Hotel Kallender-------------------------------------
This hotel was a total disappointment like the rest of the last minute online hotel booking I did though so called HOTEL CLUB[--] based out of Australia. This place is almost like a camping ground where you go and have showers or something. On arrival the place was like a maze to find, the reception people didn’t know how to interpret the booking and started asking me of paying the total amount in advance and I had to show the so called manager the text message on my cell phone where the bank indicates that a transaction have taken place on my credit card when he wasn’t satisfied with the original hard copy that I have obtained from the website when I got my booking confirmation. The manager who’s English is challenged like the rest of his staff has a guest who stays in the place and works for him at the same time, obviously neither one of them knew how to interpret and make a booking for guests and accommodate them on their arrival, finally things were sorted up about the payment and passed my credit card to the manager who passed it to his niece who is at the most 14 year old, speaks no English what so ever and works in the reception area, few minutes later she comes back with the card and claims its not working I handed another card to them and after another few minutes the same thing happens they claim that the card is not working its like a play every body plays in Turkey because they try to make you pay cash due to the taxation of credit transactions. After a 6 hour bust trip that shouldn’t have lasted more than 3 hours I gave up and paid the money in American cash dollars never received a receipt from this guy and the change of course is in Turkish Lira and what ever they decide for an exchange rate was what I got back. After walking through the edges of the swimming pool which is literally is outside most of the rooms door steps, the music was playing so load that I have wondered how people staying there have any naps, people hanging out around the pool gives you no privacy what so ever. The room itself is like a sardine can and you barely can lay a foot or make your way through without bruising your legs by bumping into the very tacky wooden beds they have there not mentioning keeping your luggage all together without tripping over them.
Once I got my luggage in and settled down I decide to take a look outside once I’m outside I see the so called manager now in the swimming pool he was trying to be friendly and asked me to take a dip actually during the two unfortunate nights that I have spent there this guy was running this place basically from the pool flirting with teenage girls around the pool. I was informed by the so called manager that they have a cook out every night and I need to try their cooking around 7 evening naming a price of 10 Lira mentioning that if you don’t like the food we wont charge you yeah right …this guy have reminded me and asked me about 3 times why I wont join them for the dinner home made cooking thing yet never mentioned where the breakfast takes place which price is included in the room booking, never during my stay could I find someone who can show me where the breakfast takes place if it ever does. By day two I saw it all, this guy Murtaza harasses guest asking them to play darts with him and if they loose he charges them for a beer. During my second night a bunch of guests decided to get out together to the bar strip next to Gumbet where the hotel is located ( a very cheesy area with lots of fights on the street where local Romeos fight over who is going to take advantage of alcohol loaded teenage girls coming out of the bars … lonely planet never mentions these details in its book when they talk about Gumbet area) so if you would like to ask me If I would ever go back to this city I would say never and for sure not to this so called hotel.

I stayed at Hotel Kalendar for two nights as part of my 8-day tour of Turkey in June of 2006. The hotel itself is basic but comfortable. It offers good food, decent sized swimming pool and air conditioned rooms. The most memorable experience of the hotel was the service of the staff. They were extremely polite, friendly, competant and very helpful. Just for the exceptional staff alone I would recommend anyone to stay at this hotel. The owner also runs tours throughout Turkey, which I also booked through his website. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone, especially budget travelers as the prices were alos very affordable.