The Thrill of the Hunt

The Sunshine office was just down the road from the hotel, on the main Attaturk Road. It was only a small, but the staff were really friendly and spoke great English.  They offered us a drink before we got down to business – which we soon came to realize, was the Turkish way.

So we ordered a couple of Turkish Coffees, and a short while later, a guy from the cafe across the road, came running over with our coffee’s on a Traditional Turkish Coffee House Tray.  I love this authentic delivery!

Off and Running

After spending some time chatting about what we wanted in a house, Evren reviewed the list of properties he had for us.  There were all on the northern part of the peninsula between Gumusluk and Yalikavak – so we hopped in his car, and began the ~40 minute journey north.

Gumsan Sitesi

Probably the most recognized Sitesi in this area of the Peninsula is Gumsan I and II.  Gumsan I is the lower complex near the sea, and Gumsan II is the other side of the main road, spreading up the hillside.

Gumsan is about 1.5km east of Gumusluk, and this is where we began our search. All the houses are small, white sugar cubes, clinging to the hillside, set amongst colourful landscaping.

The first was nicely decorated, and move-in ready.  The other was a cheaper version, same layout, with some work to do inside, and the outside needed a paint job – not quite move-in ready!

Both interiors were pretty small and although the setting and location was favourable, the interiors just didn’t fit the bill. We had to look past the gorgeous landscaping and view, and focus on practical matters.

We were looking for something with some rental potential, and these were so small, there wasn’t much opportunity to expand, or even have many guests to stay!

Gumsan adjacent

We headed to the sitesi next door, where we had a great view of the Gumsan II complex on the hill.

This next house had a fabulous view of the ocean, and an array of small islands, with a glimpse of of Greek Island in the distance.  But the layout and price weren’t appealing.

It was a baking hot day, and I could image waking up with view of the Aegean each morning. Any disappointment from our trip to Gumbet the previous day, had disappeared, and I was getting excited about the prospect of buying a slice of my future.

Love at First Sight

We drove around a bend where a Mosque was being constructed, and then visited our next complex about 2km outside of Gumusluk.

After we entered the complex, the road weaved left and right, as it climbed higher and higher up the hill. The downside was the long distance from the road, the upside was the view. Evren got a little lost trying to locate the house, and we ended up on the wrong level of the complex, but we parked anyway, and climbed some steep steps to reach the house we were viewing.

I got a feeling.  I don’t know if it was the view; the lack of oxygen this high on the hillside; or the steep steps I’d just sprinted up.  But as we rounded the corner of, the first view of the house I got lightheaded.

So maybe the outside was in a bit of disrepair – and from the road to the house was more of a slope than a set of steps, the patio roof had a serious slope to it, and the inside of the house looked abandoned.

All in all, a serious dose of TLC was needed, but the view of the Ocean from the roof deck was glorious the house.

The similar house next door was tricked out and amazing — so it made us realize the potential.  The biggest selling point, after the view, was that it could be split into two apartments.

This one’s going on the short list as chief contender, but it’s only day one, and there’s more on the list to see.

What these viewings achived was that they made us fall in love with the Northern coast of the Bodrum peninsula, even after just viewing 2 houses, we were sold on the location.  It was away from the crowds, and offered panoramic ocean views.