A surfeit of Ottomans (Emin Efendi Mansions (Amasya, Turkey))

Member Name: fizzywizzy

Product:	Emin Efendi Mansions (Amasya, Turkey)
Date:	20/04/09 (171 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great view from pension, unusual accommodation

Disadvantages: Weird staff, some might not appreciate early morning call to prayer

The northern Turkish town of Amasya is well known for its collection of restored wooden Ottoman houses on the north bank of the rover that cuts through the town. Arriving in Amasya without any pre-arranged accommodation, we were hoping to stay at Emin Efendi, a guest house housed in one such property. As well as the guest house accommodation, the business includes a quality hotel in an extended and renovated stone property and an adjoining restaurant. We were only interested in staying in the guest house as the hotel accommodation was much pricier.

The house is right on the river and so you must enter from the street at the back of the property. There is no sign but we knew the number and rang the bell on the wooden gate. A minute later a young man came sprinting down the street from what we learned was the hotel. The guest house is not staffed all the time and any business is conducted at the main hotel reception.

There were available rooms at the guest house but the price quoted was somewhat higher than that quoted in our very recent Lonely Planet guidebook. Some negotiations secured a slightly better rate given that we intended to stay three nights and we ended up paying around £20 per night per room.

Before we parted with any money we asked to see the room. The young man took us back to the house and opened the gate. The first thing we saw was the patio which has a few tables and chairs and gets plenty of sunshine even though it has quite high walls to give it privacy from neighbouring properties. In one corner was a roofed kitchen area, open on one side with a counter. We would be able to use the kitchen facilities if we needed to. There was a fridge, a twin tub washing machine and plenty of plates and cutlery.

Before entering the house we were asked to remove our shoes. If you needed them, there was a pile of plastic flip flops by the door. Many of the lower end hotels in Turkey provide plastic shoes for you to wear indoors - usually brown and dusty. The guestrooms were on the first and second floors. There were two on each floor and one toilet and one shower room on each floor.

The rooms were admittedly quite basic but really very nicely presented with an Ottoman inspired decor. There were two low single beds that didn't look comfortable but proved to be perfect after an energetic afternoon spent climbing crags to visit the nearby Pontic tombs. There was a long window seat covered with brightly coloured patchwork and embroidered cushions, the perfect place to lounge and admire the view across the river to the magnificent old mosque opposite the house. If there hadn't been so much to see in Amasya I could have happily spent days here looking out of the window.

The toilet and shower should have been shared with another room but no other guests appeared to be staying and so we had the place to ourselves. There was hot water when we needed it but the ceiling light was very close to where the water came out of the shower and the space was very tight so you could feel the heat from the boiler when it fired up to heat the shower water and it made quite a terrible noise. (This was nothing compared to showering in the dark in Cuba for fear of being electrocuted!)

We learned later that in the basement was a small room used for entertainment; the young man we had met before arrived with other staff members, carrying boxes containing bottles of ouzo. He explained there was a function taking place that evening and that the room was often used for music events. That night a local folk music performer was playing for some businessmen. He took us downstairs and showed us the room. It was dark but cosy and intimate with more low sofas covered with cushions. Apparently guests can attend some performances but not this one. That evening when the guests started arriving we feared that it would be noisy in the rooms above but it was not too bad and it did not go on very late.

One thing that could be a problem for some guests is the call to the first prayers of the day. We were there in May and the first call was around four thirty a.m. Personally, I love the Muezzin's call and find it quite comforting but some people might find it hard to get back to sleep. Of course, unless your hotel has double glazing, there are few places you won't hear the call.

Having been on the road for a few days we decided it was time to do the first laundry of our trip and filled the washing machine. We were sitting on the patio eating some lunch when the young man came rushing in and stopped the machine cycle. He peered inside and said there was room for more washing and that he would put his trousers in too. He returned twenty minutes later, during which time we wondered when he was coming back as we were leaving the next day and wanted to get our clothes onto the line to dry.

The following morning when we came to check out and pay our bill, the amount he asked was not what we had agreed. He explained that the extra was for use of the washing machine. It hadn't crossed my mind that we would have to pay because it hadn't been mentioned when we arrived and were shown around but I suppose that it's not that unusual. What I did mind was that, having to pay to use the machine I was also paying to do HIS washing and was being told how much to put in the machine. Still, I got the last laugh. I had lost a button from my trousers and, rather than find a shop to buy another, I stole one off his trousers which were drying on the washing line. Vengeance was mine!

We didn't eat at the hotel restaurant but we did get to see inside and it looked very smart and was always busy when it was open. There is a sizeable outside dining area too which looked like a very pleasant place to dine. We also got to see inside the hotel rooms while we were in that building. They were simple but very light and airy and well appointed.
Both types of accommodation are in a quiet area close to the town centre but also very near the steps that lead to the Pontic tombs. It is close to the footbridge that links the northern side of the river to the town centre but on the same side of the river as the hotel and guest house there are a few restaurants, a daily craft market and a hamam (men only, women must visit the Musutafa Bey hamam in the town).

I would certainly recommend the guest house (or "pansiyon" as it is called in Turkish) but I would advise potential guests to negotiate hard on price as it did seem as if the figure we were quoted was plucked out of the air. The accommodation has little in the way of facilities but the chance to stay in such a brilliant building as this comes along infrequently. I will always remember sitting on that window seat on a warm May evening watching the men scurry to last prayers across the river and would recommend this accommodation to anyone thinking of staying in Amasya; it's the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of the town.

Hatuniye Mah.Hazeranlar Sok. NO.85-66
05100 AMASYA

Summary: Unusual, good value accommodation in Amasya