After the visit to the beautiful Aegean seaside village of Eski Foca, I had always wanted to visit its namesake, Yenifoca, just to see how it differs from the other Foca. By coincidence I came across this nice boutique hotel tucked away in a small street in the town centre of Yenifoca. A former olive press factory, the complex was built in the typical Aegean Greek style, but was abandoned by its original owners during the population exchange of 1923. It was not until recently that the building was restored and coverted into a boutique hotel by its new owners.
In Greek mythology, 'Griffon' is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, that is said to possess divine powers and guards over the treasures at the Temple of Athena in Foca. The new owners of the hotel chose this name because of Yenifoca's historical association with Greek culture and mythology.
The hotel is divided into two wings, which consist of some very beautiful and tastefully decroated bedrooms and a large dining room/restaurant, serving international cuisines and Mediterranean fares. As it was winter when I arrived at Yenifoca, I consulted with the chef of the hotel restaurant prior to my dinner appointment to make sure they have the necessary ingredients for the specific dishes I would like to order for dinner.
One interesting feature of this hotel is, with the exception of one person, all employees are female. The chef is a lady from Istanbul who is very pleased to hear that someone from outside of Turkey has heard of her restaurant. As Yenifoca is certainly not on the route of most foreign tourists visiting Turkey's Aegean coast, they invited me for some tea and biscuits with rose-flavoured Turkish delights, and we sat around the fireplace talking about my trips to Turkey and the Greco-Turkish relations.
The dining hall is also the place where breakfast is served for hotel guests. There is also a small bar and a fireplace in the middle of the room, where people can sit and socialise at any time. Both the hotel and the restaurant are open all year. It is also possible to have lunch or dinner only at the hotel restaurant, even though one is staying at another hotel in Yenifoca.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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