Just how many turtles are there in Dalyan?!?! (Caretta Caretta (Dalyan))

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	Caretta Caretta (Dalyan)
Date:	23/10/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great views, great food, great service

Disadvantages: The smoking bar opposite and its reggae music, lack of a proper bar

Despite having been to Dalyan before, and knowing what the place was like, what there was to do, where the good restaurants were etc. I still carried out some internet research to see if anything had changed or if there were some more restaurants we could try during our up and coming trip.

Whilst reviewing the restaurants, the same name, Caretta Caretta kept coming up over and over again. Every review commented on the food, the service, prices etc., some commented on the "gorgeous" views but none of them gave a location of where it was located in the town.

Whilst becoming re-acquainted with Dalyan on a stroll out we found, what we believed to be Caretta Caretta, which was half way down the next street from our hotel, less than a five minute walk away.

It is clearly the building is primarily a bed and breakfast, but it does have a restaurant on the roof terrace that is used by both residents and non-residents. I could not recall any of the reviews I had read stating the building was also a bed and breakfast but the sign outside clearly stated Caretta Caretta Panysion. Surely, this is what we were looking for.

****Menu and Food****

Outside the building stands a small chalkboard giving (what I assumed to be a small sample) of dishes available and the prices. Naturally, I thought this was just an 'enticer' to get people in to the restaurant, although once sat down and presented a menu I soon discovered that all the meals detailed on the board outside comprised the whole menu.

Whilst the menu is not that vast there is something for everyone and all the 'popular' traditional Turkish dishes, such as meatballs, kepabs, mixed grills, meat shish and salads were available. The more 'special' dishes such as clay pots, meat shanks and legs were not available, and the reason soon became clear when we saw the kitchen.

In addition to the traditional Turkish food, the restaurant also sells burgers and chips (ideal for children or those with an un-adventurous palette that want to dine like they do at home when they are abroad).

I ended up having a mixed grill, consisting of shish, meatballs and chicken, with a side salad, and my other half had a seafood grill. The food was absolutely fantastic. The meat was nicely spiced and being grilled over an outside BBQ it had a proper authentic 'grilled' taste about it. It was cooked to perfection and was not burnt on the outside and pink in the middle so there were no problems there. I have been told I have the guts of a newborn baby (I just like to think they are sensitive) so I would have known about any cooking problems before we left the restaurant, and I can confirm that everything was OK.

The salad contained a lot of onion and a lot of oil but it was very tasty nonetheless. The ingredients were fresh, like they are in all restaurants in Dalyan, so this was pretty much as expected.

A complimentary basket of fresh bread was provided with the meal and there was as much of this as you could eat and once the basket was empty it was quickly taken away and replenished. I was impressed by this and Caretta Caretta was the only restaurant we ate in whilst in Dalyan where this happened. Bread was provided with every meal (sometimes as a starter and sometimes with the main) but once it was gone it was gone. There was no replenishing at all.

****Prices****

Whilst looking at the board the first thing that struck me was how cheap the meals were, compared to other places. A mixed grill for example, was 14 YTL, which is 8 YTL cheaper than most other places, which seemed a bit too good to be true. Whilst all reviews I had read stated Caretta Caretta was good value for money, I didn't recall any of them saying the food was this cheap.

Whilst ordering our meals it soon became clear why the prices on the board were so cheap - the prices stated was for the meat only. Once you add on the cost of the side salad, and everything that includes at a cost of 7 YTL, the price suddenly became comparable to that of other restaurants. A bit disappointing, but I guess that is to be expected.

Reviews of holidaying in Dalyan warned not to eat in places where there are no prices on the menu, since these are considered to be "prime places to rip off tourists". Whilst the prices were clearly stated on the board outside they were not on the menu, which made my other half nervous. If there were any disagreements over the price then I would point out the board, and if that didn't work then we would suck up the expense and learn by our mistake. I have to admit that when the bill came there were no increases in the price advertised on the board and everything was exactly as much as it stated on the board outside.

****Drinks****

The restaurant did not have a bar, as such, and all drinks were in a large Coke fridge just outside the kitchen door. Consequently the range of drinks was limited, but as it had Effes (the local beer), dry white wine (for the other half) and Raki (for the after meal shots) what more needed?

The drinks were reasonably priced, just like the food, and we paid around the same as everywhere else in Dalyan, i.e. 4 YTL for a large (500ml) beer and 6YTL for a glass of white wine.

****The kitchen****

The kitchen was no more than a small room at the top of the terrace. It did not appear to be that well equipped and appeared to have a large grill (which overlooked the dining area), a small oven, a few small fridges, a sink and some small items of equipment. I was struggling to see how such a small kitchen could cope with the potential number of diners, there is enough seats for around 40 people, but given the limited menu and the fact that most of it was grilled meat and salad it was obvious that this restaurant was no more than a glorified BBQ, which I liked.

****Staff****

Caretta Caretta is a family run establishment, and a young family at that. The man of the household showed us to our seat, took our drinks order and served the drinks and cooked the main course. The salads and cold food was prepared by the lady of the manor, and she also served as our waitress whilst our main course was being cooked.

The couple's young toddler provided the entertainment of "hide and seek" at our table whilst the parents were busy. If I was in the UK I would find a toddler at our table annoying and I would not be impressed, but on holiday it was totally different. Besides, the little girl was gorgeous and whilst she didn't understand what we were saying the international language of the covering the eyes and then taking your hands away was well understood and brought about the most gorgeous smile and cutest giggle.

This really is a family affair and was a great experience.

****Other diners****

We arrived at the restaurant at 7.30 p.m. and were there until 10.00 p.m., which I consider prime time for eating. Despite this we were the only two people eating at the restaurant, which surprised me somewhat. I know the season was drawing to a close (we were there during the last two weeks of August) but there were still loads of tourists around the town but none of them were eating at Caretta Caretta. All of the reviews I had read confirmed that this was a busy restaurant and that booking was essential, although we clearly saw no evidence of this.

"other diners" in Dalyan restaurants doesn't just mean other human beings since there are plenty of stray cats that frequent restaurants scrounging for tit bits from the tourists. Personally, I think animals at the dinner table, or even sitting around the dinner table, is gross. I don't even let my dog sit at my feet whilst eating, it is something that my parents were always against whilst I was growing up so I guess it has been 'drummed' in to me, so to have stray cats (carrying whatever kind of nasty things) is just plain wrong. Since the restaurant is on the top of the terrace, and to get to it you need to walk up three flights of stairs through the main building, Caretta Caretta does not have any problems with stray cats, which is great.

****Background music****

One thing I noticed whilst walking around Dalyan is how "English" it had become since our last visit. Many bars and restaurants now have large wide screen TVs showing Euro sport whilst having background music of English songs across all decades and from all genres. It is starting to lose its traditional side (the one thing that warms me to Dalyan) and is in danger of becoming as soulless as Playa De Las Americas and all the other "Brit" resorts, but it is not there yet and hopefully I shall never see it happen. A good thing about Caretta Caretta is it has not followed in the footsteps of other restaurants and bars and continues to play traditional Turkish music, which I find nice to hear while eating.

Directly opposite Caretta Caretta is a smoking bar, one where you can enjoy a communal smoke of different spirits or flavored tobaccos through a peace pipe (or whatever it is called). This bar prefers to play Bob Marley and the Wailers (maybe they smoke other substances as well) at very loud volumes all night, every night so the soft Turkish music of Caretta Caretta was drowned out, which was a real shame.

****Views****

Being high up leads to some absolutely fantastic views, as well as some pretty awful ones, and the contrast is huge.

Looking to the horizon you can see the mountains, which turn a stunning hazy blue/purple colour at dusk. You can also see the infamous Lycian rock tombs, which are illuminated during the hours of darkness, both of these are a must see if you are ever in Dalyan.

Looking down from the terrace, you see the poorer and squalid side of the town and it is a bit of a reality check. It never ceases to amaze me how some parts of the town are so rich and developed, yet down the next street it looks like something out of a war zone. There are some very wealthy people and some very poor people living almost side-by-side. People from both extremes co-exist and it is something you just don't get in the UK.

As darkness falls and the tourist town of Dalyan wakes up the views become a sea of neon lights, which is pretty impressive.

****Conclusion****

Caretta Caretta Panysion was not the restaurant I had read all the reviews about. I was later informed by the receptionist at our hotel that there is another Caretta Caretta (without the Panysion) along the river bank, and this is the place popular with tourists. Unfortunately, we didn't get to eat at the 'proper' Caretta Caretta so I cannot give an opinion or a comparison.

The Caretta Caretta we ate at was superb. The kitchen may have not been bang up to date and the décor may not have been the most modern but the setting on the roof terrace, with the fantastic views, was perfect. The food was freshly prepared, well cooked and extremely tasty with that real authentic 'grilled' taste. The service was superb and we were well looked after, by all members of the family.

In some ways it was a shame there were no other diners at the restaurant, obviously excluding the awful stray cats, as I find people generally create a bit of an atmosphere. In addition, it would have been interesting to see the chef at work on the grill (since he is in full view of the dining area) and how this restaurant coped when it was busy. Despite my interest, I wouldn't have wanted our visit to be any different as it was just perfect for our first night in Dalyan. The ambience, the romance and the views of the mountains was great and was only spoilt Bob Marley and the Wailers being played over and over in the bar opposite.

Whilst our meal was more than we originally thought it would be, due to the fact that everything is bought separately, it was no more expensive than any other restaurant we ate in during our stay in Dalyan. The food was excellent value for money and I would definitely go back there.

As with every restaurant there are some positives and negatives. In this case the positives definitely outweigh the negatives and I can't recommend Caretta Caretta highly enough. It truly is a wonderful place.


(This has been posted on other review sites under the name of Yackers1)

Summary: A family run restaurant that is well worth a visit