In tourism terms Ankara‘s Divan Çukurhan hotel is perfection, situated as it is immediately across the road from the Hisar Saat Kulesi (Clocktower), just up the road from the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations and just down the road from the Saman Pazarı, one of the most interesting areas in which to mooch about. Created out of an old caravanserai, it consists of a series of rooms surrounding a vast inner courtyard divided into two to create a dining and sitting area. The walls, of exposed brick and woodwork, make a wonderul backdrop.
My own room opened off the upper gallery which is decorated with marvellous artefacts, including the painted lids of old dowry boxes. Given a gentle and stylish Ottoman touch it was extremely attractive to look at although I struggled with the difficulty of reducing the intense heat from the radiator.
In addition to the bed the room was decorated with a chaise longue, a desk and a table on which were gathered a kettle, a Nespresso machine and all the bits and pieces needed to make tea of coffee. There was an iPod dock beside the bed and decent reading lights. Unfortunately the TV was in need of retuning as most of the non-Turkish channels had vanished.
A little lobby area had a big wardrobe. Off it opened a lovely bathroom with a bath and walk-in shower as well as with a long counter for spreading out one’s toiletries. A speaker in the ceiling made it possible to continue to listen to the TV while in the bath.
Thumbs up: Glorious restoration of a historic building, fantastic location
Thumbs down: Difficult to control temperature inside bedrooms
Tel: 0312-306 6400
