Best Apart Hotel, Ankara

Advantages: Good location, nice breakfast
Disadvantages: Poor maintenance

...I visited Ankara last summer (August) for 2 nights and stayed in this hotel. It was booked through Expedia and they state it is a four star hotel; well I haven't stayed in many hotels but surely in a four star hotel light switches should be properly attached to walls?! Anyway… Best Western International is the world's largest hotel brand with over 4,200 hotels in 80 countries. They are known for good standard hotels and service. In my short travels this is my second experience of a Best Western Hotel - the first was in Istanbul which I prefered. Getting there; I was travelling with 2 other people and we had come by coach from Istanbul - a long but wonderful trip due to scenery and service on the coach. Arriving at the coach station we were willing to take a bus to the hotel but with our limited Turkish and being tired out from... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Friendly people, the grandeur of the Anitkabir, cheap accommodation
Disadvantages: Bad sign-posting, not very tradtional, new areas brash

...Many people mistakenly think that Istanbul is the capital of Turkey; indeed it is probably the best known Turkish city and the one which is most frequently visited by tourists. It contains many of Turkey's most famous attractions and historic sites. However, Ankara is the capital city of Turkey; it is some 350 kilometres from Istanbul and is situated on the edge of the Anatolian plain. It has been the capital since 1923 when Kemal Mustafa Attaturk declared the first Turkish Republic. At the time Ankara was a small dusty town of some 70,000 inhabitants. It was chosen because Attaturk wanted to distance himself from the legacy of the Sultans and this was not possible in Istanbul - a city of palaces and mosques built for the Ottoman rulers; anyone who has ever been to Istanbul will know that it is hard to escape the Sultans' influence... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Something for everyone; easy to get around
Disadvantages: Very cold in winter; wine is expensive and can double the cost of your meal

...We have been travelling to Ankara at least twice a year every year for nearly nine years now, and I have grown to love the city even more than Istanbul. Ankara is very, very different to Istanbul and, in many ways, it is unfair to compare the two. So, why do I love Ankara? Basically because it provides all the things I want in a city (given that I'm not really a "city person"). Truly, it has something for everyone. If you want history, it's got it - from Roman ruins, to the Citadel (Castle), to Ataturk and the War of Independence, which lead to the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey. If you want grandeur, it's got it - even if you don't know the history, who can fail to be moved by Anitkabir, the imposing mausoleum built to honour Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. If you want iconic, modern buildings, it's got them... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful