Otel Antikhan

Quite a find, amid the ever-growing urbanisation of Izmir, this hotel provides a slice of real history, having opened in 1857 (though, after restoration in 1998 and a thorough revamp in 2008, when the present managers took over, you’d hardly know it). The rooms are pleasant if slightly dull, but with a lemon tree-scented courtyard (which also functions as the hotel’s à la carte restaurant in summer), you won’t be lingering long indoors. All the modern trimmings are present and correct, including en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning, room service and 24-hour reception – everything, in fact, that you’d expect from a bigger, blander chain hotel. Outside is a bustling and refreshingly un-touristy street full of old-fashioned shops and cobblers’ and tailors’ workshops, and the ancient Hellenistic agora – a largely undiscovered archaeological gem – is only a minute’s walk away.