Cennet Pension

A really delightful host and a well-located pension. Excellent.

We were two adults and three children, and the rooms were very clean. The family running the hotel were welcoming and polite, offering us water and coffee and doing all they could for us. The bathrooms were a little run-down, though clean. There’s a lovely terrace, and the city center is an easy walk away. A lovely family-run place.

The kindness of the innkeepers and those meals of bread and olives in the pleasant first-floor garden have stayed with me all these years. I was there around August 12th-15th, 1998, and was thrilled to discover that Pansiyon was still open. Twenty-five years later, I still remember it fondly. I had a boat to Samos Island from Kusadasi port soon after checkout, and was in a rush when I realized that morning I’d lost my room key. A kind elderly woman from the inn’s family told me not to worry about it and just go. I later thought I probably left the key in the bathroom, but I still wonder if they ever found it, and whether that elderly woman is alive and well. Once the pandemic is over, I’m planning my first trip to Turkey in 25 years and would like to stay again. Can I only book by phone? I don’t speak Turkish. Back then I was in my twenties, traveling alone, and stayed without a reservation. Now I’m 45 and want to bring my wife.

Ahmet, the owner, was so kind and helpful, and there was a family feel to the place, with a magnificent terrace. It’s not especially new, but the guesthouse is very clean and felt like home. We were met with such kindness and understanding whenever we needed anything. The one downside for us was a street wedding that night, which kept us from sleeping well. Of course, there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it.