Accommodition

Turning up and finding a bed for the night is generally not a problem in Turkey, except in high season at the busier coastal resorts and larger cities such as İstanbul. Many places have internet booking services so you can reserve a room ahead if you want to be sure. Despite Turkey’s buoyant economy, prices remain good value by most Western European standards, though İstanbul can be very expensive. In most of the larger coastal resorts, the big cities, and well-touristed inland areas such as Cappadocia, a wide range of accommodations is available, from humble pensions (guesthouses) to five-star hotels. However, in relatively untouristed towns of the interior, there’s often little choice between fleapits or four-star luxury.

By European standards, rooms are generally on the small side, with dim lighting and rarely enough power points. In the newer, three- to five-star establishments, single rooms typically go for just over half the price of a double since proprietors are well used to lone (male) business travelers. Rooms with en-suite bathrooms generally cost about 25 percent more than unplumbed ones; triples are also usually available, costing about thirty percent more than double.

Pick a room away from the main thoroughfares and an adjacent mosque to avoid noise. You won’t offend by asking to see another room and never agree on a price for a room without seeing it first. Though break-ins aren’t the norm in Turkey, security should be at least a token consideration.

Hot water (sıcak us) is unreliable, even in starred hotels. The solar-powered systems ubiquitous in coastal resorts struggle to cope with demand – check to see if there’s an electric backup. Plumbers frequently pipe the taps up the wrong way round, so check that the fixture that should be hot is not cold! Bathtubs and sinks seldom have plugs, so bring a universal plug home. Especially on the south and southwest coast, air conditioning (a/c) is found in most accommodations, even pensions, though some charge extra for this as electricity prices are so high. Double beds for couples are becoming more popular; the magic words are Fransiz yatak (“French” bed). Incidentally, in some conservative rural areas, hotel management may refuse to let a heterosexual couple share a room unless there is documentary evidence that they are married. A law exists to this effect, so it’s no use arguing the toss.

Touts can be a nuisance in places on the backpacker trail (for example, Cappadocia, Selçuk, and Eğirdir), greeting weary travelers off the long-distance bus with accommodation offers. It’s best to ignore them and use the recommendations in this guide. If you decide to check out the accommodation offered by a tout, make sure it’s up to standard before accepting – there will be plenty more choices available.

Lift/elevator buttons can be a source of potential confusion. For example, “Ç” stands for “call,” a lit-up “K” means the car is already on your floor; an illuminated “M” means “in use”; “Z” stands for the ground floor, and “A” means the mezzanine floor.

Hotels

Turkish hotels are graded on a scale of one to five stars by the Ministry of Tourism; there is also a lower tier of unstarred establishments rated by municipalities. The four- and five-star establishments expect to pay from €110–180 at the lower end of the scale to €200–500 for restored palaces or very upmarket boutique hotels. Two- or three-star outfits (€50–90) are more basic; no tubs in bathrooms and more simple breakfasts, though in resort areas, they may have a small pool, terrace and bar. The walk-in price of three-star and up hotels is always much higher than if it is pre-booked, but if the hotel is slack, you may be able to negotiate a much better deal.

Boutique hotels are popping up all over the place, especially in restored old mansions in areas like Amasya, Cappadocia, Gaziantep, İstanbul, Mardin, Safranbolu, and Urfa. However, the term is overused to market any accommodation in a minimalist or modernist style, and prices vary widely.

The unrated hotels licensed by municipalities can be virtually as good as the lower end of the one-star class, and most have en-suite bathrooms, televisions, and phones (€35–45). At the bottom end of the market, others will have a basin in the room but shared showers and (squat) toilets down the hall, with prices ranging between €20 and €30. Nevertheless, most solo female travelers will feel uncomfortable in unstarred and even many one- and two-star hotels, especially in less-touristed interior parts.

Pansiyons and apartments

Often the most pleasant places to stay are pensions (pensions), small guesthouses standard in touristy areas. These usually have en-suite facilities, and many feature common gardens or terraces where breakfast (usually, but not always, included in the price) is served. Rooms are spartan but clean, furnished in one-star hotel mode, and always with two sheets (çarşafs) on the bed. Hot water is always available, though solar-powered systems are not always when you want them. Many have air conditioning, often for a supplement.

Particularly regarding family-run pensions, you may find that the proprietor has links with similar establishments in other towns; often, they will offer to call ahead to arrange both a stay and a transfer from the otogar for you. This informal network is a good way of avoiding the hassle of touts and a late-night search for a comfy bed.

Self-catering apartments are widespread in coastal resorts and are mostly pitched at vacationing Turks or foreigners arriving on pre-arranged packages. Some are available to walk-in trade – local tourist offices maintain lists. Apart from the weekly price, the significant (negotiable) outlay will be for the giant gas bottle feeding the stove. Ensure that kitchens are equipped well enough to make them genuinely self-catering.

Hostels, lodges, and treehouses

While there is only a handful of internationally affiliated, foreigner-pitched hostels in the country, this gap has been amply filled by backpackers’ hostels, found most notably in İstanbul, Çanakkale, Selçuk, Köyceğiz, and Fethiye. Often 1970s pensions that have been adapted to feature multi-bedded rooms, laundry and internet facilities, self-catering kitchen, tours, and lively bars, they can be fair value – costs vary €10–18 per head in a large dorm, considerably more for a double room.

In recent years, many trekkers’ lodges have sprung up in the foothills of the Kaçkar mountains, especially on the south slope, along the Lycian Way. These generally offer a choice between communal sleeping on mattresses arrayed on a wooden terrace or more enclosed double to quadruple rooms without en-suite facilities. Strangely, cooking facilities may often also be absent. Costs are generally comparable to the backpackers’ hostels, though some are far more expensive.

So-called “treehouses,” usually just elevated shacks, are found principally on the southwest coast between Antalya and Fethiye. Some have dorm rooms, while an increasing number are designed for two people and have doors, windows, electricity, air conditioning, and, rarely, en-suite facilities.

Campsites

Pensions and hostels with gardens will often allow camping in areas frequently visited by independent travelers. Charges run from a couple of euros to €7 per head in a well-appointed site at a significant resort; you may also be charged to park your vehicle. The most appealing campsites run by the Ministry of Forestry, open from April to October inclusive; look for brown wooden signs with yellow lettering. Twenty of them are sited in shady groves at strategic locations (primarily coastal) across the west of the country, and they make an ideal choice if you have your transport, especially a combi-van or car and caravan.

Camping rough is not illegal, but hardly anybody does it except when trekking in the mountains. Since you can expect a visit from curious police or even nosier villagers, it’s not a choice for those who like privacy.