Hotel Forest Gate - Gocek, Turkey     

I went away for a week on my own in early June to escape the pressures of life. Gocek is about half an hour from Dalaman airport. Down a winding forest road was how the minibus deposited me at the Forestgate - a small hotel with approximately 25 rooms. The setting is fabulous. My room had a large double bed and was spacious, with a big bathroom. I was on the ground floor and had a view of the pool. The room and the hotel are spotlessly clean. The hotel is in a magical area if you just want to unwind. At night you could hear nothing which soon sent you to blissful sleep. Even the airconditioning is non-intrusive. Breakfast is served up until 12 noon so you do not have to get up early. It is a typically Turkish affair without any surprises. I have had better Turkish breakfasts. Bar snacks and dinner is served in the evening. The staff are helpful and friendly. It is aproximately a 10/15 minute walk along a peaceful stoney road to reach the resort of Gocek. Which is a beautifully laid out place - a faourite with the yatchting set as you can see by the size of the vessels in the three ports. An attractive landscaped seafront for an evening stroll and at night lovely displays of colour changing water fountains. Restaurants are plentiful and good. My favourites were the Cafe West, Kebab Hospital, Limon and the Sunset for a romantic setting. Shops are varied - good quality clothes and tasteful souvenirs. In all Gocek is upmarket Turkey in a beautiful setting. It does not appear to be plagued by mosquitos - I am normally bitten but did not receive one bite and only saw one mosquito. I felt very safe in the Forestgate and in the resort and as a single female that is very important. I would definitely return. In fact, I did stay in Gocek with friends about 7 years ago and it is just as nice now as it was then. The Forestgate is a lovely little hotel and offers very good value for money and lots of friendliness and I have come home with very fond memories of the place.

Location is very good if you want a quick one night stopover as Gocek is only 20 minutes from Dalaman airport. We arrived and as we are living in Turkey were not expecting too much from a hotel of this level and we were only using it to get our head down before setting off the following day. On arrival the reception was friendly. When we got to the room, we could not believe how cold and damp everything was, including the bed. But the worst part was the black mold over the walls. They said that it was due to the hotel being closed over the winter, they placed a portable heater in the room...so we went out and found a great restaurant and consumed plenty so we fell asleep as oon as we returned. Breakfast was good. Try Il Sole for excellent service and great food!