Antique Pension

We left at two in the morning. It was the worst hostel stay I've had. We'd booked the cheap room without checking other guests' experiences, and the so-called toilet-bedroom was still there, apparently a bathroom with a bed put in it. The room looked nothing like the booking photos. The picture I added shows the wall in the room my partner slept in. It was hot, and the fans didn't help. The landlord said we could pay another €20 to get air conditioning. One of our three beds had a dirty cover, and another squeaked when you lay on it.

The owner was kind enough to give me an extra blanket, but the room was still far too cold for sleeping in winter, and there was no heating. The rooms were a joke, as the pictures show. I also heard that another guest's passport was stolen because a broken window let someone unlock their room. I moved to another hotel because I couldn't relax there. Later, I heard rumors that the place was being used as a brothel. It feels unsafe and run-down, so I'd strongly advise against staying.

The location made getting around easy: it's a five-minute walk from İsmet Paşa station, with a tram from the airport or bus station, and the owners can help arrange transport. Konyaaltı beach is about 20 minutes away by public transport, while Lara beach takes around 40. There's another beach nearby, but it was expensive and crowded, so I wouldn't recommend it. We stayed two nights and ended up extending. This is an old house, over a hundred years old, and it clearly needs improvements, though the owners keep it clean. It's not a luxury hotel, so you'd need to pay more if that's what you expect. We spent half our stay in a room with a private toilet and half in one without a bathroom. Both worked out fine, perhaps because our neighbors were considerate. The toilet was clean, the hot water was really hot and easy to adjust, the air conditioning worked well, and the owners were lovely. They brought us fruit every day from the fig, lemon, and pomegranate trees in the garden. They were also flexible when we wanted to arrive early or leave a few hours late. There was a fridge, washing machine with free detergent, a place to dry clothes, a kitchen, a terrace, and bicycles for rent. New small bungalows are being built in the garden, so it was a bit chaotic. Three ginger cats help keep mice away, but it's best not to leave food out in your room. I was a little worried about cockroaches because you can find them in the old district, but I didn't see any. It's my favorite old house in Antalya.

There was no sleep at all. Owners and guests talked and watched TV through the night, from midnight until 7 a.m., and every sound carried into the rooms. The hotel felt poor, noisy, dodgy, and smelly. I'd rather sleep on a bench in the nearby park.