Dalyan – 21st July

I was lucky enough to be invited on an amazing private boat trip on Friday 21st July. After a gap in the itinerary had presented itself, Neil had decided he’d quite like to enjoy some time with just the family, out at sea. The 4 of them had asked me to join their full day and evening on the Princess of Ekincik boat, which they had managed to book for exclusive use at the last minute. We were bright eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to set sail, at 10am. We had tea/coffee and biscuits while Captain Ismail took us out towards the Devil’s Bay area. Our first swim stop was lovely and the water felt amazing in our deserted little bay.

Our lunch had some of the best tasting mezes I’ve had this year and they took in to account all our allergies and requirements. The meat was top quality and the hygiene second to none. We had an absolute feast of a BBQ lunch and we were all stuffed. We set sail just as the sea got choppy and I had to take a sea sickness pill (just as a precaution). Captain Ismail was very adept at getting us through the fairly choppy sea and he sailed further out and then across to save us getting too disturbed as we lounged and sipped on iced tea or rosé wine.

It was getting quite hot and a tad humid as we got to the next swim stop which had crystal clear deep water. We were the only ones there, at 5pm, because most boats were on their way back from the day trips and the moonlight ones were not out yet. I felt so lucky that we could do this on such a lovely boat, great setting and one of the best crews in Dalyan.

By 6pm we were making our way to Little Dalyan, behind the beach, where we would stay for our last swim stop, dinner, sunset then stargazing. Neil and Gayle had a walk across the beach to the sea, the girls went paddle boarding and then we tried our luck at crab fishing. I’ve never been a fan and have thought it cruel however I did catch 3! Neil, being the fisherman of the family, caught the most.

As we watched the sun go down, we ate a delightful chicken casserole with rice, salad, bread and the BBQ crab. It was my first time eating crab and I was a bit concerned in case I was allergic to it. Ismail showed us how to get the meat from the shell and he opened mine for me. It was so fresh and tasty with no allergic reaction. There was lots more rosé wine had and we all loved the trip.

We got back to Dalyan after 10pm and, as we sailed in, the air felt very different than it had out at the beach. It seemed to be several degrees hotter and very suffocating, we all noticed it and started to sweat straight away. The humidity levels had increased and, despite there being no sun, the temperature seemed to be extreme for an evening. We paid our bills, said our thanks and goodbyes to Ivona, Ismail and Ege – we knew this wouldn’t be the last trip with them this year!