A Capital Time in Ankara

A travel journal to Ankara by fizzytom

The Anitkabir... Photo - Anitkabir/Mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, Ankara, Turkey

Quote: Two and a half days in Turkey's modern capital city.

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Anitkabir/Mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk

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Attraction | "Anitkabir - Ankara's Main Attraction"

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In modern Turkey culture and pride revolve around one man: Kemal Mustafa Ataturk. He was the founder of the Turkish Republic, having proved himself during the First World War as a commander of the Turkish armies during the Gallipoli campaign. All Turkish towns and cities have a statue of Ataturk, all schools have a bust of him by the entrance, as do all army barracks, police stations and other civic buildings. Nowhere is Ataturk more celebrated than in Ankara, the city chosen by the great man to replace Istanbul and become the capital of the Republic of Turkey. Until then Ankara was a rather modest town with a population of around 30,000; today Ankara is home to some four million people. H...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 2, 2010

Anitkabir/Mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk
Monumental Avenue
Ankara, Turkey

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Hotel Zumrut

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Hotel | "Simple Budget Rooms near Old Ankara"

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Most budget travellers looking for somewhere to stay in Ankara end up in the Ulus district which is not a bad thing as you are close to the city’s main attractions; however, these hotels are usually fairly basic. The Ulus district is the northern part of the heart of Ankara and is the bazaar district, in contrast with Kizilay and Kavaklidere which are the districts of ‘new Ankara’. If you want a traditional Turkish character, Ulus is the area to go to.

The hotels do vary in quality so do ask to look at a room before you decide. We walked in off the street and got a cheap twin in Otel Zümrüt. There was a confusing array of room options but we simply wanted a twin or double with private bathroom and this is exactly what we got. One thing I found with hotels like this in northern Turkey was that they had a very masculine feel about them and no matter the cleanliness of the hotel, I always insisted we paid the extra for a private bathroom; fortunately all the rooms at this hotel have private bathrooms.
Although this is called a hotel, it has a feeling of a hostel of student hall of residence about it as the corridors and the rooms were very bland. Our room was almost entirely white; the walls and the bedding were all white, only a serviceable dark carpet tiled floor was not. The room had a view over the street. The room wasn’t particularly large but it certainly wasn’t cramped. There was no television but there is one in the lounge area which is part of the lobby.

Our en suite bathroom had a shower but no bathtub as tends to be the case in hotels of this standard in Turkey. Two pairs of plastic slippers were placed just inside the door of our room and were very useful as the floor did tend to get a fair soaking when we showered. The linen and towels were all very clean and fresh. The bathroom was by no means new but it was scrupulously clean.

Breakfast was included in the price of the room and was served in a large airy room, again a bit like a student canteen rather than a hotel restaurant, on the floor above ours. This was a traditional Turkish breakfast with plenty of fresh bread, soft crumbly cheese (similar to feta), slices of cucumber and tomato, hard boiled eggs, honey and lovely wrinkly black olives (in fact, those olives are my chief memory of this hotel). The waiter kept bringing bread without being asked and we managed to fuel ourselves very well until a late lunch. Only tea, and no coffee was served, but I had a sachet of coffee and the waiter kindly brought me hot water.

This hotel is on a busy street which seems more than anything to be serving the DIY and household trade. We did have a concern that we might be woken up early but this was not the case; in fact, the shops stayed open well into the evening, packed up around 9.30pm and didn’t set up until 10.00am the next day. There were some places to eat nearby but for better restaurants I’d suggest taking a bus to Kizilay. This hotel is well placed, however, for the old town and the citadel. The bazaar is just at the end of the street.

This hotel is perfect for budget travellers who don’t require much in the way of extras. It’s not so good for people looking for a hostel with facilities and activities and it’s not a very lively area in the evenings but it is cheap and comfortable.

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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on July 2, 2010

Hotel Zumrut
Åžehit Teäÿmen Kalmaz Cad. 16, Ulus
Ankara, Turkey
+90 (312) 3090117