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Visitor reviews for Kartalkaya Ski Resort

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• January 24, 2011
  Philip Upson from Turkey
  

  We stayed in Dorukaya Hotel (at Kartalkaya) over Christmas last year (2010). Nice Hotel: relatively small rooms but adequate (unless like us you have three young kids - and a bit more space would be handy). Food was good and plentiful. Some nice waiters but the hotel reception suffers from the often found grumpy unfriendly Turkish hotel staff. Note: many of these probably do not ski and just come up from the coastal hotels so don't expect the Austrian/Swiss welcome here.

  The absurdity of the two hotel chains having separate lift tickets will be a bug bare to most foreigners who have skied more developed resorts, and could easily finish all the on-piste routes of both areas in one day. But saying that you can off course on one day go and buy the other pass. There really are no appropriate slopes for absolute beginners, and safety is an issue (on both the so called baby slopes as well as most others).

  Like others we found the hotel full and the slopes empty. weird. Patchy snow in places (i.e. grass) but runs still open. Anyway we attempted it and once over the windblown pasture we got to a nice black run. I saw in another post that the off-piste was untracked during powder and we found that too but, unfortunately, the powder was gone and a sort of spring snow was found so we still managed much off-piste on the untracked sides of the pistes. The trees off the side of the only chair look good if you have powder.

  Price looks expensive to start with but as meals and lift passes and drinks are included, as well as kiddies club, and pool etc, it was not too bad. Some children accommodated for free too.

  Christmas...of course they had not yet heard of it...so not a decoration in sight...but that did not matter.

  All in all, for a few days a good break from the cities. But not the Alps by a long shot.

• Kartalkaya Ratings

  Based on 14 votes. Vote

  Access: 2.5 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Kartalkaya.	Public Transport: 2.6 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Kartalkaya, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 3.1 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 3.3 (1) No places to stay in/near Kartalkaya, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 2.4 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 3.9 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Kartalkaya.
  Ski in/Ski out: 3.7 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 2.9 (1) There are no child care facilities at Kartalkaya, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 3.3 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Kartalkaya is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 1.9 (1) Kartalkaya relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 3.2 (1) There are no snow groomers at Kartalkaya, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Kartalkaya are groomed daily.	Shelter: 2.7 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Kartalkaya is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 2.2 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Kartalkaya, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 3.8 (1) Kartalkaya usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 3.2 (1) The staff at Kartalkaya are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Kartalkaya are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 2.6 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 2.9 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 3.1 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 2.9 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Kartalkaya has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 3.4 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 3.4 (1) No intermediate terrain at Kartalkaya, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 2.8 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 2.8 (1) Not even a kicker at Kartalkaya, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 2.7 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 2.0 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Kartalkaya, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 2.0 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Kartalkaya has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 3.1 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 3.5 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.1 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 2.6 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 2.2 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 2.1 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 2.5 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 2.9 (1) Overall, Kartalkaya is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 2.8 (1) Overall, Kartalkaya is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 14 votes. Vote

• January 16, 2011
  Deniz Ilhan from Turkey
  

  I was at the Kartal/Grand Kartal hotel piste side of Kartalkaya yesterday for a one-day trip provided by RadikalTur. I counted on the weather forecast of snow-forecast.com. The forecast was that it was going to be partly cloudy and clear during the day accompanied by relatively warm weather and weak winds. I could tell that this forecast has been mostly verified. However, it was dominantly partly cloudy during the day and as it drew close to 16.00, fog began rolling in from the upper slopes.

  As far as I can evaluate, the snow quality is 6.5 out of 10. There is sufficient snow for everyone to enjoy, both for the piste skiers/boarders and off-piste skiers/boarders. However, it is hoped that the snow quality would rise by further snow.

  I should mention that I never had the chance to fully benefit from the new "Snow Park" that had been completed some seasons ago. Before, the Park was never sufficiently ploughed for the visitors, with ramps hidden by uneven snow, and this time it was 'being' ploughed hence not available for utilization.

  Also, I can't emphasize enough the inadequacy of Kartal/Grand Kartal Hotel's lodge (4 changing cabinets and jammed organization of lockers) for one-day visitors when, say, four buses of visitors swarm the lodge. Dorukkaya's lodge for one-day visitors is 'way' better.

  However, I do not know anywhere more adequate for snow-aficionados around Marmara region to enjoy for now. I have never been an Uludag or Kartepe frequenter.

  Hope to inform you with more recent news!

  Happy skiing/boarding!

• January 04, 2011
  Kubilay from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is more advanced compared to Uludag in terms of signs, pistes and the crowd. As it is hard to reach, locals or novices do not bother you there.
  The hotels are expensive, especially during weekends, so try pensions nearby but don't expect anything.
  Skipass is expensive but if you take the card of one of the pensions they would give you a discount.
  Generally it is the best place who do not have time to travel more distant resorts.

• March 09, 2010
  Joe Richardson from New Zealand
  

  Fantastic tour to Kartalkaya and some awesome boarding. We were lucky to get magic clear powder days and loads of photos.
  Everything was easy with the hotel and the service, meals and amenities were great.
  One let down was the absolute crap service and hack job done on on my board by TIMO snowboard "butcher " shop inside the hotel.
  I had arranged and paid for my board to have some P-Tex repairs, edges sharpened, hot wax and full tidy up.
  They did nothing except melt 5 blocks of wax all over my board and leave it at that. When I questioned the issue I was told it was all done and done properly. I was then told that I was from New Zealand therefore I didn't know anything about snowboards and how they should be prepped. Also the fact I understand & speak Turkish didn't help with the remarks made towards me in a foreign language which I understood.
  Following this I found a store called SPX next door. These guys fixed my board in minutes and did it well. I will go back to them without hesitation next time. Thanks SPX !!!

  All in all, great mountain, runs, off-piste riding, hotel, food, bar, girls..........

  Be back soon
  

• February 02, 2010
  Moreno Polverini from Italy
  

  This is our second year living in Istanbul and we decided to spend a weekend skiing.
  Last year we tried Kartepe, this year Kartalkaya.
  Thanks to another review, we decided to contact the Yayla hotel, and since we called for reservation, we had a positive approach.
  We arrived at the hotel at 11 pm and they served us a delicious dinner. They were extra friendly and they did not mind serving us until we wanted to go to our room.
  They do not handle alcohol but if you bring your wine, raki or beer with you, they are more than happy to serve you that as well.
  The best breakfast that I have ever had! Fabulous chef! Almost all products are home-made and organic. They have chickens, cows, and ladies cook bread in house. I felt like I was visiting a farm house with a great sense of hospitality.
  Negative things about Kartalkaya that I was surprised about; roads to the mountain are not cleaned and salted by municipality. How come road to an international ski resort is not drive friendly? We had to put chains in the middle of the road and take it off on the way back to the hotel.
  Long line on the lifts makes you waste time with a 15 minutes waiting period for one line.
  Overall, our trip was very good, and I especially recommend Yayla Hotel (5 km after the turning to Kartalkaya way). It was also very good deal in tems of room rates.

• February 01, 2010
  Haluk from United Kingdom
  

  I agree with most of the comments about Kartalkaya. However, in terms of the hotels, let me just inform you that a new hotel was opened recently called the Golden Key. Given that the fog may put you off skiing/boarding, a nice hotel like this would at least give you some peace indoors. It may be slightly more expensive than other few hotels in the resort, but if you can afford, the price is worth it.

  Also, the fog is a major problem in my view as the few times I have been to Kartalkaya it was frustrating as I'd like to board non-stop. It is a good resort for intermediate levels that would like to give longer breaks between sessions.

  Enjoy!.

• January 21, 2010
  MERIC CALISKAN from Turkey
  

  I was at Kartalkaya last week. I checked Turkish meteorology website to get the snow level. It sais 140 cm. However, I found out that there was almost 40-50 cm snow. Didn't scratch my skis but there was grass on some spots on the tracks. So it is not nice to fool the people. So be careful, check the snow level before going there.

• January 15, 2010
  Nitro from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is famous for great powder days and foggy afternoons so be prepared to take a long ski break till fog clears off :) Other than that, I would recommend snowboarders to use my favorive track route.

  1-Use chair lift to go all the way to top
  2-When you take off, take the track to your left
  3-Follow all the way to 'Doruk caffe'
  4-Then to your left, follow the track close to the 'Snow Park'
  5-At the end of the track, you will come across 'Chocolate Caffe'
  6-Follow the track down to the forest which is very close 'Chocolate Caffe'
  7-You will reach the chair lift area
  8-Get on the lift, and do the same again again and again :))

  This is the fastest (yet the longest) route from the top of the mountain near Dorukkaya Hotel region.

  My personal record for this route is 8 mins. So top that! ;)

• December 30, 2009
  AHMET GÜNEY GÖNÜLLÜ from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is probably the best ski center nearest to İstanbul. I recommend Kartalkaya for advanced skiers mostly. Only thing you have to be aware of is the weather. You may spent your whole day in the hotel lobby, if you don't check the weather before coming.

• December 16, 2009
  Ali Muftuoglu from Turkey
  

  I have been skiing for along time. I don't go to Kartalkaya for skiing since I ski in Europe. There are two hotels in Kartalkaya. It is funny but real, you are not not allowed to visit other hotel ski area, it is unique to Kartalkaya and Uludag in all over the world ski resorts. Many slopes even the highest one, have very old fashioned T-bars. You will have crampy legs before get the top and chair-lifts are very slow and only for two persons in Kartalkaya. During the weekend, do not expect to ski so much, you will waste your majority of time in the queue. Even a bit snow and fog, many lifts are closed by Kartal Hotel management.
  If you have enough time and money and ready to meet the conditions above, have fun.

  Dr.Ali Muftuoglu
  

• December 13, 2009
  diamond from United Arab Emirates
  

  Has anyone stayed in Kartal hotel villas in Kartalkaya??? We have never been to Kartalkaya before, checked the photos of the hotels on the net, look very, very old compared to Uludag... I am a bit worried about the hotel quality as well as the pistes. We are beginner skiers, will Kartalkaya be suitable for us??? please help...

• November 20, 2009
  Ozgur Sur. from United Kingdom
  

  I have been traveling in the world to all ski resort places and I can say Kartalkaya, Turkey has one of the best snow ski resorts in world. Especially Kartalkaya Golden Key is one of its kind in Turkey. I can say if you want to have the best quality and best style while you are skiing, you will choose this hotel which also has architecture awards in Europe. As I said before, you must see Kartalkaya once in your life even if you are on the other side of the world.

• March 09, 2009
  Barry from Canada
  

  I am living in Ankara for the winter and a friend desperately wanted to go skiing so I happily agreed to accompany him. We drove up to Kartalkaya on Sunday afternoon from Ankara through the Dortdivan route (rather than through Bolu). From the point these two roads converge; tyre chains were essential. We arrived at the resort only to find that all 3 hotels were completely full for the evening. We were very surprised but we were told it was because there had been some tour specials offered which included staying on Sunday night. We went into the ski rental store and the manager informed us that there were a number of pensions in the villages along the road down to Bolu. He also told us that they had a ski rental store in a small village where the rental selection wasn't as good but was much cheaper. We drove back down the mountain and stopped at the rental store. I rented skis for half the price than at the resort ($25ytl instead of $50ytl). I am an advanced skier and was very happy with the equipment. They did not rent snowbords but said there was a store just down the road which rented them. We went there and my friend rented a great snowboard for half the price as the resort ($35ytl instead of $60ytl).

  We then stayed the night at the Yayla Hotel ($60ytl each for room and full board). The cozy/village alpine decor restaurant was very busy with apres-skiers and the dinner was excellent. We were the only guests overnight but the room was very warm and comfortable. In the morning the owner cooked us an amazing and huge breakfast and then put the chains on our tyres for us.

  We then drove back up the Kartalkaya mountain to find the parking lot and ski hill virtually empty - we had no idea what happened to all of guests who had filled up the hotel. We purchased our lift tickets from the ski rental store ($50ytl for weekdays rather than $85ytl for weekends). We chose the Kartal lift pass instead of Dorukkaya and I'm very glad we did. The only down side was that two of the lifts were not open (I assume because of the lower mid-week ticket prices and the small crowds). However, that didn't really matter since there was still plenty of terrain to ski on. There was a huge amount of fresh, dry powder snow and we skiied on it all day. I was very suprised that all of the skiers were sticking to the piste runs and leaving all of the powder to us. Don't Turkish skiers like powder.

  We had an awesome day at Kartalkaya and I would definitely go back. It's not Whistler-Blackcomb from back home in Vancouver but it's still a great ski and well worth the money.
  

• February 23, 2009
  Lucien from Turkey
  

  I am going quite often during weekends to Grand Kartal or Doruk Kaya (Kartalkaya) since 3 years.
  The prices of the ski pass or hotel room are increasing a lot every year, but the quality of the material (I prefer not ask about the maintenance) is decreasing every year, especially in Doruk Kaya. Since 2 weeks the chair lift near the "Olympic runway " is running at half capacity because the electrical engine got hot ( it is not a joke). But the price of the ski pass is not at half capacity. Doruk kaya (Kartalkaya) management just want to make easy money with absolutely no investment.
  It is a pity, something very nice and a quite big area can be performed with some investment. I think no investment has been performed since more than 15 years in both of them.

• February 08, 2009
  A.E from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is a really good ski resort and very close to main cities like Istanbul and Ankara. The hotels are comfortable. Some people said that the hotels are expensive but if you are staying in Kartalkaya hotels you never pay for something else because all the meals, drinks (including booze) and ski passes are included in the price.

• January 02, 2009
  Philippe from Turkey
  

  Do not expect the Alps or Colorado, but Kartalkaya is a very pleasant place to spend a few days (expensive though).
  Main issue early in the season might be the lack of snow, and the poor maintenance of the trails.
  You better know a local to have a real snow report. It seems to me that what you find on the web comes from hotel managers who want to lure you in; customers are in short supply those days.
  Have fun there.

• December 24, 2008
  Can KAYA from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is a very nice weekend escapade mountain, and the backyard of Istanbul high-society. The reason that prices have gone up lately is the willing-to-pay people.
  So much crowded, especially in the weekends, because of daily tours.
  Can not really be compared to Alps or other resorts, but one of the best of Turkey.
  Very close to Istanbul (3h) and Ankara (2,5h)
  Hope this review helps

• December 23, 2008
  Lena Nazli from Turkey
  

  Very, very expensive. Why?

• December 02, 2008
  Lara from Turkey
  

  Very expensive...

• October 24, 2008
  murats from Turkey
  

  I've been traveling to Kartalkaya since 1995. It is the best ski resort for inhabitants of Ankara and Istanbul. 4 hours from Kadikoy and 3 hours from Ankara. Long season (15 Dec-1 Apr) I had opportunity to ski in April 23rd, 2002. Receive notably amount of snow, but last two years I've concluded that snowfall had decreased about 50%. But this is relevant for every resort in Turkey (Possibly the effect of the climate change.)

  Hotels are expensive (the most expensive mountain hotels of Turkey) But due to proximity to main cities and comparably wider lift and piste options they deserve those prices.

  I advise you to take tours-coaches departing from Ankara or Istanbul. You take the bus early morning, sleep until the mountain. Depart back at 17.30. If you take your car, get prepared for icy conditions en route, snow chains are essential.

  Since Kartalkaya is the wall between Black Sea and interior part of Anatolia, may be extremely windy and chilled. Only slight difference in pressure can produce up to 50 km of wind at top. So don't hesitate to take your windshields.

  What I couldn't understand is, until 1995 there had been NO improvement or advancement in lift systems of hotels. 2 hotels use separate valleys with separate lifts without connection. No one can convince me about reasons of that.

  Overall: Good, not far, accessible, expensive...

• February 25, 2008
  murat from Turkey
  

  I have tried Kartal Hotel; the service of which is really nice. The snow quality is very good. Trails are large enough to let you safely ski down. Only downside is the length of the trails which are really short.
  Anyhow, it is the best place for skiing in the vicinity of Istanbul.

• January 07, 2008
  Nihan Dinç from Turkey
  

  Turkey's first snowpark opens this season in Kartalkaya Dorukkaya Ski and Mountain Resort. rails, rollers, boxes and big air... lots of fun i mean! Dorukkaya is more concerned on snowboarding than skiing. In sense of festivals and snowboarding competitions Dorukkaya is much more active than other resorts. every March they organize 2 main festivals "Rossignol Fest" and "Burton Games" both provides great parties and fun. For the last 2 seasons Dorukkaya improved itself. As it has more foreign visitors it is easier to find English speaking personnel.

• December 28, 2007
  Ortac Ozortac from Turkey
  

  I've been visiting Kartalkaya since 1986. Every season the valley improves itself. It has got better in recent years. The best idea for improvement is adding both two hotels' pistes to each other. Then visitors will have more than 20 kms of pistes. I think the hotel managers have to think about it. Good skiing @ Kartal Hotel's pistes. I feel like I'm home there.

• February 16, 2007
  Danny from United Kingdom
  

  I too learned to ski at Kartalkaya and left with a very positive impression of the place (for a beginner at least).
  For those of you having not travelled to Turkey before I would just like to add that the resort is "wet" i.e. alchohol is allowed (the hotels have bars which is usually where you'll find Jim who left the comment below). Also being muslim, Christmas is not usually a holiday period, so opportunities exists to grab a cheaper Christmas ski break than you would perhaps find in European resorts.

• March 22, 2006
  Jim from Turkey
  

  I learned to ski at Kartalkaya, and have been for the last three years with friends. If you are thinking of learning but don't want to break the bank finding out that sking is not really for you, this is highly recommomended. Grand Hotel and Hotel KartalKaya both offer very good food and all inclusive deals. Sunday to Thursday is much cheaper than the busy weekends when the crowds from Istabul and Ankara come out. Good food, good service good slopes. Maybe not too challenging for a very accomplished skier, but offers blue, red and black runs which should keep most people happy. Ski instruction seemed a bit expensive though! 22/3/06

• February 15, 2006
  Askin Senel from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is my favourite. The snow quality is high.
  There are 3 hotels that belong to 2 groups. I prefer Kartal hotel pistes and like them more (they have more piste alternatives too). However, Dorukkaya hotel pistes are also good and definately worth experiencing.
  Kartal otel is looking after well to the pistes. Koroglu pistes, when operations are very much fun and excitement to the experienecd skiers.
  The problem with Kartalkaya is fog. The foggy days are not rare unfortunately, which sometimes makes skiing impossible. Due to bad weather Koroglu pistes may be more often closed too.
  However, hotel food is really very delicious and rich. There is a small pool, and 2 saunas that seem just fine, of course a larger pool would be an asset.
  I don't understand why they don't have ice skating facilities. It would be a good alternative during bad weather times when skiing is not possible and would enrich the offering.
  The other thing I don't understand and like is why they built the hotels to the top, when they could have built them more down to the valley and could offer much much longer pistes down. Reaching to the hotels would be much easier and hotel costs would be much lower too. This is a general sick approach in Turkish resorts. They limit you to much shorter paths and enjoy niche marketing.
  Hotels have some apre-ski facilities, but location is very limited, and might be boring for long stays.
  

• March 28, 2005
  Burak Demiriz from Turkey
  

  Hi there,
  I want to make some additions to the review of Markku from Finland...
  On Kartalkaya there are 3 hotels. Dorukkaya (www.dorukkaya.com.tr) Kartal Otel (www.kartalotel.com) and Grand Kartal (www.grandkartal.com.tr).
  Dorukkaya has its own ski pists, while Both Kartal Hotels share their ski pists. Lift passes are included in hotel fees. The pists of the Kartal hotels are more snow guaranteed and are for more advanced skiers.
  If you do not ski, then you will find the hotel life boring. Though there are swimming pools, saunas, massage centers and sport activity centers in the hotels, there are no walking ways around the hotels and also après ski possibilities are very poor or nor existing.. Grand Hotel is the bigger and newer hotel. Best days for skiers: Sunday-Friday...
  But shortly speaking Kartal Hotels are the best and the nearest Hotels to Istanbul and Ankara for passionate skiers. Visit and have fun. Kind Regards…

• February 11, 2005
  Markku from Finland
  

  We lived for several years in Istanbul and skied almost every winter in K:aya. The overall impressions have been very positive.
  Plusses:
  + easy to drive both from Istb and Ankara along the very good highway, about 2 hrs from both cities plus one hour up to mountains
  + at least Grand Kartal is a Good hotel with just Excellent buffet tables (breakfeast, lunch & dinner)
  + nice, but short slopes especially for beginners and for mid range skiers too
  + during week days usually almost 'empty' slopes; except during Muslim bayram holiday period
  + beautiful and clean nature up in two kilometers, generally a lot of good snow; don't forget sun glasses; very refreshing indeed
  + nice staff, but hardly speak any english
  + you can buy full package with bus transportation from Istb & A:ra
  +/- it is not even a village, but just three hotels near by each others; very quiet
  Minuses:
  - very often foggy between Dec-Jan and may be also very windy at the same time making it sometimes impossible to ski; best times during Feb-March up to early April
  - weekends are often somewhat congested by locals
  - it is definitely not Alps i.e. slopes are short up to about 1,5 km and mostly green, blue and just couple of red ones
  - snow chains are essential for your car to climb up to mountains; during weekends local farmers install and take off for a small fee

• December 08, 2004
  Ahmet Alev Ulusan from Turkey
  

  Kartalkaya is best ski resort in Turkey, located very closly to BOLU. With natural beauity, Only for ski and snow, excelent snow quality, quiet resort, relaxing.. There are two hotel at the top of the mountain, Kartal hotel and Dorukkaya hotel.Both hotels are good,services are excelent. Nature is incredible, Never miss to come to Kartalkaya.
  

• November 26, 2004
  Ahmet Douas from United Kingdom
  

  Kartalkaya, is located in a quiet village, in between Istanbul and Ankara. With good snow quality, this quiet resort, although not too big, has beautiful, untouched nature, and backcountry skiing in untouched powder. Although the skiing area is not too large, there is an opportunity for exploring, with good snow till April. A good place for simply relaxing..