Overview
Notes from our March visit:
- The air quality is terrible. Apparently most places burn olive pomace as fuel. We went down to the seaside hoping to breathe some fresh air and relax, but we basically came back having inhaled nothing but carbon dioxide. I honestly didn't expect this from such a lovely Aegean town.
- In summer, the tourists and seasonal residents mask it, but in the winter version, the locals and their rough edges become very apparent. The driving is pretty bad.
- The newly built Ayvalik Marina is really beautiful. It will multiply the value of the district significantly.
Tips & Advice
- Off-season hotel prices are very reasonable. It's not a bad idea for a quick getaway to explore the region.
- Most hotels in the center are historic buildings, so they're old. The one we stayed at had zero sound insulation. The room next door felt like it was inside our room. Keep this in mind when choosing a hotel.
My Place Reviews
Restaurants
Cleto's Ristorante Italiano2025★★★☆☆
An Italian restaurant where the red wines are served ice cold. One of the wines on their by-the-glass menu was clearly corked, and when we pointed it out, they said they knew that's how the wine was. No comment :)
Half the items on their menu are unavailable due to seasonal reasons. If it were 1-2 items, fine, but if half the menu is going to be missing, then they either need to note which months items are available, or create a seasonal menu. In its current state, it's quite hard to even place an order.
The food quality isn't bad. We liked the bolognese pasta, and their pizzas are quite fresh. Just if you're not someone who loves too much tomato sauce, it might feel excessive. The sauce was a bit raw. The pizza crust edges were actually at an edible consistency, but ours came a bit too burnt.
Hotels
Casalyma Ayvalık2025★★★☆☆
+ The owners and staff are incredibly warm people, truly wonderful. They took care of everything, much appreciated
+ Breakfast was quite good
+ It's in a great location, the seaside is very enjoyable
+ If you get the rooms with a view, the scenery is really beautiful
- Unfortunately the hotel is an old building. Sound insulation is zero. It felt like we were sharing a room with the neighbors. Sounds from 4 rooms down could be heard in ours. If you're a light sleeper, you could have a rough night.
- Also due to the insulation issue, cigarette smoke from other rooms can drift into yours. If you're sensitive about that, it could bother you.
- Despite the hotel being old, the rooms have been renovated, but there are some design flaws. For instance, in our room the toilet and sink were crammed so close together that it's impossible to sit straight on the toilet. You can only sit sideways, which unfortunately ruins the comfort.
1774 Kazdağı Termal Butik Otel2022★★★★★
The staff are friendly, the rooms are spacious and clean, breakfast comes to your room at the time you choose with the contents you've selected. It's one of the smaller hotels in the area compared to others you could pick. Just note there's no alcohol, come knowing that :)
Shops
MA'ADRA VINEYARD2023★★★★★
The location is truly beautiful, staff are super attentive, and the wines are good value. The road can feel a bit rough, especially the last 2 km which is all dirt road, but the atmosphere definitely makes it worth the trip.