Recently returned from Hotel Era having travelled with Friendship Travel who have struck a 'deal' with the hotel to make it exclusive to them for the last 2 years. Set in a tranquil area in Ovacik, a 10 minute walk from the bright lights and bars of Hisaronu. ( Watch out ,as previous reviewer stated, you can be ripped off in certain bars!) I had a bright room with small balcony, constant hot water in shower and views of mountains. A great sized pool with more than enough new sunbeds as only 20 guest capacity. Ergun (owner) Ali (chef) and Melahat (cleaner) were the mainstay staff, with different helpers. I read many reviews about the Era on Trip advisor and Holiday watchdog before I booked and the comments were so positive about the hotel and friendliness of the staff that I was surprised to find that the Friendship Travel reps constantly told guests from day one that they were in dispute with the management. They painted the hotel in a bad light which was very unprofessional and made some first time solo guests feel uncomfortable. The MD of Friendship travel came to visit and one FT rep has been moved to other duties and a new Turkish rep, Ebo, is in place. With FT, the Era is an all inclusive hotel until 10pm, with very reasonable bar prices after this. In fact, I know of 3 guests ( including myself) who's bar bills were reduced or rounded down by the owner!! Breakfast was Turkish 'continental' served buffet style and dinner was cooked and served by the ever present Ali. Lunch was a choice of various sandwiches or salads and had a daily chef special. Rooms were spotless, pool was cleaned daily and plentiful towels supplied. Books and magazines are available in a chilled out shaded area at the side of the pool. Air-con and safety deposit boxes are charged for. Rooms with terraces are down steps in basement area, consequently, these are cooler in the heat of the day. All in all it was a great little hotel and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to stay in an area close to the bars and night life, but far enough away to just chill and relax.

I have just returned from a 2 week holiday here booked through Friendship Travel. Although I have travelled abroad on my own before, this was this first time I had booked through a solo company.
I had a lovely holiday and really enjoyed myself but this is more to do with all the great people I met and not the hotel or holiday company I booked it through. That's not to say the hotel was horrible as it wasn't. It is rated 2 star and I would say that is about right. Beds are not comfy and you can hear everything in the hotel whilst in your room....and I mean everything!!! On the plus side, the pool area is lovely and the new sunbeds are fab!!
I will definitely not be booking another holiday using Friendship Travel though. I found the reps to be a tad unprofessional to say the least and after finding out some interesting info from someone who shall remain nameless, I think FT are a rip off!!!
However, if you are looking for a good basic hotel in this area then it does what it says on the tin.

This holiday was organised by 'Friendship Travel' an Irish based company. When we arrived at the hotel there was no greeting- The bar staff stood behind the bar saying nothing ( later they became more friendly )and without any greeting the hotel owner took details of our passports. Meanwhile we realised that we were meant to help ourselves to tea or coffee. No one made any attempt to introduce us to others who had arrived earlier.The room was basic but spotlessly clean and a request for extra blankets etc was efficiently responded to. The pool and sunbeds were good and the hotel offered a 'towel hire service'. There is a shaded seating area with plenty of books to read.The food was disappointing and sparse. It was obvious that the hotel was operating on a strict budget in this area. The main holiday rep's Mel and Jean were caring , patient, and informative.Their Welcome meeting was excellent and there was no pressure to sign up for any of the trips on offer. On a day to day basis they were friendly and helpful. A great holiday apart from the food.

5 star it isn’t but then it never claims to be! A basic yet comfortable hotel offered exclusively by Friendship Travel – a company specialising in holidays for solo travellers.

Although the hotel has recently had some refurbishment (new showers, bar stools, sunbeds and brollies), it is a little shabby and could do with some TLC around the place and a good tidy up outside of the commonly used areas. An overhaul of the beds (not a lot of ‘give’) and bed linen would be welcome. Horse hair blankets and raspy sheets are very uncomfortable on the skin, let alone when that skin is a tad over cooked from a day in the sun!

All of the upper floor rooms have a small balcony overlooking the mountains but I should stress there is really only room for one occupant on them and no outside furniture is supplied for you to sit and enjoy the views. The rooms, although basic were always thoroughly cleaned and if there was a problem it was attended to more or less immediately.

The local animals and domestic pets can be quite vocal during the night but the hotel is double glazed so animalistic disturbances are minimal. The hotel next door also tends to play music till quite late but it is not uncomfortably loud and quite tolerable. However, the most likely reasons for interrupted sleep are caused by fellow holidaymakers returning to their rooms. The halls are tiled, so whether in flip-flops or heels, it is impossible to tip toe in quietly. The doors to the rooms also shut and lock and unlock noisily, so maybe earplugs would be advisable if you are a light sleeper.

Friendship travel offers an all inclusive deal but it should be noted that the chef has 2 nights off a week and you will have to take up one of the excursions to restaurants on offer or find an alternative eatery of which there are plenty in the surrounding area. After 10pm, drinks have to be paid for and the bill will be presented to you at the end of your holiday. The food is nice at the Era but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was amazing. The breakfast and lunch rarely differ from day to day but are adequate and filling. However, do try the omelette if it’s available...yummy! The evening meal is a set menu and all the holiday makers eat together by the side of the pool, which makes it a very social occasion and takes the ‘eating alone’ discomfort away from solo travellers. If you have special dietary requirements, these are taken into account.

Some of the hotel staff have changed from previous years and my experience differs from other reviews. The bar staff were new, clearly nervous and had limited English therefore there was little banter around the bar and you got in, got your drink and got out as quickly as possible, which was disappointing, if like me you enjoy sitting and chatting at the bar. However, the staff were very hard-working under the ever watching eye of Ergan the Hotel owner and to give them credit as the week went by they really did try to communicate with us as much as we did with them.

The pool is a good size but not great if you are vertical challenged...5ft 6inches at the shallowest. Ideal for cooling off in the baking sun though! Talking of which, the hotel is on the side of the mountain so benefits from a slight breeze and cooler temperatures... a welcome relief as the temperatures in Turkey are very high from June onwards. The downside of that is that it is an uphill walk from the closest town, about 10 mins walk away. However, a taxi only costs 10 lira and they are easily found in Hisaronu.

During the welcome meeting with the Friendship Travel reps Mel and Jean, you will be offered a variety of tour excursions. Prices vary but are often double the price offered by the tour operators in Hisaronu. Clearly you are paying a premium for FT arranging them on your behalf but if like me you are watching the holiday pennies it is worth shopping around for a cheaper deal. Paying more doesn’t necessarily mean getting a higher quality of service. I used a company called Pioneer Travel for one such trip and I was extremely impressed by the tour guide Ata (the Hat) who not only spoke English and other languages fluently but was humorous, extremely knowledgeable and looked after us all every step of the way. You felt safe in his hands and he did his utmost to ensure we were all comfortable and enjoying ourselves. My hat off to you Ata... “sağ olun” and go with a laugh!

All in all, it is a comfortable basic hotel in a beautiful part of Turkey. If you go, don’t expect to be blown away by luxury, an animation team or food to die for. However do expect to meet people of all ages who are in a similar position to yourself ie a solo traveller, great conversation, company when you want it and plenty of laughs.