We’ve got some friends coming out for the week at New Year so we said we’d go to have a look at the newly refurbished Dedeoğlu Hotel on the Karagözler in Fethiye.
It really took us back to the first time we came to Fethiye on holiday. Our rep was really good and recommended decent Fethiye bars. One of them was Cat’s Bar which was on the roof of the Dedeoğlu Hotel and that’s where we met two of our friends who we are still friends with today. Cat’s Bar is no more, of course, but the roof terrace is most definitely still there – now a breakfast area.
The Dedeoğlu is a real blast from the past
In a hot July fortnight in 1998, we spent many happy evenings (and days, come to think of it) sitting on this roof terrace drinking, laughing, dancing and admiring the amazing views of Fethiye. A perfect first holiday to Turkey. In the following years, we’ve sat in the hotel lobby, chatting to friends while the Turkish men played King (a more than complicated card game) and so, when we stopped by today, Büyük Mehmet was there to greet us at reception. Büyük (Big) Mehmet isn’t actually that big but there was a smaller Mehmet around at the time. However, Small Mehmet (Küçük Mehmet) has since grown as tall as his büyük counterpart.
We had a quick chat to Mehmet and then he spotted my camera and told us to go up to the terrace to get some photos. We’ve always remembered the views from the top of the Dedeoğlu…but seeing them again today – just breathtaking!
It was just lovely to be back up there again. Cool breeze, watching the world go by down below us, taking in the views we’ve not seen for 12 years. Maybe everything looked extra good because of the happy memories we have from being up there in the past.
Gülets line the marina opposite Hotel Dedeoğlu, Fethiye
Whether our friends will choose to stay there or not, we don’t know – but for us, it was a great excuse to have a good nosey round the new rooms and get back onto that fabulous rooftop. Not a bad place to sit and eat your breakfast in the morning is it?
Book a room at Dedeoğlu Hotel through the Booking.com website.