Hotel Merkez Otel

I’ve stayed in around 10 hotels in this price range in Turkey, and this was the best. The rooms were clean and very large, with balconies too. Staff were very friendly, and breakfast was free. You can walk to several kinds of public transport, supermarkets, restaurants, a big park, and the seaside.

A comfortable, clean place at a relatively cheap price, well suited to a short trip. The harbor and main market are both within walking distance, and there are lots of shops and restaurants just downstairs. Staff were friendly, though they didn’t speak English. It gets a little loud outside at night and in the morning, with a mosque very nearby playing prayers at 5am. Even so, I’d recommend staying here.

The rooms were spotless, and the balcony was a nice touch. It was 50 degrees while we were there, so the fast, effective AC made a huge difference. The cleaner did our laundry for a very good price and folded it, too. The receptionist was lovely with my family, sometimes making special things for us and bringing them to the breakfast area. He even let us use the kitchen and his ingredients to cook things like eggs. We had a really good stay, and I’ll definitely come back if I’m in Izmir again.

The beds were really comfortable, and for three nights I thought it was good value. Coffee and tea were available free all day and night. Breakfast filled us up, though the menu could be improved and it wasn’t especially lavish. Being right in the center meant street voices, including people and taxi drivers passing by, sometimes woke me. I also got a bad smell in the room, maybe from an exhaust. My deodorant came to the rescue 😊