Where to stay in Turkey

Hotels

Places to stay in Turkey range from purpose-built villa and apartment complexes and mid-range hotels in seaside resorts to luxury city hotels aimed at business travellers, budget hostels, simple pansiyons (guesthouses) and an ever-increasing number of stylish small boutique hotels in coastal and rural villages.

Grading: Hotels registered with the Ministry of Tourism are graded from 1 star (1 yildizli) to 5 stars (5 yildizli). There are also unclassified hotels that have no stars, which can range from poor to acceptable. Classification is based on the standard of service and facilities. Motels and holiday villas are first class (1 sinif) or second class (2 sinif). There are other establishments registered with local authorities, and these too correspond to a certain standard in regard to facilities and services. There is also a national hotel association, TUROB (http://english.turob.com) which has comprehensive listings of accredited hotels.

Bed and breakfast

Guest houses (pansiyons) can be found in some resorts and in most towns and villages. These usually offer clean but basic accommodation (not all have en-suite WC and shower or air conditioning). Most do not have a bar or restaurant, but some offer a simple breakfast.

Camping

There are numerous sites, but facilities can be quite limited. Some hotels have campsites within their grounds. Wild camping in public is fine, otherwise its best to obtain permission from the landowner before pitching your tent.

Other accomodation

Hostels: There are a number of youth hostels in Turkey, but standards and facilities vary widely. There are numerous private hostels aimed at budget travellers in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, offering double, single and twin rooms in addition to dormitory accommodation. Budget hostel accommodation can also be found in and around favourite backpacker destinations such as Gelibolu, Kusadasi and Olympus. At the other end of the scale, Istanbul has some very upmarket hostels more suited to ‘flashpackers’ willing to spend a little more,  than those looking for rock bottom prices.

Apartments: Villas and apartments can be rented, especially on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, and also in Cappadocia and the larger cities. Time share properties are also starting to take-off in Turkey, most usually in the resorts along the Aegean or Mediterranean coast and in Istanbul.