"We stayed at Celay Apartments in September 2026 and, as regular visitors to this area of Turkey, we know Ovacik and Hisarönü quite well. After feeling that our usual accommodation had become a little less inviting last year, we decided to look around for somewhere new. Celay Apartments really stood out from the crowd, so we thought we’d give it a try — and we’re very glad we did.
Location
Yes, Celay is in Ovacik rather than right in the centre of Hisarönü, and it’s around a 30-minute slow walk into town. We knew this before booking and were more than happy to accept the extra exercise — especially as there are plenty of watering holes along the way! Definitely not an Ice Cold in Alex experience. 😂
There are also plenty of dolmuşes and taxis available, with taxis costing around TL300 on average, so getting around is easy enough if you don’t fancy the walk.
Breakfast
Breakfast is a simple Turkish-style breakfast, just as we expected, and is served in the restaurant. Cheese rolls appeared on a few mornings, which was a nice addition. It’s not an elaborate buffet, but it does the job perfectly well and sets you up for the day.
Rooms
We had actually visited Celay last year, enjoyed a drink at the bar and mentioned that we were looking for a new base. We were kindly shown around one of the rooms at the time, so we already knew what to expect when we booked.
The rooms are clean, fresh and comfortable, with bedding and towels changed regularly throughout our stay. Everything felt well maintained and welcoming.
A couple of little suggestions for improvement: the timed lighting on the accommodation stairs could perhaps stay on an extra 20–30 seconds. There were a few occasions when we found ourselves halfway down the stairs in darkness, waving our arms around like complete loons, hoping the lights would come back on! 😂
A few more plug sockets, particularly beside the beds, would also be a welcome addition.
Pool Area
This is definitely one of Celay’s highlights. The pool area is lovely and, importantly, the photographs you see online genuinely reflect what you get.
The property was built, I believe, around 2000, but it’s clear that investment and improvements have been made over the years. There’s additional accommodation, a cold plunge pool, an enlarged terrace area and an extended pool bar, which all add to the overall experience.
The Bar
The bar has a really nice, relaxed atmosphere. Prices are reasonable and you can either pay at the end of each day or as you go along. There’s draught beer, football on the TV and the food was really good.
The bar staff were friendly, attentive and responsive, which always makes such a difference to the holiday experience.
A Few Little Suggestions
There were a couple of minor things we mentioned during our stay. The toilet seat was loose and, although reported, unfortunately wasn’t repaired during our visit. The Wi-Fi could also be a little stronger around the bar and was occasionally intermittent.
We also noticed that Google suggests Celay has a gym, and there are some road signs suggesting one too. However, we couldn’t find any mention of a gym in the brochure or on the Celay website. We did see a lower-floor room beneath the restaurant containing some gym equipment, although it appeared to currently be being used for storage.
These are very much suggestions rather than negatives and certainly wouldn’t put us off returning.
Overall
We’re really pleased we decided to try somewhere different this year. Celay gave us the fresh, welcoming base we were looking for, with a lovely pool area, friendly staff, comfortable rooms and a relaxed atmosphere.
We went knowing exactly where it was, what the rooms were like and what was included, so there were no unpleasant surprises. For us, Celay worked really well and we would absolutely consider returning.
Sometimes you take a chance on somewhere new — and this one definitely paid off. 🇹🇷☀️"
