About the Property

Mehmet Ali Ağa Mansion

Journey to the south west tip of Turkey - where the Mediterranean and Aegean seas meet – and you will be rewarded with one of the most exquisitely Turkish boutique hotels in our entire portfolio. Nothing better exemplifies Exclusive Escapes ethos to offer a taste of the real Turkey than the delightful Museum Hotel - Mehmet Ali Ağa Mansion.

Tucked away behind stone walls in the traditional village of Residaye, the Mansion provides a rare taste of Ottoman history in a calm and refined setting.  Lush and mature gardens with orchard terraces, rambling rose and citrus gardens lead to hidden pergolas and peaceful nooks in which to relax and enjoy this utterly tranquil retreat.

Looking out across to the mountains, this hidden gem is the perfect base from which to explore the Datça Peninsula, a stunningly beautiful region which remains unspoilt by tourism.

Dating back to 1809, Mehmet Ali Ağa Mansion is one of the oldest surviving examples of Ottoman architecture which has been authentically and lovingly restored by its owners, the Pir family. It opened as a boutique hotel in 2004 and has since established a reputation as one of the country’s finest Mediterranean escapes. In the warm embrace of Sibel Romano and her delightful Turkish team, guests include some of Turkey’s leading professionals and artists who will now share the hotel exclusively with Exclusive Escapes guests, making for a suitably cosmopolitan clientele.

The Mansion is divided into four separate buildings knitted together by delightful gardens home to a vast array of trees and plants from aloe, cacti, vines, bougainvillea, walnut, olive, fig, lemon, lime, pampas, palm, banana, maple and mulberry.

Steps lead up through the gardens to a large terrace dotted with sun loungers and day beds, well positioned to drink in those far-reaching views up towards the mountains. This relaxing, sun-drenched corner has a swimming pool and children’s pool that are ideal for a cooling dip, with changing rooms and showers.

The original two-storey mansion has been restored using cedar wood and local stone, using painstaking traditional techniques, and now houses a number of museum-rooms together with the remarkable Mansion House bedrooms. All these rooms stay true to the original design with woodwork, frescoes and engravings lovingly and carefully restored.

The much-photographed and intricately designed ‘headroom’ (see left), which traditionally was only used to welcome special guests, looks over three sides to the citrus garden, the rose garden and the courtyard and provides a peaceful and somewhat unusual lounge. The rare woodwork and engravings date to 1831, adding to the extraordinary atmosphere. Other public rooms include a vaulted wine cellar, a library and the original family Hamam (Turkish bath).

The paths that zig zag through the gardens lead to a beautiful pond and stone bar which forms the centrepiece of the courtyard, surrounded on three sides by the cedar balustrades of the Mansion House.  Breakfast and evening meals are taken in this delightful setting, which is partially bathed in sunlight during the morning and illuminated by candlelight for romantic dining at night.

The pervading sense of calm of Mehmet Ali Ağa Mansion will relax and reinvigorate even the most world weary of travellers.

The Rooms

The elegant Stonehouse Rooms and Suites are divided between the three attractive stone buildings in the grounds. These rooms were the original service section for The Mansion. The contemporary, stylish and spacious rooms look out over the pretty landscaped gardens and are designed using a modern Ottoman style that is in complete harmony with the property. The beautiful rooms have terraced seating overlooking the gardens and are testament to the fact that The Mansion is just as relaxing on the inside as it is on the outside.

The original mansion houses the public rooms of the hotel together with five of the most remarkable bedrooms we have ever come across. All these rooms stay true to the original design with woodwork, frescoes and engravings lovingly and carefully restored to the original style and quality of the age. The bedrooms (four rooms and one suite) follow this theme and we are firmly convinced that you would be hard pressed to find more unusual rooms anywhere in the world.