Tugay

We weren’t expecting too much from the Tugay as we knew we had booked a budget hotel, but it far and away exceeded our expectations. We booked an attic room, and had a lovely spacious very clean north facing room with a large balcony and a view of the mountains over rooftops, and very effective aircon. It got morning and evening sun which was perfect as it was very hot when we were there and full sun would have been a bit much. The bed was large and incredibly comfortable. The call to prayer didn’t bother us as we had earplugs, and I actually liked to sit outside and listen to it on mornings I woke up early. The only minor issue we had with the room was that after the shower had been running for a few minutes the bathroom floor started to flood from under the sink, but our towels were changed most days so were able to mop it up. Our room had a kettle, but if it hadn’t I have no doubt we would have been given one if we’d asked. We also had a fridge that we used for keeping bottles of water we’d bought from the bar in. I asked if it was ok to bring in fruit to put in the fridge (as that was the main thing I missed from the breakfast offerings) and was told it was ok, it was just preferred it wasn’t eaten in the bar or public areas which is fair enough – I didn’t bother in the end though as I was happy enough with the food choices and we ate out for most meals except breakfast. We had lunch at the Tugay a couple of times, it was a limited menu but very tasty and the portions were huge. The pool and garden area were clean and tidy, with plenty of sun loungers; some of the cushions have seen better days, but that doesn’t really matter when you are putting a beach towel or throw over it to lie on anyway. The staff were really really lovely (Tarkan deserves a special mention as in other reviews!) and the family running the hotel were friendly and helpful, especially Deniz. If you needed something (in our case including some laundry doing part way through the week) you only had to ask. The place gets an extra star from me for the cats! They are feral cats, but are obviously cared for and treated with kindness by the hotel and several are very friendly. We saw a couple of the other guests being a bit cruel to them though, which was upsetting and totally uncalled for. If you don’t want them hanging around you when you eat, you can avoid this easily by eating in the covered area. It’s true that you get what you pay for, but we had deliberately decided we didn’t want to stay at one of the more expensive hotels on the front, and at the Tugay I really feel for what we paid we got an absolute bargain. It was still close to the front but was quiet and peaceful. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.

For the price you pay, this hotel definitely competes with the more expensive places. It's a little rough around the edges, but so are most of the family-run hotels in Calis. The rooms have everything that you need including a fridge (which many places charge extra for), the pool area is nice and quiet with none of the usual sunbed issues and the breakfast is decent (a typical Turkish breakfast). The thing that sets this place apart from others is the fantastic staff. Every member of staff was very friendly and helpful, particularly the front of house staff, they really made our holiday special. If you want to pay more, you will certainly be able to find a better standard of hotel, but I very much doubt you will find a better welcome.

Friendly and helpful staff but the hotel and grounds need major refurb.the rooms are tired and unwelcoming.the breakfast is very poor no fruit no yoghurt .there is also no curfew on the bar so the noise from guests can be annoying.remember it is budget and that's what you get in every way.