Middle East - Anthony Ham [517]
If you fancy top-notch accommodation at reasonable prices, Turkey is the place to do it. Boutique hotels are all the rage in the country. Increasingly, old Ottoman mansions and other historic buildings are being refurbished or completely rebuilt as hotels equipped with all the mod cons and bags of character. The best boutique hotels are located in İstanbul, Cappadocia, Safranbolu and Amasya, but almost every city boasts some character-filled establishments.
In tourist-dependent areas such as the coast and Cappadocia, many hotels close from November to April. Some stay open, but your choices will still be diminished. One consolation is that rates fall in winter.
Unless otherwise stated, breakfast and private bathrooms are included in the room rates quoted in this book. Dorms in İstanbul often have shared bathrooms. Some spots offer half-board accommodation, which includes bed, breakfast and one main meal, and this is stated in the review.
Tree Houses
Olympos, on the coast southwest of Antalya, is famous for its ‘tree houses’, wooden shacks of minimal comfort in forested settings near the beach. Increasingly, these basic shelters are being converted into chalets with more comfort.
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PRACTICALITIES
For the news in English, pick up the Turkish Daily News. The APA Group’s guides to İstanbul, Ankara, Bodrum and Antalya, which retail at tourist gathering points, feature listings and articles.
TRT3 (Türkiye Radyo ve Televizyon) provides short news broadcasts in English, French and German, and can be found on 88.2MHz, 91.6MHz, 92.8MHz, 94MHz or 99MHz depending on where you are in the country. BBC World Service broadcasts on 12095kHz in İstanbul.
Digiturk offers hundreds of Turkish and international TV channels, including CNN International and BBC World.
The electrical current is 220V AC, 50Hz. Wall sockets are the round, two-pin European type.
Turkey uses the metric system for weights and measures.
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RESIST THE TOUTS!
In smaller tourist towns such as Fethiye, Pamukkale and Selçuk, touts for the pensions may accost you as you step from your bus and string you whatever line they think will win you over. Of course they are after a commission from the owner. Taxi drivers often like to play this game too. Avoid letting these faux friends make your choices for you by deciding where you want to stay and sticking to your guns.
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ACTIVITIES
Popular activities include hiking and trekking in the Kaçkar Mountains and southern Cappadocia’s Ala Dağlar National Park. Another popular stroll is the Lycian Way, a 30-day, 509km walk around the coast and mountains of Lycia, starting at Fethiye and finishing near Antalya. The spectacular valleys of central Cappadocia are also excellent for hiking. If you’re a serious hiker you could consider conquering Turkey’s highest mountain, the 5137m-high Mt Ararat (Click here) near Doğubayazıt, but you need a permit.
All sorts of watersports, including diving, waterskiing, rafting and kayaking, are available on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. The best diving is offered off Kaş (Click here), Bodrum (Click here) and Marmaris (Click here). You can also try tandem paragliding at Ölüdeniz (Click here).
Skiing is becoming more popular, with the best facilities at Palandöken, near Erzurum (Click here), and the most scenic runs at conifer-studded Sarıkamış (Click here), near Kars. However, their facilities do not meet the standards of the better European resorts.
Those of a lazier disposition may want to take a gület (traditional wooden yacht) trip along the Mediterranean coast, stopping off to swim in bays along the way (Click here).
The laziest ‘activity’ of all consists of paying a visit to a hamam (Click