Kartaltepe Hotel

We booked three rooms for a short family holiday, but this turned into one of our worst experiences. There’s no air conditioning, which was awful in summer. The windows are tiny, so airflow is poor, and opening them meant dealing with mosquitoes since some had no screens. Breakfast was very poor, with very limited choices. Compared with other hotels I’ve stayed in around Turkey, eating here wasn’t a good idea. The management was rude. Around 8:30 pm, my kids were playing in the front yard play area when a staff member told me to stop them because they were noisy. Meanwhile, the hotel played loud music until 11:30 pm every day, and people at the restaurant chatted and laughed late into the evening without a problem. My children were rudely accused of making noise. I would never recommend this place to families with kids. Terrible customer care and service.

We stayed in the log cabin, tucked away among pine trees, cozy and secluded but very close to the main hotel building. The staff were friendly and attentive, and made us feel welcome. They’ll bring food and refreshments to the cabin if you ask. One idea for management: a WhatsApp order line would be convenient and save guests the walk back and forth between the cabin and reception.

We stopped here in the early evening on our way back from Kartalkaya. The big garden is lovely in good weather, and it’s a great place to watch the sunset. They had local wine varieties and delicious Turkish cold mezza.

Bolu’s food scene has a lot to gain from this family run hotel and restaurant, started by chef owner Mr.Sadun. Bolu is known for chefs working abroad, but it seems there weren’t restaurants to match until this place opened. We had an amazing meal with a unique view of the Bolu sunset. The local fried potatoes showed the owner’s focus on quality: local potatoes cooked in the finest olive oil, which feels unusual for Turkey’s gastronomy scene. Every meze we tried used fresh ingredients. The local pepper with yoghurt was one of the freshest and most delicious mezes we’ve ever had. The fried liver drew on master recipes from the Edirne region, and the Paçanga with kokareç was a mind blowing recipe. The local pasta with local butter, walnut, and keş cheese showed how a simple dish can be a masterpiece. The service staff were very helpful and knew the products well. I hope we get a chance to visit this local restaurant again soon. Strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Bolu who appreciates good food.