A Ski Resort In Eastern Turkey - Palandöken

Erzurum, a city that doesn't appear on the radar of a regular tourist visiting Turkey but to real travellers, it offers a great mountain with elegant ski resorts, remains of an ancient empire and also a culinary surprise.

Disclaimer:

I'm not an influencer and have not been paid to write about the Sway Hotels. We paid for this vacation with our hard earned money as we always do.

Location / Arrival

The city of Erzurum is in the eastern parts of Turkey and about 750 miles (1200 km) away from Istanbul. The easiest way to reach the city is a direct two hour flight from Istanbul.

We made a booking at what we believe to be the best accommodation in the area, Sway Hotels. If you give the hotel you arrival details, they arrange a transfer from the airport to the hotel. After a 25 minute drive, you arrive at this beautiful resort on the slopes of Palandöken Mountain.

Sway Hotels

There are plenty of hotels in the region but with its private slopes and lively nights, Sway Hotels caught our attention. It's suite rooms are spacious and offer great views of the mountain.

Maybe the most important aspect of a ski resort is easy access to the slopes. Many of the hotels in ski resorts in Turkey, you'd need to take a shuttle to the slopes. The gear room of the Sway Hotels has direct access to the slopes and therefore won our hearts.

The hotel offers breakfast, lunch, tea time and dinner all included. It has two restaurant areas, one for all the guests, the other for suite guests. The food is great with many local dishes but would also easily satisfy picky eaters. Its bar is adequate with ample space for socializing.

The slopes of the hotel are great for intermediate level skiers. There are also parts that we did not dare enter as they seemed very steep so if you're more experienced, plenty of options for you too.

The City Center - Erzurum

After three days of skiing, we thought we could have a day off visiting the city center. Double Minaret Madrasa was our first destination, following that the Yakutiye Madrasa; two ancient schools from around the 13th century where a mix of theology and science (mathematics, astronomy) was taught.

Three Kümbets, conical monumental tombs are also an interesting location. It was freezing cold so we sat down at a nearby cafeteria and had some Turkish coffee.

As the hotel offered great food, we had dinner outside the hotel only on this day. The special offering of this city is called "Cağ Kebap" which to some of you might look like a "gyro" or "döner" but it is not. If you're not a vegetarian, I suggest you give this kebab a try. We had ours at "Muammer Usta" restaurant but there are other popular restaurants that offer the same kebab in the city. Make sure you leave some room for the sweet "kadayıf" or "baklava".

Overall Experience

Compared to other skiing resorts in Turkey, Palandöken has very good quality snow, varied tasty food and good amenities at its different hotels. Other hotels in the area offer good prices, but if you want the best and don't mind paying the extra, Sway Hotels offers the best experience.