Dear Steemit friends :
A few articles ago, we had the pleasure of visiting the Ancient City of Ephesus. This historical relic has served as the primary draw for people visiting this part of Turkey and indeed gives a significant boost to the local economy, in particular the small town Selçuk.
As previously mentioned, the easiest way to visit Selçuk is by train, directly from the Izmir domestic airport. There are fairly frequent train services to Selçuk and the entire journey takes just under one hour.
Of course, visiting Ephesus means that I had the choice of either staying further away at Izmir and making a day trip down, or staying at Selçuk which is just a few minutes drive away from the ancient city.
In the end, I opted for the latter and in hindsight, i'm very glad that I did. Why? Because I had the pleasure of staying at one of the best hotels I've ever had the pleasure of visiting, and sadly, my schedule only allowed me to stay for one night before moving on to my next destination.
Izmir Airport is modern piece of art
Izmir Airport was a real surprise. With a population of under 3 Million, the airport seemed larger and more modern than the one I left at Istanbul. Not only that, but the airport has succeeded in combining a grand visual excellence with a subtle artistic flare, making it stand out amongst the other airports I have passed through in Turkey.
From the airport, you can purchase a ticket to Selçuk for 5 TL (~$1.5 USD) then enjoy the scenic train ride for just under 1 hour.
One thing I like about the transport in Turkey is the level of service they provide throughout the journey. There is an attendant for every cabin, and they will serve you food and drinks for the entire journey. On coaches, the drinks and snacks are inclusive in your ticket, and on the train, it'll cost you a little more.
When we first arrived in Selçuk, I made the bold decision to walk from the station to the Hotel. No doubt, some of the previous reviews were more than optimistic about the distance of the hotel from the train station, citing a brief 10 minute walk. Pulling luggage along under the blistering sun, it's more like a drawn out 30 minutes or even more.
In-fact, I had to call the hotel to ask them to pick us up. We were tired and lost, like two survivors in a dessert looking for our oasis sanctuary.
To our surprise, one of the hotel staff pulled up by the road, and asked us if we were going to Cella Boutique Hotel. He was a silver haired knight in shining armour, loading up our bags and then driving us the remainder of the journey.
This was the beautiful "shining armour" that we were picked up in. It turns out that the driver was actually one of the partners of the hotel. Ali was his name, and he must have been well into his 60's or even 70's. Despite his age, he was full of energy and enthusiasm, welcoming us not only to his hotel, but Turkey!
A stone statue of a maiden functions as the water fountain in the centre of the car park. She sets the tone for the hotel, reminding us of the Greek Heritage of the area and it's ancient city of Ephesus.
Cella Boutique Hotel & Spa
The outside of the Hotel is very clean, and looks very new. In-fact, the hotel was only opened some 3 years ago. Since then, it has built an enviable reputation on both Trip Advisor as well as Booking.com.
Let's go in!
Right at the check-in desk, the hotel has a section on the wall with it's awards. As you can see, it's been given several prestigious awards from tripadivsor as well as booking.com.
We were welcomed with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and some small biscuits whilst we wait for our rooms to be prepared.
The waiting area has it's own little bar, but the chairs here remind me a little bit of Sanderson Hotel in London. All sorts of shapes, sizes, and colours, like a chair museum.
The size of the room is not too large, but it also needn't be. It has a very homely feeling, and I love that about it.
This is an example of one of the many antiques the owners have placed inside their hotel. It's little things like this record player that make it feel down to earth and just like my living room back home.
Staircase and passageways
Marble flooring and decorated floor tiles are used throughout the hotel, aside from giving it a more authentic ancient city feel, it also keeps the place looking neat and tidy. The railings are a lovely floral design and at a no point did I feel the passage ways to be too narrow. A mistake that many other hotels make in an effort to conserve space and maximise the number of rooms.
The Room(s).
Each room in the hotel has a slightly different theme and design. The rooms we stayed in were the Standard Rooms, although there are also sauna rooms, vip rooms, penthouse rooms etc. for those looking for something a bit more luxurious.
For most people, the standard rooms will already be more than enough. The standard rooms come with a very large double bed, plenty of floor space which can also be used for additional guests, or just more space to put your luggage.
The room is very bright because of it's large french windows and also because the two French windows are perpendicular to each other meaning more natural lighting.
Each room has a modern air conditioner fitted which is automatically shut off when you open the windows.
Believe me when I say, the air-conditioner is a life saver. This part of Turkey frequently floats in the mid 40's and having the windows open only make the room even hotter.
In case you feel peckish or thirsty will also find a mini bar with complimentary water and coffee / tea and a well stocked fridge with some soft drinks and spirits for measure.
Unlike the hot tub and sauna rooms, the standard room comes with a standing shower. You'll be happy to hear that I had no complaints about the water temperature of the shower here. Seems like they sussed out how to get the water temperature just right.
What was really impressive to me was the toiletries provided. For those of you that are mindful about brands, you will recognise BVLGARI and L'Occitane shower gels, shampoo, conditioner and soaps are provided.
It's a little detail, but an important one because I wasn't expecting the toiletries to be from such high end brands. I was certainly impressed!
Since the hotel is also a spa, a menu is provided for the different kinds of spa services you can expect. As you can see, the prices are extremely reasonable. I was really looking forward to booking a session, but sadly I didn't have the time.
Another nice touch was the selection of pillows. Everybody sleeps differently, and mostly likely prefer a certain kind of pillow. The hotel knows this and gives you an option between, Hard, Medium, Medium Soft and Soft pillows.
Outside one of the windows, you can see a piece of grassland with a single horse grazing happily in the sun.
This is our private balcony which give us a really nice few of the farmland and mountains in the distance.
In the distance, you can see farmland stretching all the way to the edge of the mountains. Selçuk is not a very large town, and Cella is actually located at the edge of the town nearest to Ephesus.
Room No. 2
So me and Tania actually stayed in separate rooms. This room which is also a standard room, was hers.
I can't help but be a little jealous because I prefer the decoration in this one much more. The floor tiles are more traditional looking, and the walls by the windows have a stone like texture to them.
The room also has a less 'modern' theme to it with more neutral balanced colours.
In any case, you can see the room dimensions and layout are identical, the differences lie in the theme.
Swimming Pool
A hotel in climates as hot as Turkey would not be complete without at-least a paddle pool. Cella does not disappoint and has a pool large enough to swim rounds in and also deep enough to fully submerge yourself without bending your legs.
The partners at Cella take turns with shifts during the day and night, and amazingly, will keep the pool open throughout the night if you wish to go for a swim.
In my only night at the hotel, I had the pleasure of taking a dip around midnight, and Ali was kind enough to keep an eye on us whilst we had a swim.
The Spa
Tania was adamant on using the Sauna in the spa, so after having a quick swim, we went to the Sauna for round two of sweating till dehydration. You'll notice that they actually have the facilities for massages, Turkish Baths, as well as the Sauna. However, the spa services are only provided between 9am and 6pm.
Like the pool, the Sauna is open all night, but you will want to ask Ali or Mustafa to turn it on an hour or so before using it to heat it properly.
Ornaments and Collections
It is clear that either Ali, Mustafa or one of the other Hotel partners have been collecting antiques for quite some time. Just like in the waiting area in the lobby, each floor has a cabinet full of some interesting collections.
These are a wonderful attribute to the hotel because as mentioned earlier, it adds to the feeling of homeliness. I expect the owners have built this hotel to be like their second (or even first) home. I'm sure all the guests appreciate this sentiment because it feels extremely welcoming.
Take a look at a few of the objects I captured. There are cabinets like this on each floor. In total, there are 5 floors including the basement where the Spa is!
The home cooked breakfast
I've become very accustomed to having eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, beans and bread for breakfast, but Cella have made such a distinguished effort to cook a home made breakfast for their guests.
It is probably the most balanced breakfast I have had in my entire stay in Turkey, and definitely one of the most tasty.
The dining area is simply stunning, it exudes so much class, and isn't too cluttered, with people or even things. Again, it feels like a dining room in someone's home.
Throughout the day, you will find a small snack bar which has some Turkish Biscuits, Muffins, Walnuts and other mini snacks, complimentary to your stay.
These are the nuts, and dried fruits which are available all day.
A selection of Cheese served in the morning.
This is our lovely selection of organic dishes freshly prepared on the day.
We are certainly spoilt for choice but you'll notice that a lot of the dishes are vegetables. I suspect that since both owners are quite elderly, they have taken great care to serve food which they themselves would like to eat.
Finally, we have the Spinach Pancake. This was the first time I had this dish, and I was offered it by the girls who worked in the kitchen in the morning.
I couldn't believe how delicious this was, so much so that I had to get a second serving.
For the rest of my journey's in Turkey, I was constantly on the look out for the Spinach Pancake, it really is fantastic!
Omelette is served on request!
Check out a quick video tour of the Hotel and some Drone footage of Selçuk!
Thank you for joining me on this tour of Cella Boutique Hotel & Spa. I can't recommend this hotel enough, once in a while, you visit somewhere and get the feeling that everything is done just right. This is one of those places. Both Ali and Mustafa are terrific hosts who looked out for our comfort and enjoyment at every single point of our stay.
We took a taxi to the bus station and was surprised to see Ali had also followed us there to see if we needed any help with getting to our next destination. He is such a sweet heart!
I enjoyed the hotel so much that whilst I usually like to experience different hotels, I will be coming back to this one and spending some proper time instead of treating it as a one night stop over!
If you're visiting Ephesus, then this is THE place to stay.
旅行途中，有欢笑也会疲劳，一天的观光结束，最希望的就是有一个像“家”一样的温暖居所，给你提供最大的后援支持，让你好好休息“充电”，再迎接第二天的黎明。今天带大家探索一家对我而言，像“家”一般的酒店，这是我在土耳其的旅行途中最难忘的经历。这家酒店的风格很古典，环境很清新，2位已是满头银丝的酒店老板的热情服务给了我永生难忘的愉快体验。Cella Hotel & Spa Ephesus位于塞尔丘克历史区，就在以弗所古城和以弗所大斗兽场附近。
说起找寻这家酒店的途中，还有一段故事。因为以弗所古城地处比较偏远的位置，机场不能到达，所以我们就选择从伊斯坦布尔首先坐飞机到距离以弗所古城最近的一个地区伊茲密尔，全程1个半小时。伊茲密尔的机场惊艳了我，不来到这里都不会发现，原来世界上还有这么美颜色的机场。整个机场的装修色调采用了非常少见的复古绿色大理石柱子，搭配清新的蓝绿色装修，让人感觉误入了童话世界。这也是第一次一个机场，让我有忍不住想多照几张照片，陶醉的不想离去的感觉。
可惜为了赶行程，接下来还要马不停蹄的赶往距离以弗所古城最近的一个小镇，也就是我们酒店的所在地。据说，从我们酒店再去以弗所古城，路途就很近了，只需要10分钟车程。经过一番询问，我们搭乘上了从伊茲密尔前往塞尔丘克历史区的火车，这土耳其的老式火车好有意思，虽然车内没有空调，只能借偶尔吹进窗内的清风凉快一下。但是看着窗外迷人的风景，也就暂时把旅行的疲惫忘在脑后了。车上小哥用肩膀托着硕大盘子，卖土耳其式煎饼确实吸引了我，煎饼摞在一起，好像在搭积木，高度快顶到了天花板，这个杂技还真难耍呢，所以赶紧买几个煎饼，支持下小哥辛苦的工作。
不一会火车到了塞尔丘克历史区，过于乐观的我以为拖着箱子几步就能找到酒店。结果没想到下了火车，眼前陌生的城市，瞬间把我变成像无头苍蝇，找不到北。无奈之下，拨通了酒店前台的电话，也不知是手机出问题，还是电话费用尽，说了几句话就挂断了，之后也再也拨不通。只好靠着手机微弱的信号导航，没想到酒店老板开着古董小车在通往酒店的大路上来回兜圈，只为寻找走丢的我们的身影，坐上老板的车就像找到了回家的路，心里的石头一下落了地。老板看上去已经六七十岁，头发花白，看着他已经有些颤抖的双手握着方向盘，带我们回家，心中莫名的很感动。
车子缓缓开进酒店门前的院子，我不禁惊呆，从来没有见过如此特别的建筑，在每一层楼的外面都放着古希腊时期的雕塑，经典又雅致，整体设计的很有观赏性。一进门就看到了这家酒店的表彰强，各种有名旅游网站对这家酒店的至高评分。但是在后来，我认为，这些网站的评分其实还不够高，这家酒店真的是值得你专门为它而来。主人微笑的端来欢迎饮料和点心，放在极具土耳其风味的花桌子上，颜色美极了。整个酒店的大厅，就像自己家的客厅，设计的温馨浪漫，又古典不失雅致的风格。如果你细细的探索，会发现在大厅的各处摆放着漂亮的古董，播放历史的唱片集，古董照相机，古老的乐器和瓷器。
酒店房间的设计也是非常独特，酒店提供17间客房，每一间都是不同主题的客房。这是我和朋友Tania住的房间，你们更喜欢哪个主题呢？房间的每一个小物件和装饰都有着精致的设计，洗手间的洗浴用品还采用了法国宝格丽和欧舒丹品牌的高档产品，连床上枕头由软到硬的分类都有一张卡片细细说明，可见酒店的老板是一位极其注重细节的完美主义者。窗外迷人的山脉风景吸引了我，不经意间还能看见一匹马正在吃草呢。最让我感动之处是，白发苍苍的老板带我们来到房间后，还郑重的把房间所有设施都介绍一遍，语气温和，让我想起了自己的爷爷。
傍晚十分，我们去楼下的游泳池游泳，还飞起了无人机。庆幸这次住店，正好赶上就我们一家客人，所以所有酒店的设施好像被我们独占，我们就瞬间变成了酒店的VIP客人。我们兴奋极了，决定晚上夜游，再蒸桑拿，酒店老板就这样一直在一旁默默关注着我们的需求，一直到深夜。他的每一个举动，温馨体贴的帮助，都让我深深的感动。最后不得不提的是，酒店的早餐超级丰富又好吃，这是我第一次吃到土耳其口味的葱油饼，从此我就爱上了，在之后的每一站，都在努力寻找这样的饼。就这样，在酒店老板体贴入微的照顾下，我们度过了愉快的时光，如果说，为了这家酒店，来到这座城市，都不足为奇。希望大家喜欢我对于这家酒店的介绍和我旅行的小故事，之后还有更有难忘的内容要分享。