Ayyıldız Pansiyon

Everything you need is nearby, with a supermarket, restaurants, and buses just around the corner. The rooms are clean and quiet, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I paid 1300lira per night for a double bed bedroom.

I booked through Booking.com two months ahead and contacted the hotel before arriving to request a late check-in between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM. They agreed. I checked again later that day to confirm my arrival time, and they agreed again. But when we got there late at night, the hotel was dark and deserted, with nobody around, and the area felt eerie. I messaged them on WhatsApp. They saw it and didn’t reply. The driver then told me by phone that they don’t accept arrivals that late. I spent an hour in that unsettling neighborhood while messages and calls went unanswered, then had to find another hotel in the middle of the night. Stay away from this apartment.

There’s no breakfast, and although the rooms have a kitchen and stove, there were no pots or pans. I don’t know if they provide them on request. I paid 900 TL per person for my one-night business stay, and I was very satisfied. The place became a hotel about 7-8 months ago, next to the old bus station and industrial area. The rooms and bathroom were clean, and my room had a mini-fridge, air conditioning, and a fairly large wardrobe. The helpful staff and side-street location meant there was no outside noise in the rooms. Public transport, including minibuses, is very close. I’d definitely recommend it for short stays.

For $100 a night for two, this was the cheapest decent option we found. There’s a bus station and a couple of shawarma places close by, though it’s a bit of a trip to the historic center. The mosque just outside the window starts up at 5 a.m. and wakes you.