Pamukkale: Where To Stay - The Best Small Hotel

Pamukkale - From the moment, we walked into this small hotel I felt like I was at home.

I greeted, Mehmet, the hotel’s owner, in my basic Turkish. He remembered me as we had communicated a few times by email for our reservation. Turns out, he speaks great English. “Problem değil.”

The Melrose House Hotel is located in a peaceful neighborhood surrounded by a large garden in Pamukkale. One afternon, Mehmet, gave us some freshly picked yeni dünya (loquats) to snack on from his garden.

On the first day, we arrived late in the afternoon after having spent several hours on the road and sightseeing at Aphrodisias. Mom and I decided to cool down by getting into the swimming pool while the guys pulled up chairs and ordered drinks.

The swimming pool photographed at night.

It was so easy to relax in the pool while enjoying a glass of local wine before dinner.

Speaking of food, this is where Mehmet’s wife, Ummu, takes charge. She helps cook, takes your order and brings out the food. Sometimes their daughter also would help out or you’d see other staff members. Apparently, we were so hungry every meal that we forgot to take photos!

Melrose House: the dining area late at night.

I took a photo of our yummy salad one night via my cell phone.

The menu consists of Turkish staples such as a daily soup, salads, a few mezes, tavuk güveç, roasted chicken with rice, fish, etc. (Dad enjoyed a bowl of yayla çorbası (a hot yogurt soup) both days.) We saw no reason to go elsewhere so we enjoyed dinner and drinks both nights as well as a full breakfast buffet, which was included in the room price, at the Melrose.

The hotel itself is well-maintained with clean, large and comfortable rooms. Room prices start at 25 EU and go up to 50 and 60 EU for a deluxe room. We stayed in a stone suite room at 40 EU per night.

Our stone suite room was quite comfortable. It was the first time we
had ever slept in a round bed. Çok romantik! 

What should most be noted is that Mehmet went out of his way to make each one of his guests feel welcome and special. When we were there, we noticed a family from Holland, several Japanese tourists, a German family as well as several English and Australian-sounding tourists.

The view from our balcony of the dining area below and the swimming pool behind the olive tree.

The view to the left looking out our balcony.

From our hotel, it was an easy stroll, about 15 minutes, to the south entrance of the travertines in Pamukkale. We left around 9 a.m., with a map and tips, to see the sites and returned late afternoon to enjoy some more pool time and drinks.

If you visit Pamukkale, Melrose House is the place to stay. We wish we could have someone like Mehmet and his family at every hotel we stay at in Turkey.

For reservations: sales@melroseresidence.com 

Address: Vali Vekfi Ertürk Cad. No:8
Pamukkale, Denizli, Turkey

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Pamukkale: Blinded By The Light

Pamukkale - As we approached from the southern entrance, we were shocked by the whiteness of the travertines here.

As the day wore on and the sun came out in full force, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a favorite late '70s pop song called “Blinded by the light.” The hot sun reflected off the calcified stones, which later resulted in some spicy sunburns as well.

The rocks look like they are almost covered in snow, but they aren't. :-)

I had seen many photos of Pamukkale online, but still I was amazed at this site - nothing like I have ever seen before. I’m sure it’s a natural wonder I’ll never see again. I'm thrilled we were able to share this experience with my husband's parents too.

 

Mom and I pose for photos at Pamukkale.

According to the Pamukkale guide book I bought on-site:

“the thermal waters, which are on an important fault line in western Anatolia, are heated by subterranean heat. The waters, which contain calcium hydro carbonate in its formation, come out of the ground at 33-36 C. The water loses its warmth and thus the carbon dioxide and the carbon monoxide are released and the calcium carbonate is precipitated.”

Unfortunately, the travertines used to be even more beautiful - as is evidenced in old photos found online or in books - and more were open to the public. However, years of neglect and too many tourists destroyed some of the travertines, which are now closed off and have reverted to an ugly gray color.

You were forbidden to walk on this old section of the travertines.

In 1988, the area of Pamukkale and the neighboring ancient city of Hierapolis was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. From what I understand, the Turkish government later sought assistance; and in 2006, UNESCO stepped in to help restore the natural whiteness of the travertines. To maintain the travertines, the water flow now is controlled through select channels and reaches the terraces according to a weekly watering schedule.

The water flow is now controlled through channels in the rock like this one.

Walking barefoot on the calcified rocks, you may think you might slip, but you don’t. Because of the flowing waters, the rocks have rippled grooves in them.

Hubby's foot in the cool waters at Pamukkale.

We had an enjoyable experience in Pamukkale and absolutely loved our small hotel, the Melrose House Hotel. Here's that post: Pamukkale - Where to Stay - The Best Small Hotel.

The landscape of Turkey continues to amaze me.

This summer, we have a few more road trips in Turkey planned. Stay tuned!

Tip: Arrive first thing in the morning so you can avoid some of the crowds.
Admission: 20 TL

At the top located in Hierapolis, you'll find a few ancient sarcophagus embedded into the travertines.

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