Do we need to make hotel reservations

[kfriebel]

We will be travelling in Turkey from June 2 - July 4 travelling by car from Goreme to Antalya, Cirali, Dalyan, Fetihye, Pammukale, Selcuk, Izmir and back to Istanbul by train. Except for our first hotel in Istanbul do we need to make hotel reservations in advance at this time of year? I keep thinking we might be able to negotiate better rates on the spot, but also don't want to be left in the cold with things booked full. We are hoping to average about 70 Euros a night for a family of 4. Your advice would be helpful.

[Tommmo]

We are going in May and booking all we can.Some places are already booked out. the hotels usually will give full refund up to a week before, so little risk involved.

[steve]

No need to book at all. Wise to get your Istanbul hotel sorted, but you will be able to find decent places to stay as long as you are happy to take two room rather than one room of four. This will allow you to vary your plans and stay longer in some places or clear off early if you are staying somewhere you don't much care for. Travelling for a month I'd strongly advise against fixing a rock-solid four week long itinerary as you'll likey want to vary your plans.

[margaretp]

Whilst agreeing with Steve about not booking in advance, we certainly always travel with a shortlist of possible places to stay, particularly in the main tourist towns. We have usually found that we have been able to stay in our first choice.

[steve]

That's a good point and something I always do and should have mentioned. I also carry LP and RG guidebooks for the evenings when you en up in a town you didn't expect to go to. If it's not a very touristy place I usually try my luck at the best place in town and see if I can secure a bargain - it usually works!

[kanewai]

I've never been able to bargain for a good hotel room. I know how to bargain at a market, but that's a whole social process. I fail at hotels! Does anyone have any easy suggestions?

Part of my problem is that I don't want to spend a morning tramping around looking at rooms, and it probably shows. I've also seen Western Europeans act like **** in other places trying to bargain discount rates out of luxury hotels.

So, for example ... I'll be traveling to Mardin. I know of two good hotels and one skanky one. Is it better to call a day ahead, or just show up in the morning? Does cash get a discount? Is it a simple case of asking, on the off-chance you might get a discount, or is there actual negotiating and bargaining involved?