I met Bayram in Goreme, and spent a strange night out with him. After much pushing and prodding, I was finally swayed into visiting Olympos.

Bayram was still in Goreme when I left. Brian and Phoenix, who I'd met in Goreme, decided 15YTL was too expensive and left in search of cheaper lodgings. They soon returned, discovering that in this over-touristed area, the prices were similar across the board. There's really no reason for cutthroat competition with so many tourists to go around.

Despite its half-outdoors setup and Dahab-esque common space (i.e. several areas of low cushions surrounding low table) Bayram's had a more "professional" feel than any other hotel I'd visited in the Middle East. That meant definitely no haggling, 15YTL was the price.

It's a bargain. It includes a shared room in a treehouse—Olympos is famous for treehouse hotels—choice of several delicious breakfast dishes like omelets or traditional Turkish (tomato, bread, cheese), and hearty dinner buffets. Generally the dinners were vegetarian stews and rice, occasionally fish. Lunch is available for purchase at the bar, mostly very large tasty sandwiches. Since there is little else to spend money on in Olympos, it ends up being less than 20YTL per day unless you drink a lot of beer.

The treehouses are not so much IN the trees as they are MADE of trees. Kind of like my treedresser and treebookshelves at home. The rooms sleep four, and I always worried I'd wake up my roommates climbing the creaky wooden steps. The windows are very hard to open so there's not much fresh air. The treehouses make going to the shared bathrooms inconvenient, but on the plus side the bathrooms are spotlessly clean, with completely separate showers and good water pressure.

Internet is available but not cheap; combination of captive audience and remote location. The book exchange is excellent and not guarded well. I have to admit I stole a book, but it was one of the unintentionally funniest things I'd ever read involving a hyperviolent homosexual prison relationship. Bayram's also offers evening tours to Chimera (the flames) and has a nice bar.

Bayram's vibe wasn't that friendly, although a girl who'd left her previous hotel told me others were worse—all couples. Looking around, I couldn't see much difference.

For a solo traveler like me, Bayram's felt uninviting. The common space is too big to force guests into new friendships. The long communal tables in the dining area are reminiscent of "cool" and "dorky" tables in a high school cafeteria. The staff was polite but not especially friendly, unlike most budget hotels I'd visited.

Bayram's was highly recommended by a fellow traveler at Mar Musa, and I think it would be a fun place to be with friends. From talking to many other travelers and Istanbul residents, I decided my issues were with Olympos itself, not necessarily Bayram's. If you decide to visit Olympos, Bayram's is a good place to stay.

<   previous      •      next   >