How do you decide where to stay when you travel. To stay in
a star rated hotel is how the general requests from my tourists come. ‘I want a
4 star’ is the common expression. 4 stars, where you can press ‘0’ for operator
and other combination of digits for Restaurant, Laundry, Reception etc. According
to the service standard of the Hotel, the concerned people respond. And they better
respond or your expression is, this ?? a 4 star ???!!
But what if, at the middle of the night when you are hungry,
you need to go and make your own sandwich, or your bed needs to be made and you
have to do it yourself ? Well, think about it ! We all want luxury or at least
convenience when we travel and these things don’t really fit in, do they ?
Yes they do .. they fit perfectly when you fit in.
When you feel uncomfortable in the tower blocks cooled by artificial air. When
the sandwich that comes to your room is good, but the feeling is not good enough as to sit and
eat in a kitchen with the scent, still lingering.
There is a huge demand of hotel rooms and the more they
build them the more the city will need I am sure. Then there are hostels, which
cater to backpackers and/or travelers on a tight budget.
Somewhere between these two is a guest house or a B & B
(Bed and Breakfast). Many of us
end our travel endeavors without staying in one and believe me it’s a shame.
THE ENTRY !
The hotels are not personal, the hostels have a friendly
atmosphere but the co travelers offer more than the owners. In a guesthouse,
which is ideally not bigger than 8 – 10 rooms, the word ‘personal’ takes a new
meaning all together. It has the friendliness of a hostel, but in which the
owners contribute more. The convenience of a hotel, but not the artificial professional
service that comes with it. An omelet
for breakfast is made in front of you and there is no line like that at a
ticket window to claim it. The water in the room, when over, needs to be
refilled by yourself from the kitchen. The bed is made but only once during the
stay. The garbage has to be self disposed, and more than seldom a pet would
play at your feet as you read a book in the verandah.
DINING FOR 15 !
In the night when dinner is served the owner and generally
his wife or a friend will entertain you with their stories. The first glass of
wine is taken into account but when the conversation becomes interesting, the wine
flows ! The next morning during check out you realize that as much as you,
the owners had the pleasure of drinking with you and so it was on the ‘guesthouse’
The ‘hope to see you again’ happens but it feels more like
‘even if we don’t see you again, we are happy you were here’
There are hotels, which have a mall, swimming pool, casino
and a gym to keep their guests entertained. In a B&B you would be entertained..
oh yes you sure would be .. but with conversations .. With the owners, the co
travelers, the pets, the birds, and yes when you are alone gazing at the open
sea or a hill in front of you .. With yourself!
Note : The blog is inspired by the stay in the Naya Guesthouse in Buyukada, Istanbul ! To know more about them visit .. www.nayaistanbul.com
