Lotus Garden Hostel

Hey, dear readers. I hope this is fair and helps visitors weigh things up. I stayed about five days, in February when the weather was cold. If you have no other options, you could go, and you’ll meet interesting travelers. Bon voyage, and enjoy beautiful Izmir. The hostel is in Basmane, a somewhat run-down area, but the metro is easy to reach. It’s fairly close to kultur park, and Alsancak is almost a 30-minute walk. The atmosphere comes across as hippie, meditation, and yoga, but the inner spirit didn’t feel that way to me. The heating wasn’t good. They only had split air conditioning, which they turned on in the evenings. Once, when I tried to put logs in the fireplace or soba because I was cold, the owner Duygu shouted at me. Where you come from seemed to matter. I’m from neighboring Iran, and they didn’t greet me warmly, not even with a smile. I observed that they treated travelers from Europe or the West better. Duygu, the tall girl, was angry and strict; Esen, the fat girl, was rude too. Asli was kind and smiling, and I appreciated her welcome. Bora was nice and cool, though we didn't talk much. The hostel hygiene wasn’t good. They leave bedroom doors open, so cats that come and go sleep on the beds and could bring bedbugs or lice. I used my sleeping bag. The bathrooms and showers weren't very clean, though at least there was hot water. The kitchen was messy and dirty. Duygu kept coming over and lecturing me as if I were a scapegoat for things I hadn't done, like putting garage in the wrong trash bin, even though I swear I followed their rules. The internet wasn't great, and there was one full day without service.