Hotel Temel

I paid 60TL/night. The room is very basic, but it has fresh towels, shampoo and soap supplied. I even see a hair dryer in the bath room. Hot water is good, but shower has no curtain, you need to get prepared for wet bath room but it will almost dry the next morning. The heating system keeps the room warm at night, the bed is comfortable. The choices of breakfast buffet is pretty good. The boss can speak a bit English, and he contacted Celil Ersoğlu (the only English guide to Ani ruin in the city) to organize next day's Ani trip for 100TL (very below my expected price).

Great location in the city center at a walking distance on the most important amenities in Kars. Great quality considering it is a 'budget hotel'. The room was almost clean and the staff very friendly! The price is very reasonable only 80 TL for a double room.

Location very central, on a main street but room was quiet. Room was small but adequate with no AC but had a fridge. Bathroom clean but shower is in a small bathtub which was difficult to get in and out of. One of the reasons we chose this hotel was because they said they had a lift - unfortunately it wasn't working. Breakfast wasn't that good with not much to choose from, no fruit, no fruit juice. Staff had little or no English. Restaurants close by. Within walking distance of the ancient Armenian church. A local guide met us when we arrived and we arranged a trip to Ani with him.

The bed-sheets were clean and the bed was comfortable. Also, the hotel was conveniently located. And it was relatively cheap (50 TL), probably amongst the cheapest in Kars. Everything else was bad: the staff went from aloof to unfriendly to plain rude; my room in particular (403), and the hotel in general, need from a good spring cleaning and a fair bit of maintenance work, e.g. the lift didn't work, in my room two lightbulbs were missing so one could not even read a book during the evening; the wireless is unreliable; the breakfast, compared with any other budget range hotel I've been in East Turkey, was quite sad-looking, especially the bread cut out and provided in a big white plastic bag placed on a table which could have been mistaken for a rubbish bag if it wasn't white... Anyway, when I checked in it was a bit late in the evening and I was tired and didn't really get to see how bad the place looked at a closer inspection.

I staid in temel 1 and it was a very good experience. Maybe temel 2 is different, I'm not sure about this, but prices are different so.... We went before to another hotel advised by lonely planet especially for women and the pillowcases smelt very bad. So we went in temel 2 where we found a great service, people friendly and helpful, and rooms very clean. Very good the breakfast. Price: just 80LT for twin room. Advised!

We stayed in Temel 2 and had our worst experience in budget hotels in Turkey. The first room we were shown smelt really badly of drains the next one wasn't too bad. Water was tepid at best and then only at night. Room was cold though blankets kept us warm. We had the most amazing hassle with prices - we were charged 50TL but the next morning saw the posted price was 40 TL. The manager refused to let us pay this saying it was for Turkish people only - the one and only time we were told this on our 5 week trip. He was very rude and aggressive. Bottom line: find somewhere else to stay which will actually welcome you and be honest about their prices.

We stayed in hotel temel 2, the annex across the street. It was 40 TL per night for a double room (twin beds). The beds, rooms, and bathrooms are clean for a budget hotel (although the carpets are decor is drab). The man who runs it is kind and accommodating. He often brought us tea, and walked all over town to help us find a laundromat. Our only problem was the lack of hot water. They were having a problem with it while we were there.. But instead of telling us, they kept saying "in one hour, in two hours," etc. After 2 days of these we were dirty and annoyed.. They finally called the plumber so we could shower! If it weren't for that, I would recommend the place. Clean and good for the price! And like I said, the man. Who runs it is helpful and friendly.

My travel partner and I stayed at Temel for 2 nights. I would say that our experience at the hotel was terrible as the only good things about it were its central location and relatively cheap price. We paid 50TL/night which I would say is on the lower end of scale. In return for the cheap pricing, however, we had to experience two bad things: (1) EXCEPTIONALLY friendly old manager who is trying to touch ladies. He put his hand on my travel partner’s waist which she resisted; (2) and hotel was locked when we came back from our day-trip to ANI. We had to solicit a help from a next-door store manager who directed us to its sister hotel. As we asked for a help at the sister hotel, however, they told us just to wait! When the hotel owner came back and opened the door after a while, he did not seem to care about what we had to go through. He even did not say sorry to us and behaved as if everything was normal ! We have travelled many many places for years, but we still could not believe that a hotel could be locked out when their guests were staying there !!! So, my advice for fellow travelers is to (1) watch out for the old man esp. if you are a female traveler, (2) and be ready for the possibility of being locked-out when you return to the hotel.

I have been at Temel for 2 nights. In this case you really get what you pay for. The rate is 35TL/night and is pretty convenient for what it offers. Ratio price/quality/service quite good. The hotel is centrally located and the staff quite available (even if the lack of English could complicate things). My room was old and had a strong smoke odour. Sheets were quite clean but the room (and the whole hotel) would need a deep renovation. Breakfast was allright and had a quite good variety and choice. If you are budgeted travellers this hotel may suit your needs.

A nice, yellow and blue painted room welcomed us in wonderful and unforgettable Kars. Father&son, quite pictoresque but always extremely nice and professional, run this simple but comfortable place. Good breakfast (with the lovely Kars honey) and a lot of nice little crafts shops in the street. Kars is definitely the most adorable town I've stayed in during my long trip in Turkey, so be sure you won't miss it...