Looking back on our amazing trip to Turkey, we (two families traveling together) agree that one of our favoritel stops was our stay at Hotel Bella. Sure, the rooms are simple and small--spartan even--but they are clean, comfortable and attractive, and the balcony was lovely. The magic came from the owners and folks who work at the hotel. The rooftop terrace afforded great views of the stork next, the fort and St. John's basilica right across the street. We ate there both nights as the food was outstanding; we've not stopped talking about the friendly chef's creations since we left! All those mezzas...yum.

Additionally, Irdil went out of his way to help us: he found a wonderful guide for Ephesus (before our arrival), drove our party to Ephesus, picked us up, took us to the Seven Sleepers, picked us up again and then took us to Sirinje, a quaint formerly Greek village nearby that is known for its wines. We were bowled over by the service he gave us.

All in all, our two-night stay in Selcuk at the Hotel Bella remains one of those special memories from our trip--the hotel staff helped make it magical.

We just returned from our trip to Turkey. First of all, we were so happy to have stayed in Selcuk versus Kusadasi, such a great personable small city. Hotel Bella was in the perfect location, the hotel is very clean and the owners were very helpful! Right when we arrived we were told that Ephesus is a great place to visit at night after the crowds and tour buses have gone - this was the best tip of our trip. The owners did not hesitate to drive us out and then pick us up when we were finished. The rooftop terrace was lovely and we especially loved viewing the birds! Another BIG positive was the woman who runs the hotel is from New Zealand and so of course speaks perfect english. This was extremely helpful to us.

Thank you Hotel Bella for the lovely stay!

Nice little hotel in Selcuk. Can walk to the Ephesus ruins in about 35 minutes (either go down to the main road, turn right, then right again at the traffic light, or the back way, go left from the hotel, then left at the bottom of the hill by the Mosque towards the main road then right). The Hotel owner will also offer to take you if you let him know when you are going. Rooms are ok, had sufficient space. Beds were single, covered by a light blanket and the sheet over the mattress (no extra sheet under the blanket). Bathrooms are rather small though and hot water was hit or miss. One morning didn’t have any hot water, next morning luke warm, next day was good and hot. A couple of times there was a strong rank odor coming out of the bathroom drain (sink ?). No TV, no wash cloth, no toiletries, no hand or body soap but sufficient towels. A/C worked fine. Breakfast (included) was good and served on the upstairs terrace, was the summer and fresh fruit was in season, peaches (very good and sweet), melon, cherries, plum, watermelon, cucumber, bread, jam, and a couple of eggs cooked to order. Coffee and tea. Coffee was ok but not like home brewed. The upstairs terrace is a great place to hang out if just reading or resting after a day at the ruins. Dinner is also served on the upstairs terrace, ran 15 T Lira/person and consists of 3 Mezes/person, plus either one kebab or several smaller ‘pinchos’. I recommend the smaller pinchos as you get a mix of lamb, chicken and meat and you get more, if ordering the Kebab, you only get one and I wasn’t completely full after finishing the watermelon pieces which were served for desert. The beer is reasonably priced at 3T Lira/bottle and afternoon Turkish tea is included in the room price. In house carpet shop next to the lobby. There’s a computer on the terrace that the owner will let you download pictures from your camera memory to either a CD or Flash. CDs can be bought at several places in the main town across the street. Would probably stay at the Hotel Akay on any return in the summer simply because of the Akay pool, the Hotel Bella would be ok in the spring,fall and winter..

Sights:
St. Mary’s house was a bit of a disappointment, basically just a small stone building converted to a shrine. Ephesus was more interesting, can take up most of the day so take plenty of water during the summer (soft drinks at the exit are upwards of 4.50 T Lira a can), there’s a separate ‘Houses on the Hill’ exhibition, not included in the main entrance fee (Note: most historical site entrance fees tend to be ~10 T Lira). If visiting Ephesus in the summer, you may want to check the Hotel Akay as it has a pool, a nice relaxing sit around the pool after a hot day traipsing around the ruins was looking good by the end of the stay but we already had accomodation at the Bella. Selcuk itself doesn’t have much to offer, kebab restaurants, during the summer stork nests can be found all over town, St. John’s church and ruins are right across from the Bella (2 T Lira entrance). The beach at the end of the road is not worth the time to get there. Kusadasi is a typical cruise ship port, lots of tourist shops although there is a Burger King if you’ve had your fill of kebabs. Sirinci is a small hill town (2.50 T Lira via dolmus to get there) that has a thriving wine industry as well as silk table cloths and soaps.

Lastly, when traveling to/from Selcuk from Instanbul, avoid the overnight bus trip (50 T Lira), it was horrific. The day train is much better but an adventure as well. From Selcuk you can catch the 6:50 am train to Basmane for 3.25 T Lira (train station is ~15 minute walk from the Hotel Bella), in Basmane you get off of the train and catch a bus to the Basmane metro terminal where you wait until 9 am to catch another bus to a train terminal way outside of town to catch the train to Bandirma, where you get off and catch a ferry to Istanbul’s Yenikapi ferry port (grab something to eat before getting onto the ferry, a small piece of pizza and a coke is 11 T Lira (~$8.80 USD) on the ferry. Fairly efficient and the Basmane-Istanbul Train/Ferry leg is around 39 T Lira total, but be forewarned, not all trains have dining cars, so try to pack something to eat.

We chose Hotel Bella based on the recommendations of friends and Lonely Planet. We were not disappointed. The hotel is modestly priced, the location central, and our host was very helpful, retrieving something we had mislaid, arranging transport to and from Ephesos, and advising on shops where we might find specific items.

We travel regularly, and always aim to stay at small hotels operated by locals. Bella is comfortable, and the food is good, althought the rooms are modest by 4-5 star hotel standards. Our room was not large, but was clean, nicely decorated, and had a great view of nesting storks on the aqueduct across the street.

The rooftop resturant is a great place to stretch out at the beginning and end of the day, enjoy good modest-priced food and drink, and talk to both hotel staff and swap experiences with other travellers from many countries. Perhaps our only disappointment was that many guests stayed only 1 or 2 nights, allowing insufficient time to get to know them.