To get to the Paradise Motel in Ağva you must first ring a large metal bell and then wait while a strange contraption rather like a giant, open-sided orange comes rattling across on wires to pick you up from the far side of the river.
In the silence of the countryside, you sway across the limpid green Göksu River beneath you, then step out into a world of complete tranquility a mere 100 kilometers away from downtown İstanbul. It’s the perfect place to come for a weekend break, either with a loved one or a group of friends.
Ağva is one of those places well known to İstanbul high-fliers, but not quite so well known to the rest of us. In the early 1990s, a few far-sighted individuals who wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life started to move up to the Black Sea coast beyond Şile where the river flowed down into the sea. First one hotel opened, then another. Now there are a whole string of them lining the river, most of them with their own distinctive personalities. Think Olympos for grown-ups with chalets and wooden houses in place of the tree-houses, and a river instead of the beach, and you won’t go far wrong.
The Paradise cleaves most tightly to the original feeling of bohemianism. A straggle of bungalows line the riverbank interspersed with wooden platforms where you can lounge in chairs or hammocks and watch the world float by in canoes, pedalos or tour boats. There’s a large swimming pool at the heart of the complex and a pleasant lounge and restaurant. As with all of the Ağva properties, you’ll be obliged to take half-board terms, but it makes perfect sense anyway as there’s little in the way of alternative dining options out here.
The Paradise is far from being the only choice, although it’s certainly the one in the most rural setting and the one with the most adventurous access arrangements. Farther downstream, the Acqua Verde and Riverside Hotels are also inaccessible by car. In both cases you either phone across the river or wave frantically and something rather like a raft with high sides on a pulley will be dispatched to pick you up. (Cars can be left in a guarded car park, so there’s no need to worry about security.)
The Riverside has the most to offer families because it has a children’s playground, a large outdoor pool, dart boards and pool tables, as well as a jazz bar and on-site dining. However, the decor at the Acqua Verde next door is much more appealing, as is the undercover pool and a large bar area where you can spread out on squishy cushions around a large log fire, perfect on all but the warmest of summer nights.
If for some reason you really don’t want to be out of sight of your car (or if
even the thought of a short river crossing brings you out in a cold sweat), then there are also a couple of Ağva hotels that can be reached in the conventional way. Piccolo Mondo favors a chintzy look for its lounge and bedrooms, but has a great deck dining area overlooking the river, while Tranquilla has a particularly inviting garden with a fire-pit for the evenings when the air is still a little nippy. The Yeşilçay Tatil Köyü offers more sizeable rooms set round a more manicured garden, with another long deck facing out over the river. Be warned, though, that these are the best of the Ağva hotels, which means that over the summer weekends when everyone is desperate to escape the heat and congestion, they are the ones that get booked up most quickly.
Ağva is not a place to come to in search of a jam-packed program of sightseeing. However, there are plenty of trekking possibilities in the surrounding woodlands, and hoteliers are primed to direct you to waterfalls that are accessible when the ground is not too muddy. At this time of year, when you would need sturdy hiking gear to reach them, it’s worth knowing about Kilimli Köyü just a few kilometers away, which boasts a wonderful stretch of rocky scenery reminiscent of Dorset or Cornwall in the UK. A newly opened restaurant there offers a deck from which you can gaze down on Gelinkaya (“the Bride Rock”) right on the edge of an exquisite circular cove, thankfully off-limits to rubbish-shedding picnickers. The story there is a familiar one. Girl meets boy. Girl falls in love with boy. Parents refuse permission for couple to marry. Girl and boy pray to be turned into rocks. Their wishes are granted, with knock-on benefits for the scenery.
There are a couple of other Black Sea boltholes within easy escaping distance of İstanbul. You could, for example, drop in on Woodyville at Akçakese, which has a few Olympos-style tree-houses (one with Jacuzzi!) alongside more conventional accommodation on a secluded beach. Alternatively, you could keep the driving to a minimum and stay in Şile, a far more built-up settlement that boasts several sandy beaches where swimming is possible, although only wise when a lifeguard is in attendance because a dangerous undertow still claims occasional victims.
To get to Şile, you drive through lovely wooded countryside with plenty of places to stop off for a picnic or to tuck into a piping hot gözleme (stuffed pancake) cooked by a şalvared village matron. Şile itself, though, is a proper small town best known for a stripy lighthouse, which is certainly the largest in Turkey and is sometimes said to be the second largest in the world. It dates back to 1859 and the reign of Sultan Abdülmecit I, and its light can be seen from 20 miles out to sea. Theoretically it’s open to visitors during the summer months from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., although it’s probably best to assume that only really means over the weekends.
Şile also boasts the remains of the Ocaklı Kale (“the Castle with an Oven”), picturesquely sited on a rock just off-shore from the fishing harbor. Some locals also insist that the Ağlayankaya (“Weeping Rock”) is a sight worth seeing, although frankly it will come as a considerable let-down after Gelinkaya. That’s about it for the formal attractions of Şile, although the back streets do boast a number of silvery wooden houses gradually crumbling away to nothingness. At this time of year, with flowering wisteria draped over their facades, they look particularly attractive, especially in contrast to the sprawling concrete “sites” (housing complexes).
Many well-heeled İstanbulites keep second homes in Şile, which is also accessible by bus from Üsküdar, making a day trip a possibility. If you do want to stay, the accommodation options are not as inviting as in Ağva. There’s a big and very smart Dedeman Hotel with a lovely outdoor pool and rooms far more stylish than you might expect, and the smaller Değirmen Hotel, which looks out over the harbor. The grim but beautifully located Şato Hotel has closed down. Otherwise, there are a succession of small pensions primarily aimed at the Turkish family market.
WHERE TO STAY:
Acqua Verde, Ağva:.................0216-721 7143
Riverside Hotel, Ağva:.............0216-721 7136
Piccolo Mondo, Ağval:.............0216-721 7379
Paradise Hotel, Ağva:..............0216-721 8577
Tranquilla, Ağva:.....................0216-721 7377
Woodyville, Akçakese:.............0216-727 7010
Dedemen Hotel, Şile:..............0216-712 2424
Değirmen Hotel, Şile:..............0216-711 5048
Yeşilçay Tatil Köyü, Ağva:........0216-721 7348
HOW TO GET THERE
Bus No. 139A runs from Üsküdar to Şile and Ağva, although it’s much better to get to Ağva by car so you can have the option of exploring the surrounding area. Akçakese is only accessible by car.
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