Uygulama Hotels can be found in most large cities in Turkey. They are government run and staffed by students and trainees and many of the hotel clients are government officials or teachers. They offer consistent prices and value for money.
Although each establishment will differ in terms of the standard and quality of service and accommodation they are certainly worth considering as an alternative to mainstream hotels. The Cunda Uygulama Hotel is situated just as you come off the bridge from Ayvalik to Cunda Island. You can't miss it on your right hand side, positioned overlooking the bay in an excellent commanding position with spectacular views.
With ample parking and easy access this is definitely one of the flagships of the Uygulama Hotels. The lobby is spacious and impressive. The grounds of the hotel are well laid out and maintained. There is a café bar and a restaurant that offers lunchtime and evening meals if they have tour bookings at the time of you stay.
If not you might need to eat out. Breakfast is included. We paid 140 Turkish Lira ( £27.36 ) for something that would have cost you 3 times this price in Europe. Breakfast for two is included in that price. The double room that we booked was tastefully decorated with wallpaper and was clean and well presented generally. The bathroom was in good order and everything worked pretty much as it should ( the TV command could have done with some batteries and one light bulb was not working ).
The beds were comfortable and the room is equipped with a TV. We were lucky enough to find the restaurant open and had a three course buffet style meal in a very nice restaurant with excellent food for the total price for two people of 50 Turkish Liras ( £9.97 ). We felt that everything offered here was very reasonable.
The staff were friendly and efficient. The breakfast in the morning was excellent. If every Uygulama Hotel followed this standard of excellence then one of Turkey's best kept secrets would be out. I strongly recommend this hotel for anyone visiting Ayvalik or Cunda Island. It really is a good place to stay.
This is a delightful small hotel in a reasonably quiet area of Ayvalik. You are not near the centre of the town so this is an ideal place to stay so long as you have your own transport. You can park near the hotel but there is no dedicated parking as such.
The rooms are well maintained and very clean and tidy. Everything works as it should and the general accommodation is to a good standard. We had a room on the third floor and although there is an elevator in the building it appeared to have been out of action or not in use. At the rear of the building there is a terrace where breakfast is served.
We were surprised to find that breakfast was served from 09:30 am onwards which is a little late but the breakfast was absolutely fine and just right. The staff are friendly and helpful and I would have no hesitation in recommending this establishment for your stay in Ayvalik.
The Uzunhan Hotel is situated about 3km from the town centre and there is very little nearby in the way of shops or restaurants. There is plenty of parking spaces in the road in front of the hotel but no on site parking as such.
Check in was straight forward and efficient and the staff friendly and accommodating. Rooms to the front of the hotel get a great view of the sea and islands but have no balcony and rooms to the rear of the hotel get a large balcony overlooking the pool. The rooms are adequate in size with bathrooms fitted to a high standard.
The rooms have complimentary slippers, a fridge and air conditioning. There is no lift so you have to walk up thte flights of stairs. Might be tricky for an elderly person so be sure to book ground or first floor if this applies. The rooms are clean and tidy but let down by the lack of attention to detail. There was no toilet paper in the room.
The main light was not working and neither was the hair dryer. The base of a smoke alarm was still screwed to the ceiling but the smoke alarm was missing. Breakfast is served between 08:30 - 10:30 am but it was all a bit hit and miss. Bread arrived quite late, people coming to breakfast had no idea the cutlery was in a drawer and although the variety of food provided was excellent the attention to detail was lacking here too.
All in all this is a good basic hotel and more than adequate for a stop over. It is reasonably priced and I would recommend it. I would have given it 4 stars if things had been a little more professional.