In May and June 2006 I made – solo – a 37 day trip through middle and east Turkey. I saw beautiful museums and statues, met friendly people, ate delicious food and was stunned by nature and views. Here is a list of the hotels I used during my trip with a kind of review of my experiences. All prices are for a single room including breakfast unless otherwise stated.

Adana – Hotel Turkay – 40YTL / Middle class hotel with large clean room and very good bathroom. Mini bar, air-conditioning and television in the room. Breakfast is standard and served in the tiny lobby. Staff is not as friendly as in other hotels.

Ankara - Otel Mithat – 29YTL / Simple but clean hotel with a very standard breakfast. No buffet but just a small plate. Juices you have to pay extra for. Small lobby. Reception service is good, staff speaks quite good English. Internet available but not for free. Outside the restaurant area of Ankara, at about a 20 minutes walk from Hisar – the old city part.

Barhal - Barhal Pansion (2 pers.) – 50YTL / Simple pension that only serves at half-board base. Room without private shower/toilet, the shared ones were very clean. No curtains in the room so the sun and the noise of the Barhal river wakes you up early, though that river is stunning. Large terrace. Delicious dinner and perfect breakfast. Mehmet Degioglu, the owner, does not speak much English but he’s very friendly. Internet available.

Batman - Otel Zeki – 50YTL / Middle class hotel with large room. They do have a hammam (I did not try this one). Television and air conditioning. Good breakfast buffet. Free use of internet in the manager’s office. Large lobby. Outside the city centre.

Doğubayazit - Hotel Grand Deria – 25YTL / Middle class hotel with large clean room en large bathing room (and a good working shower!!) Marvellous view at Mount Ararat. Wake up call from the nearby mosque, only 25 meters….. Very simple breakfast. In the main street of the city. Only one staff member speaks reasonable English.

Doğubayazit - Hotel Nuh – 30YTL / Middle class hotel with reasonable room. A bathroom that can use some cleaning…. The worst breakfast I had during 37 days in Turkey. Staff speaks just a bit English. Television in the lobby. Located in the street parallel to the main street. Large lobby. Bargain! The stated prices are ridiculous.

Doğubayazit - Hotel Tahran (2 pers.) – 39YTL / Very simple hotel with small but clean rooms (I had two different ones) and tiny bathrooms. Do ask for more towels, you only get one at first. Television in the lobby. Very friendly staff. Breakfast is bad. Located in the street parallel to the main street.

Elazig - The Marathon – 50YTL / Luxury hotel with clean and large room. Large lobby, separate bar. Restaurant at the top floor with terrace. Hammam with a good masseur (male), separate sauna. The manager speaks good English, the rest of the staff does not. Good service, very friendly. Internet available but not for free. Television and air conditioning in the room. Standard breakfast. Very good price-quality range. Located in the city centre.

Erzincan - Büyük Erzincan Oteli – 70YTL / Bit overpriced middle class hotel. Hardly any English is spoken. Outside pool (not heated) with large terrace. Dinner buffet with delicious desserts (tatli). Clean and large room. You can choose if you want two single beds or a double, even if you are alone. Outside the city centre, dolmus or taxi is necessary.

Erzurum - Esadaş Otel – 50YTL / Middle class hotel with large lobby and wide screen television. Hardly any English is spoken. Standard breakfast. Clean room. Located in the city centre.

Gaziantep - Hotel Yunus – 30YTL / Simple but clean hotel with standard breakfast. Staff speaks some English. Air-conditioning. In the city centre.

Göreme - Emre Cave House – 20YTL / Very nice pension. Only 6 YTL gives you a bed in the dorm (without breakfast), a private room including is 20 YTL. Breakfast in different styles: Turkish, continental, English, fruit & yogurt etcetera for 2,5-4 YTL. Outdoor pool and terrace. Free use of internet. The owner, Suleyman, speaks good English, he also organises tours in the area. When there are enough guests they will have a bbq. Simple but clean rooms, some with and some without private bathroom. Sometimes there is no hot water… Near the centre.

Hatay - Hotel Onur – 35YTL / Middle class hotel with large lobby. Clean room. One staff member speaks good English, the other ones don not. Very friendly and good service. Television and air-conditioning available. There is a bar but it is not open every night. Standard breakfast buffet. Located in the middle of the city centre, next to the bazaar (still no noise!).

Malatya - Hotel Yeni Sinan – 25YTL / Simple but clean room, large bathroom and standard breakfast. Television. Very friendly staff but no English. In the city centre.

Mardin - Erdoba Konaklari – 85YTL / Middle class / luxury hotel with large terrace (very comfortable at night) and a good restaurant. Large room in a separate building in beautiful classical style. Air-conditioning. Standard breakfast in the cellar. Located in the city centre.

Sivas - Hotel Çakir – 25YTL / Very simple hotel with a dark lobby but clean. Breakfast area is two houses aside, not too good breakfast. Staff speaks hardly any English. At walking distance of the city centre.

Trabzon - Hotel Nur – 35YTL / Simple hotel with very good and clean bathroom (the best shower I had in all Turkey!). Simple breakfast. Friendly staff. Next to the office of tourist information, a few blocks from the city square.

Urfa - Hotel Arte – 50YTL / Very new middle class hotel, opened June 2nd 2006. Large, sunny room and bathroom in modern design. Air-conditioning. Some of the very friendly staff speaks English, the manager does very good. They gave me a free DVD and a set postcards of the city as a present (but I was their first guest). Nice view from the top-floor restaurant but a too simple breakfast for a hotel of this class. Anyway very good price-quality range. Television and air-conditioning in the room. In the city centre, next to City Hall (Belediye).

Van – Büyük Asur Oteli (2 pers.) – 60YTL / Simple hotel with clean room. Large lobby. Very good breakfast buffet on the terrace. Remzi, the manager, does speak English very well. He also organises tours in the area. Located a bit outside the city centre.

useful information trudy..i for one would like to hear more about mount arafat(the site of noah's ark) and teh cultural buildings etc nearby

Here is a website for adding photos!! Just inc ase you want to share with us Trudy!

PBase sharing photos

Thanks for sharing them with us - they are wonderful photos! Are you a professional photographer?

Hi Trudy!

Thanks for sharing infos about the hotels: their facilities, room rates, even the names of the contact persons & their kind of service- good service is important to me

Gosh nice pictures you posted! I can't wait to visit Turkey and see their historical places & scenic views. Of course, my primary purpose is to be with my BF . BTW, have you been to the house of Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey?

Thanks for sharing with us

Trudy, what a marvelous list. Thank you! I, too, have been to Dogubeyazit and saw Mt. Ararat from a distance. Gorgeous, isn't it? I hope to hike it one day. This list will be useful the next time I travel to eastern Turkey.

Hello, I have a question about entry points. I am an American currently working in Iraq. I would like to take my vacations in Turkey. Does anyone know if I can enter the country at Harbur and get a three month visa? Thank you.

Quoting robin01

useful information trudy..i for one would like to hear more about mount arafat(the site of noah´s ark) and teh cultural buildings etc nearby

ARAFAT is in Saudi Arabia...What you mean is ARARAT.....Just make sure you hit the right direction, when you finally venture out.