Akanthus Hotel Ephesus

Set in midtown Selçuk, Akanthus Hotel Ephesus stands close enough to the Temple of Artemis to see its ruins from the property, a short walk from St John's Basilica, Isa Bey Mosque, Selçuk Castle and the Ephesus Museum. The ancient city of Ephesus itself lies 2.1 km away, a UNESCO World Heritage site reachable in minutes by car or on foot. Rooms sit at ground level around a garden courtyard and pool, several with a Cumba, the bay window built into traditional Turkish houses, fitted with a sofa bed. It is a small, low-rise hotel. Floors throughout are handmade cement tile over natural hardwood, and beds are dressed in Turkish cotton linen; carpets, copper and silver work and hand weaves appear through the public rooms and corridors. The upper-floor rooms carry the widest outlook, taking in Artemis Temple, St John's Basilica, Isa Bey Mosque, Selçuk Castle and the hills around the House of the Virgin Mary. Breakfast is a Mediterranean buffet built from local produce, taken in view of the garden. Guests can walk to the Ephesus Museum in minutes and reach the ancient site itself before the day's coach groups arrive. Pamucak beach, Şirince village and the Belevi Mausoleum sit a short drive beyond town.