioned the stairs. Yes, there are three or four stone stairs from the backyard to the pool level, and then to the sauna. They could be an issue for anyone with mobility concerns or someone who has had too much raki.
Syd J.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2022