Unbelievable Troia Tusan Hotel: Canakkale's Hidden Gem Revealed!
Unbelievable Troia Tusan Hotel: Canakkale's Hidden Gem Revealed!
Unbelievable Troia Tusan Hotel: Canakkale's Hidden Gem (Maybe?) – A Very Honest Review (and a Few Rants!)
Alright, buckle up, buttercups! Because after a recent trip to Canakkale and a stay at the Unbelievable Troia Tusan Hotel – a name I'm still wrestling with – I’m ready to spill the tea. Prepare for a review that’s less polished travel magazine and more… well, me, in my bathrobe, after a good Turkish coffee (which, by the way, was excellent).
First Impressions (and a slight existential crisis):
Landing in Canakkale felt like stepping back in time, in the best possible way. Winding roads, ancient ruins, and the sea breeze… it’s pure magic. The Troia Tusan Hotel, conveniently located (and I mean conveniently, it's pretty much right there) promised views of the Dardanelles and a taste of luxury. Did it deliver? Well, let’s dive in, shall we?
Accessibility & Comfort (The Good, The… Okay, and The “Hmm”):
- Wheelchair Accessible: Officially, yes. The hotel boasts elevators (thank the stars!), ramps, and accessible rooms. However, navigating can be a bit… dicey. Some areas felt a little narrow, and I could see someone with mobility issues needing a bit of extra help.
- Elevator: This is a big win, navigating those stairs with luggage would've been a nightmare.
- Internet Access: Thank goodness for the free Wi-Fi! I'm addicted, and it's actually decent. We had absolutely no issues streaming my terrible Turkish soap operas in the room.
- For the Record (Because I'm a Nerd): They offer Internet access – LAN lines. Is that still a thing? I’m genuinely asking.
- Air Conditioning and Wi-Fi in all rooms: Seriously, you always take these for granted until they fail.
The Room: My Temporary Palace (and a Few Annoyances):
Honestly? The room was pretty decent. The view? Stunning. Especially at sunset. The bed? Comfortable. The blackout curtains? Bliss. Seriously, I slept like a baby.
Available in all rooms:
Additional toilet
Air conditioning
Alarm clock
Bathrobes
Bathroom phone
Bathtub
Blackout curtains
Carpeting
Closet
Coffee/tea maker
Complimentary tea
Daily housekeeping
Desk
Extra long bed
Free bottled water
Hair dryer
High floor
In-room safe box
Interconnecting room(s) available
Internet access – LAN
Internet access – wireless
Ironing facilities
Laptop workspace
Linens
Mini bar
Mirror
Non-smoking
On-demand movies
Private bathroom
Reading light
Refrigerator
Safety/security feature
Satellite/cable channels
Scale
Seating area
Separate shower/bathtub
Shower
Slippers
Smoke detector
Socket near the bed
Sofa
Soundproofing
Telephone
Toiletries
Towels
Umbrella
Visual alarm
Wake-up service
Wi-Fi [free]
Window that opens
Minor gripes: The lighting was a bit…moody (read: dim). And the coffee machine, while present, produced a frankly awful cup of joe. Seriously, I’m going to start bringing my own French press next time. Oh, and the bathroom phone? I’m not sure who still uses a bathroom phone. It feels a little…outdated.
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking: Food, Glorious (and Sometimes Questionable) Food!
The Troia Tusan offers options, let me tell you. But the variety of what's on offer (and the quality, sometimes) varies.
- Breakfast (Buffet – and my daily obsession): The buffet was epic. A vast array of cheeses (Turkish cheese is life!), pastries, jams, fruits… I was in heaven. Western and Asian breakfast options are available. You could literally have a culinary trip around the world just at breakfast. My only complaint? The coffee. Still terrible.
- Restaurants: The hotel features multiple restaurants (a la carte and buffet). One, specializing in Western cuisine, was actually pretty darn good. Another, I’m pretty sure, cooked the same thing every day.
- Poolside Bar: This was a lifesaver. I'm not a pool person, but the view from the bar was outstanding. They have Happy Hour options, which I highly recommend.
- Room service: Yes, 24-hour room service. Another lifesaver for the lazy days.
Here's the thing that really made me chuckle: The hotel has a Shrine. A Shrine. I'm not sure what or where it could be, because the whole hotel is essentially a shrine to the history of the city.
Things to do, Ways to Relax (The Spa vs. The Reality):
- Things to do:
- Stuff for the kids: The hotel is 'family/child friendly', so you are covered there.
- Exterior corridor
- Shrine
- Proposal spot
- Meetings
- Meeting stationery
- Audio-visual equipment for special events
- Wi-Fi for special events
- On-site event hosting
- Indoor venue for special events
- Outdoor venue for special events
- Seminars
- Ways to relax:
- Body scrub
- Body wrap
- Fitness center
- Foot bath
- Gym/fitness
- Massage
- Pool with view
- Sauna
- Spa
- Spa/sauna
- Steamroom
- Swimming pool
- Swimming pool [outdoor]
The spa was decent. I had a massage that was… well, it did the job. I've had better, I've had worse. The sauna and steam room were clean and functional. The pool, with a view of the Dardanelles, was a highlight. It was just… gorgeous. Relaxing by the pool was truly bliss.
Cleanliness and Safety (The Important Bits):
Okay, this is crucial, right? Especially in, you know, these times. The Troia Tusan seemed to take cleanliness seriously:
Anti-viral cleaning products
Daily disinfection in common areas
Hand sanitizer
Hot water linen and laundry washing
Hygiene certification
Individually-wrapped food options
Physical distancing of at least 1 meter
Professional-grade sanitizing services
Room sanitization opt-out available
Rooms sanitized between stays
Safe dining setup
Sanitized kitchen and tableware items
Staff trained in safety protocol
The staff was generally masked, and there were hand sanitizer stations everywhere. My room felt clean and well-maintained, and they offer room sanitisation opt-out, which is a big plus.
Safety and Security:
- Access
- CCTV in common areas
- CCTV outside property
- Fire extinguisher
- Front desk [24-hour]
- Non-smoking rooms
- Pets allowed unavailable
- Room decorations
- Safety/security feature
- Security [24-hour]
- Smoke alarms
- Soundproof rooms
Services and Conveniences (The Little Extras):
- Cash withdrawal
- Concierge
- Contactless check-in/out
- Currency exchange
- Daily housekeeping
- Doorman
- Dry cleaning
- Elevator
- Essential condiments
- Facilities for disabled guests
- Food delivery
- Gift/souvenir shop
- Invoice provided
- Ironing service
- Laundry service
- Luggage storage
- Meeting/banquet facilities
- Meetings
- Meeting stationery
- On-site event hosting
- Outdoor venue for special events
- Projector/LED display
- Safety deposit boxes
- Seminars
- Shrine
- Smoking area
Alright, buckle up, buttercups! This isn't your glossy Instagram itinerary; this is the REAL DEAL. We're heading to the Troia Tusan Hotel in Canakkale, Turkey, and you're about to experience the glorious chaos of my brain (and travel planning). Get ready for unexpected detours, questionable food choices, and the occasional existential crisis. Let's do this!
My Personal Disaster-Waiting-to-Happen Travel Itinerary: Canakkale Edition
Day 1: Arrival & Utter Confusion (and Maybe a Little Joy)
- Morning (or whenever the heck the plane lands): Istanbul Airport. Ugh. Airports. Never a good start. Finding the domestic terminal always feels like navigating a Kafka novel. Hopefully, the flight to Canakkale (after a quick flight) will actually take off this time. Pray to whatever deity you believe in for NO delays. Because I'm already dreaming of that Turkish coffee and baklava for the fuel of exploring.
- Late Morning/Early Afternoon: Arrive in Canakkale! First impressions always matter, and I hope the airport isn't a tin can with a dodgy baggage carousel. Taxi to the Troia Tusan. Fingers crossed the driver doesn't try to take me on a scenic detour. (It's happened.) The REAL test is if the hotel actually looks like the pictures. I’m picturing a plush lobby with a balcony overlooking the Dardanelles? Yeah, right. More likely, it's a parking lot.
- Mid-Afternoon: Check-in. The moment of truth. Pray for a room with a view (and no mold). And please, I beg you, a bed that doesn't sound like a rusty trombone every time I roll over. Time to unpack, which usually involves me throwing everything around the room in a desperate search for that ONE charger I swear I packed.
- Late Afternoon/Early Evening: First walk around Canakkale. Find the main square, wander. Maybe get lost. Embrace the disorientation. Eat something immediately. Probably try street food. My gut is telling me to trust the kebabs. My wallet is cautiously optimistic about the price. Hopefully, I don't end up with a stomach bug on day one. That's the Turkish gods punishing my reckless enthusiasm, I guess.
- Evening: Dinner at a restaurant near the harbour. (Again, pray the food is good!) Trying to learn a few basic Turkish phrases. "Merhaba" (hello) is already down. "Teşekkür ederim" (thank you) is proving a bit of a tongue-twister. Order way too much food and regret it later. Blame jet lag. Probably drink too much Raki. Wake up the next morning wondering what you said, to whom, and how embarrasing it was. Sigh.
Day 2: Gallipoli & Grieving (and a bit of history that matters)
- Morning: Gallipoli Tour. This is the big one. Emotionally prepare. It's going to be heavy. I expect to be moved. I hope to be moved. The thought of the history, the sacrifices… it's already hitting me. A day trip to the Gallipoli Peninsula. Seeing the Anzac Cove, Lone Pine Cemetery, and Chunuk Bair. Reading the stories, seeing the memorials… I predict tears. Guaranteed. So many tears. I'll pack tissues. Maybe even a box. The sheer scale of loss and the echoes of the war… it's almost impossible to comprehend. I'm thinking I'll want to spend a lot of time in reflection, looking at the landscape and thinking about what happened here. Also, I'm going to be completely crushed.
- Lunch: Eat something, anything. Probably whatever the tour guide recommends. Hopefully, it's not too salty because I guarantee I'll be dehydrated from crying. Need fuel to get through all the memorials!
- Afternoon: More Gallipoli. More walking. More… feeling things. I hope the tour guide is good at explaining the context, the politics, the why behind all this. Because sometimes, history can just feel like a jumble of dates and names. I want to understand what happened here. And I want to feel some kind of connection to the past.
- Evening: The only thing that might ease the ache after a Gallipoli trip is a long, hot shower. And probably… a very quiet dinner. Somewhere I can sit and think, a place to process all of the history, the emotion, and the scale of the tragedy. I guarantee it won't be a place for a lot of talking. Possibly a glass of wine. Maybe two.
Day 3: Troy & Ancient Wonders (plus some cheesy tourist traps)
- Morning: Hit the archaeological site of Troy! (Yes, that Troy.) Prepare for a bunch of crumbling walls and the mythical Trojan Horse. Which, let's be honest, is probably a replica. But still. It's Troy! I'm expecting it to be smaller than I imagined and probably more run-down. Will attempt to channel my inner Achilles. (Probably won't succeed.)
- Lunch: Picnic? Maybe? Pack snacks. The tourist traps near ancient sites always overcharge. And I hate being ripped off. (It's the principle of the thing!)
- Afternoon: Museum time! See the artifacts. Learn about the history. Try to figure out if the whole Trojan War thing was real or just a really good story. I'm guessing a bit of both. It would be great if there are interactive exhibits, not the kind with just a bunch of dust and "do not touch" signs.
- Evening: Back to Canakkale. Wander the streets. Explore some shops. (I'm a sucker for souvenirs). Dinner. Maybe try a different kind of Turkish food. Have a chat with locals. Try to pretend I know what I'm doing. Failing spectacularly.
Day 4: Relaxation, Ferry Ride & Farewell (Almost)
- Morning: Sleep. Lots. After three days of historical overload, my brain requires a holiday. Perhaps breakfast in bed?
- Mid-morning: Hang out at the hotel. Swim in the pool. (If it's clean.) Sunbathe (if the sun's out). Read a cheesy book. Try to relax. Realize I’m terrible at relaxing. Start thinking about the next activity.
- Afternoon: Take a ferry across the Dardanelles. Admire the scenery. Pretend to know the history of the straits. Consider taking a photo of the castle that I've seen somewhere.
- Early Evening: Dinner. One last chance to eat all the Turkish things. (I'm thinking of ordering a Turkish coffee, but in a place where they know what they're doing this time.) Start stuffing my suitcase with gifts I'm hoping to get.
- Evening: Pack. Double-check everything. Say goodbye to Canakkale. Reflect on the trip. Feel a mix of sadness (it's ending!), relief (no more early mornings!), and excitement (what's next?).
Day 5: Departure & Post-Trip Meltdown
- Morning: Travel to Istanbul Airport. (Again. With hopefully less chaos this time.) Plane. Home. Cry a little.
- Afternoon/Evening: Post-trip blues. Start planning the next adventure. Already missing the kebabs. Start looking at hotels.
Final Thoughts & Imperfections:
Look, this isn't a perfect plan. It's probably going to go off the rails. I'll get lost. I'll miss the plane. I'll eat something that makes me sick. But that's the beauty of travel, right? It's the messy, unpredictable, human experience. I can't wait to come home with a million stories. This vacation is going to be incredible, even and maybe especially because it's not perfect.
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