Iran - Andrew Burke [304]
Hotels will almost always keep your passport overnight so keep a photocopy, and get it back if you’re heading out of town for the day. Check-out time is usually 2pm. As you get off the beaten track you’re likely to encounter heart-warming hospitality that sucks you into ‘real’ homestays. It’s worth coming to Iran prepared with small presents to express your gratitude, as paying cash for such accommodation might be inappropriate.
Sending postcards and photos to your hosts once you get home will be greatly appreciated. All accommodation in this book is presented in budget order, from cheapest up; budget is generally up to IR220,000 (about US$25 or €16); midrange is roughly between US$26 (IR242,000 or €17) and $US80 (IR746,000 or €54); top-end listings hover upwards of US$80.
Camping
Iranians love tents, and you’ll see them scattered through parks during the No Ruz holiday period. However, there are very few official camping grounds, and unless you can make yourself look like a nomad, camping anywhere else will draw unwanted attention from the authorities. If you do choose to camp rough, steer clear of military facilities and borders.
Long-distance trekkers and mountaineers, who obviously need to camp, should still discuss plans with the provincial tourist information office first Click here if not accompanied by a recognised guide. The office may be able to write a letter of introduction.
Hotels
BUDGET
As well as mosaferkhanehs, basic one- and two-star hotels have rooms that fall into the budget range. In these places you normally have an attached bathroom with at least a shower (usually hot) plus air-con, a TV (Iranian channels only), fridge and maybe a phone. The heating and hot water will almost certainly be working.
Prices in this range start at about IR80,000/100,000 for a single/double and go up to about IR180,000/220,000, depending on your negotiating skills. On the down side, double beds are almost unheard of in the budget range, you’re unlikely to get breakfast and some places are not as fastidious as they could be, so watch out for those telltale hairs on your pillow and don’t be afraid to ask for fresh sheets.
MIDRANGE
Most two-star hotels, and all three- and four-star places will have a private bathroom with hot shower and toilet, and almost certainly a phone, fridge and TV (sometimes with BBC World and Deutsche Welt). There might even be a reasonable restaurant, and breakfast will often be included. You’ll find toilet paper in most places, though bath plugs are a long-shot. Prices start at about US$15/20 for a single/double and go up to as much as US$60/85. Like a 40-something boxer, a lot of places in this range charge rates that reflect a more glorious past than the beaten-around present; try negotiating.
The most charismatic midrange places, and those worth aiming for, are the sonnati (traditional) hotels. Yazd has many and the first examples have recently opened in Esfahan and Kashan. The upper end of this range is home to a growing number of modern ‘apartment hotels’, which can be excellent value outside the high season. Most towns of decent size have a government-run Tourist Inn (Mehmansara Jahangardi). Standards vary considerably but they are usually fair value and often employ at least one English speaker.
TOP END
Many of Iran’s top hotels pre-date the 1979 revolution. Several accidentally maintain décor which, like the Bee Gees, is now so out-dated that it’s almost retro-cool. Relish these places before they’re refitted in typically bland modern-hotel style. Bee Gees–era establishments like to tease you with swimming pools that are never actually filled. Meanwhile those better top-end hotels whose pools do have water will have set segregated swimming times for men and women.
Prices are astronomical by Iranian standards, but pretty reasonable by those of the West, starting from about US$85/100 for a single/double and rising