If you want to explore the Hisar area of Bursa then the Safran Hotel housed in a restored Ottoman house in Tophane should fit the bill nicely.
This being a house conversion the lobby area is small with the reception little more than a flap-up desk at the back. However, the bedrooms are nicely designed with pretty bedcovers and curtains. It being one of Turkey’s more long-lived boutique hotels there are some quirks with the electrics – light switches, for example, almost at ankle level, and air-con that is poorly located and not strong enough to really cool the room down.
On the plus side there are tea and coffee-making facilities in the room and the small TV perched above a stocked and concealed minibar has BBC World.
My bathroom was big enough to have a bathtub in it but somehow managed to have the toilet positioned so that you were pressed up against the sink when using it.
Rooms at the front have the better views but are likely to suffer traffic noise. They are also by far the lightest rooms. Those at the back are quiet enough but look onto neighbouring houses.
Breakfast is served in a basement dining room (with windows) and offers a good choice of baked goods as well as the usual standards. The room is pleasingly decorated with old family photos and memorabilia but there’s a fairly narrow staircase to get down to it.
Staying here you are right by the Saltanat Kapı that used to lead into the Hisar (Fortress) and by attractive cobbled streets lined with other restored houses. The tombs of Osman and Orhan Gazi are just across the road and the shopping centre and other city attractions are a short walk downhill.
Thumbs up: Good location, attractive building, comfortable beds
Thumbs down: Steps up to entrance and to rooms so difficult for disabled guests
Tel: 0224-224 7216
