Luwi Antakya Boutique Hotel — Hotel in Antakya

This was a great stay. 3 nights in Antakya for my work. After the earthquake, they are trying their best. I booked a single room, but Ali at the reception upgraded me for free to a suite. It included a kitchenette, nice clean bathroom, big double bed, living room area and couch, minibar, air condition with good heating, tv in the bedroom, and very nice decorations. Daily housekeeping is offered. Free complimentary water, tea, and coffee. And the wifi was sufficient.I want to thank Ali for his excellent customer service and attention. He constantly sent me messages and replied really quickly. He asked if I needed cleaning, or anything else. His English is also excellent. This boutique hotel is on the main road near city centre. Of course, because Antakya is being re-built, it’s quite dusty, but this is the place to stay. The suites are very spacious and comfortable. Because their dining area was destroyed in the earthquake, breakfast was not available. I hope it will be rebuilt soon. Before, I also stayed at Le Reve Boutique Hotel near this hotel, and the customer service here is so much better. I would give up the breakfast for the service instead at anytime. Thank you.

The Orontes Suite room is on the first floor with balcony facing the main street. During the day, the noise of cars driving by can be heard, and some people might be sensitive to this. But at night, it’s quiet without many cars passing. If necessary, bring some earplugs. At times, the electricity gets cut, but only for a short time. This is normal in Antakya right now because of the construction. It’s not the hotel’s fault. My only suggestion for improvement in this room is to have some electric outlet near the side table, so it can also be a laptop workstation. There was no electric connection near the table, so difficult to work at the table. Sometimes, the wifi was a little slow. But overall,...

Luwi Antakya Boutique Hotel is the best hotel that I, a solo American tourist in Turkey for around two months now, have stayed at in Turkey so far, and it was less expensive than almost all of the others. The room was clean and spacious, with air conditioning that worked perfectly and extra comforts like a full-on living room area and kitchen that one usually doesn't find in hotels at this price. Where I think anyone who stays at this hotel will agree most, however, is that this hotel’s staff is the kindest and most helpful of any staff, which is especially worthwhile for a city like Antakya that no longer has a set “tourist track” in the aftermath of the earthquake. Two of the receptionists in particular, Hazzar and “Shine” (I am certainly not spelling his name right, forgive me; I am going entirely by the sound!), helped me greatly, whether it was ordering food for me, calling a taxi, or suggesting historical sites. Hazzar is excellent with languages; he has a grasp of English almost on par with a native speaker’s and seemed to imply that he also knew German – I will remember and prize the evening that I spent talking to him and others going in and out of the hotel lobby, where he taught me how to say several Turkish phrases while lightly making fun of my pronunciation, until I die. If Luwi is unavailable for the night, the Luwi staff will even be helpful in ensuring that you have another place to stay, as the Tetrapole Boutique Hotel, whose similarly friendly and helpful staff regularly comes over to converse with the Luwi staff, is across the street. Should you come to Antakya, I hope that this review will convince you to...

Luwi Otel’de rezervasyon yapıp ne ile karşılaşacağımızı bilmeden gittik ve gerçekten etkileyici bir deneyim yaşadık. Tamamen yok olmuş bir sokakta ayakta kalan birkaç binadan biri olan otel, varlığını adeta mucize gibi sürdürüyor. Kapıda bizi çok güler yüzlü, sıcakkanlı insanlar karşıladı; uzak kaldığımız bir misafirperverlikle karşılaştık.Otelde Orontos Odası’na yerleştirildik. Önceden okuduğum “Cehennem Kayıkçısı” hikayesini hatırlayınca ufak tesadüfler gibi gelen ama etkileyici olan detaylar dikkatimi çekti. Otel şirin, odalar özenle hazırlanmış. Bizim kaldığımız oda şirindi: 2 kişilik yatak, bir masa, klima, banyo ve tuvaletin olduğu camlı bir bölme ile lavabonun bulunduğu açık bir alan vardı. Mini bir kitchenette, ocak, gerekli mutfak gereçleri, kettle ve mini buzdolabı (bar) gibi ürünlerle donatılmıştı. Oda, Fransız balkonuna açılan ahşap bir kapı ve yanında ahşap bir pencereye sahipti. Akşam kapısını açıp saatlerce dalabileceğiniz koca bir ören yeri manzarası sunuyordu. Resepsiyon her isteğimize anında karşılık verdi. Sağ olsunlar, çok güzel ağırladılar.Restaurant bölümleri depremden zarar gördüğü için tekrar yapılıyor, fakat yemek konusunda Hatay’ın bu hâliyle bile aç kaldık demek ayıp olur! :) Biz resepsiyondan ne istediysek odamıza kadar geldi. Kahvaltı yapmak istediğimizde ise bizi güzel yerlere yönlendirdiler. Yokluğa rağmen her şey mükemmeldi. Antakya’ya gelmeden önce taş binalarıyla bilinen bir şehir olduğunu düşünüyordum, ama asıl ağırlığı insanlarının sıcacık samimiyetinde ve misafirperverliğinde. Burada yıkılan sadece binalar değil, hayatların en mahrem köşeleri olmuş. Ve ayağa kalkan sadece taş duvarlar değil; insanın dayanma gücü, paylaşma arzusu ve yeniden var olma iradesi olmuş. Karmaşık duygularla ayrıldım Antakya’dan. Orada gördüğüm insanlar, insana insan olduğunu hatırlatıyor; samimiyetleri, içtenlikleri ve sıcaklıklarıyla… Dünyanın pek çok yerinde bulamayacağınız bir sadelik ve hakikilik var bu şehirde. Bunun başlıca aktörlerinden biri de oteldeki arkadaşlardı. Her şey için teşekkür ederiz, tekrar...