Buyuk Sumela

The rooms were good, and the breakfast was so good too. The manager, Yalçın bey, was sweet and good, and the service was great.

The location is great for Sumela Monastery, about 15 minutes away by taxi, and Trabzon is around 30 minutes away by taxi. I easily hired a driver to take me to Sumela and back, and he waited while I explored for as long as I wanted. This was a last-minute find in Maçka, and the staff were very nice and helpful when they checked me in around 2 am. The hotel was nice and clean, the air conditioner worked well, and the beds were clean and comfortable. The bathroom had shower gel and shampoo, with plenty of hot water. You'll definitely need Google Translate in this area, though I managed to communicate easily with the small restaurants and shops nearby. There's also a cafe about a six-minute drive up the hill with an amazing view, called LaDur Cafe. I'd recommend the hotel for a day or a couple of days to enjoy Maçka. I highly recommend it.

The hotel is in a village close to the Sumela Monastery, and the rooms are quite nice. Showers were difficult, though, because the water was only warm, not hot enough. Breakfast was poor: bread, jam in boxes, and tea.

These cottages sit idyllically in the middle of nature, with views of the Sümela monastery. They're separate from the four-star hotel. Some are heated with wood, which can be challenging in winter. When we stayed, the wood supply was irregular and we had a cold night now and then, though the comfy duvets helped make up for it. Management could communicate better with customers, but it's still a magnificent place to stay in any season.